Veggie Burgers….also known as Delicious!

AND they’re made of meat!!!

Huh?

I’m sure that someone will have sufficient evidence claiming that they have a perfect recipe for a non-meat ‘veggie’ burger that is delicious. Bring it on, I say. I love a good burger, but it’s got to have some ‘POW’ to it; I can’t just take any ol’ hunk of decimated meat, pat it religiously into a patty and toss it on my grill. That’s not a burger, it’s an easy way out. We like to keep frozen vegetarian burgers on hand for a quick and painless meal, but, baby, the weather is warm and the grill has been bored to death all winter long. It’s time to cook us some real burgers!

Long ago inspiration propelled me into tossing several rather sad excuses for vegetables into my food processor to be minced to a near paste and added to a mix of ground turkey and nearly fat-free beef to see what could transpire over a flame. The result was stupendous! I nearly dislocated my shoulder patting myself on the back. Not only was the burger juicy, tender and flavorful, but it was just lovely studded with tiny flecks of red pepper, mushroom and onion. Each bite was a carnival of flavors on my tongue. Now the race is on to improve on what possibly could be deemed the un-improveable; make that fantastic burger better. Could it be done?? The key to a good burger is making it juicy and taste good at the same time. In beef, fat equals flavor; we all know the best part of the cut is either right next to the bone or riding shotgun along the rim of fat. Trim away the fat, or grind up a lean cut and the flavor tends to be lacking. I am not into eating a fatty meat patty, so I use 93/7 ground beef and ground turkey together. But that needs something serious in order to vault the flavor up and over the moon. Ground turkey?? Feh….it’s not that exciting. The minced vegetables, when added in a raw state and cooked in the meat over an open flame, release just enough liquid to give the meat a juicy boost, a much needed and welcomed addition to the heavily bronzed and smoky meat. The best part about it is that possibilities are endless in how you can modify it.

I really wanted something a little different this time. The weather warmed up beautifully yesterday and the grill called. I decided to caramelize the veggies first in a pan to really concentrate the flavor and boost the finished product. I diced up a red and a poblano pepper, a large shallot and then about a cup of shredded carrot, and took some time to really brown them well, tossing in splashes of red wine along the way to effectively increase the ‘WOW’ of these meaty discs. I also added in some fresh parsley, which I speed chopped into a perfect pile of green shreds. The afternoon was just lovely and a gorgeous breeze blew through my kitchen window, causing me to close my eyes in delight and let it’s freshness engulf me. Then back to my task….and what the heck is all over the floor!?!?!? Rats, and double rats……it was the parsley. Can’t say I have ever been able to blame the wind before for a foul-up in my kitchen but as I was zoning out in it’s glory, it was lovingly and maddeningly rearranging my beautifully chopped parsley all over my floor.

When the vegetables were nicely browned it was all I could do to keep a spoon out of the mix; it was just overwhelming me with amazing scents and was so richly colorful. Into the meat it went, with salt and pepper, bread crumbs and about a half a cup of beef demi glace that I pulled out of the freezer from our Christmas prime rib. Even in it’s raw state, the meat looked and smelled amazing.

On the grill, it looked and smelled even better. I just love the flecks of color in the meat, don’t you??

The lovely golden slices next to the burgers are yams. I tossed them in oil and spices and seared them on the grill before adding the burgers. When they were barely soft, I moved them to one side and turned off the burner under them, then finished them in the heat under the closed cover. They were meltingly tender and slightly smoky. Burgers on the grill don’t need much attention at all- plop ‘em down and shut the lid. Once the bottoms have browned to your liking, carefully flip ‘em over and shut the lid again. They’re fine and really, they like to cook in peace and be left alone, plus they hate to be squeezed most of all. Really good burgers need their juice- don’t force it out of them! So put down the spatula, take up an iced tea or cold beer and just hang out. My grill temp was around 325 degrees and the burgers were done in about 12 minutes. They should give slightly to a little pressure on the top but feel firm and solid. Don’t poke ‘em open to see if they’re done….remember, they like their juice. If you need to temp them to feel certain, lift the burger in tongs and slide the probe in sideways horizontally to check them. You will get a more accurate reading than if you poke into the top of the burger.

Topped with sliced tomato and spinach leaves, these burgers didn’t need much more than an admiring glance and a working jaw to enjoy. Wrapped tight in foil, the leftovers are frozen to await another day of burger heaven.