Juicy turkey burgers
I was shopping at Trader Joe's the other day. Usually, I go there to buy their Shredded Wheat. You got over 17 ounces for $2.69 a box compared to $4.99 for a 16 ounce box from Post. I like their Pita Chips, too. But I passed their meat section and spotted a package of ground turkey. There was almost 2 lbs in a package and it only cost $3.50. Sold!
I've posted about chicken burgers in the past. And tuna burgers. And salmon burgers. Any kind of burger other than ground sirloin which of course is delicious but not so good for you. The key is to cook the burger but not have it dry out, which can happen with poultry burgers.
I like my burgers medium rare
Another secret to a delicious burger is not to overwork the meat (or in this case, turkey). I nimbly put together four medium sized burgers from the package. I worked quickly and didn't pat down the burgers any more than necessary. The package said there was rosemary mixed in with the turkey. Other than that and a little salt and pepper I added nothing. I think when you add things like peppers, onions and an egg, you're forced to overwork the turkey in order to get everything mixed thoroughly.
Just in case the burgers were dry I had a sauce at the ready
I got my trusty cast iron skillet super hot by putting it over a medium flame and letting it heat up for a good 10 minutes. I cooked two burgers and froze the other two. They took about 4 - 5 minutes on each side. I removed them from the flame and covered the pan with tin foil. They continued to cook while I made the sauce and asparagus on the side. They were perfect.
This gravy would make a cardboard box taste delicious
I also bought a package of Baby Bella's at Trader Joe's. They're baby portabello mushrooms. The package cost $1.50. I sautéed the mushrooms in a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in my Le Creuset nonstick pan. As they began to brown I added a 3/4 cup of white wine and the juice of one lemon and cooked it down. And, yes, I added a pad of butter. Just that little bit of butter really makes a difference and as I've posted before, there's only about 35 calories (yes, from fat) in a pad of butter. I next added salt and pepper and dusted it with Wondra quick dessolving flour to give the gravy some texture. It took about 5 - 10 minutes. The longer you let it cook down and sit the better it will be.
Pencil thin asparagus
I usually like to roast meaty spears of asparagus, but in the Spring the vegetable stands on the sidewalks have delicious, pencil thin asparagus. They cost $1 - $2 a bunch. You may notice the heads are missing. I get two servings from one of the bunches by cutting them in half and cooking them over two consecutive evenings. This dinner cost practically nothing and it is delicious!
Ingredients
For the Turkey Burgers
1/2 lb ground turkey per patty (the rosemary infused ground turkey at TJ's is really good!)
Cooking spray for your skillet
Salt & Pepper to taste
Method
Form the ground turkey into patties. Don't over mix!
Sauté for 4 - 5 minutes per side. I removed from the flame when you could see pink in the middle (from the side)
Cover in foil (in the skillet) and set aside. Burgers will continue to cook and not get overdone.
For the Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
1/2 package Baby Bella or your favorite mushrooms. I bought them pre-sliced.
1 - 2 tspns extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
3/4 cup white wine
1 pad butter
2 tbspns Wondra quick dissolving flour (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Eyeball the amount of mushrooms you'd like to use. I used a half a package. They shrink to about 1/2 their uncooked size.
Sauté the mushrooms in oil (the less oil the better - they really absorbent) until they brown
Add the butter and swirl around
Add the wine and salt and pepper
Add the Wondra flour
Squeeze the lemon and add juice to mixture. I toss in the lemons themselves after they've been squeezed (optional)
Cook down over low to medium flame until you get the desired consistency - about 10 minutes or so.
Serve and enjoy!
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