Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Burgers

Name: Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Burgers
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs ground lean lamb; 1 yellow onion, finely chopped; 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumb (fine); 1/4 cup chopped of fresh mint; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander; 3/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste); 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper; 1 large tomatoes, diced; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 4 whole wheat pita bread; 1 cup plain yogurt (whole milk or low fat); 1 cup alfalfa sprout

Submitted by Dr. Jenny

"Had these delcious burgers for lunch today. DH and I both thought they tasted like something we could be eating at our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant. The pita bread, yogurt, and tomato topping was really delicious with the spiced lamb. From Williams-Sonoma "Essentials of Grilling.""

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photo by Lavender Lynn

Ready In:: 37mins
Ingredients:: 14
Serves:: 4

ingredients

1 ¹⁄₂ lbs ground lean lamb
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
³⁄₄ cup fresh breadcrumb (fine)
¹⁄₄ cup chopped of fresh mint
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
³⁄₄ teaspoon ground coriander
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 large tomatoes, diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 whole wheat pita bread
1 cup plain yogurt (whole milk or low fat)
1 cup alfalfa sprout

directions

In a bowl, combine the lamb, onion, bread crumbs, mint, garlic, cumin, coriander, 3/4 tsp salt, and the cayenne. Using your hands, mix gently but thoroughly. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form each into an oval patty about 4 1/2 inches long and about 3/4 inch thick.
In a small bowl, stir together the tomato and cilantro and season with salt. Let the patties and the tomato mixture stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. If refrigerated, remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before grilling.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over high heat.
Grill the burgers over the hottest part of a charcoal fire or directly over the heat elements of a gas grill, turning once, until nicely charred and cooked to your liking, 5-6 minutes per side for medium. About 1 minute before the burgers are done, place the pita breads along the edges of a charcoal grill where the heat is less intense, or on an area of a gas grill with lower heat, so they can warm.
To assemble the sandwiches, coat the pockets of the pita breads lightly with some of the yogurt, then slip a lamb burger into each bread. Add the tomato mixture, sprouts, and the remaining yogurt, or serve these condiments on the side.

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Reviews

SO YUMMY! Very simple to make but a lot of flavors. We didn't use the sprouts, but thoroughly enjoyed this. Made for ZWT 6.

Tarteausucre
Lamb, yogurt, mint and sprouts all pulled us far out of our habit and comfort zone, but they were fabulous together. We found Greek yogurt, which is somewhere between sour cream and Ricotta cheese in flavor and texture, and actually picked fresh mint from our patio garden. We found the whole wheat pita difficult to slice into a pocket and ended up wrapping the whole warm pita around the burger, which was completely satisfactory. An adventure in flavors and textures! Made for Zaar World Tour 6 on behalf of the Voracious Vagabonds.

Lavender Lynn
I LOVE lamb and especially lamb burgers, we often make them in the summer for the BBQ! These were 10 star, the spices were fabulous, a taste of Morocco but subtle and not overpowering. I did not add the breadcrumbs as my lamb was local salt marsh lamb and very high quality, so I did not want to add "fillers"! The star of the herbs was the mint, which has a natural affinity with lamb. I served these in white pita breads with the tomatoes on the side and also some Recipe #59336 that I made. I had no alfalfa sprouts, so subbed home-grown oak leaf lettuce, which was crispy and a perfect foil for the rich burgers. A fabulous recipe with layers and layers of subtle flavours and textures! Merci Dr Jenny, this was made for the Whine and Cheese Gang and ZWT6, as well as The Magic of Herbs in the Photo's forum. FT:-) (Photo to be posted.)

French Tart

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Dr. Jenny

I work full-time as a School Psychologist in Michigan. Besides the kids, one of the best aspects of the job is summer vacation, when I can concentrate on doing more of the things that I like to do---like look up recipes and play games on Recipezaar!!! I married my wonderful and handsome husband, Sean, in August 2007. He is becoming a wonderful gardender and tends to both our veggie and herb gardens. We really enjoy cooking with our own fresh ingredients. We most often cook together, so my reviews typically reflect our joint opinions. He's the better cook, so I pick up a lot of my techniques from him. My other interests include reading (now that I have time), Irish dancing (I've taken a class for the last several years), "appreciating" wine (I use the term very loosely), and listening to and going to see Irish bands (I love the Pogues). I also enjoy travelling, especially around Western Europe, where I have been multiple times. One of my favorite places is Italy, and Sean and I had a great time on our honeymoon eating, drinking, and sightseeing in the Cinque Terre and in Tuscany. This July 2009, we expanded our horizons to Eastern Europe and visited the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Croatia. Two of my favorite dishes on the trip were Croatian: fish brodet and Hvarska gregada. I am looking forward to trying my hand at making them at home as I see that someone on Zaar, who is Croatian, posted recipes for both! Besides my husband, the other lights of my life are my cats: Chloe, Pip, and my newest ragdoll cat, Giselle, all of whom I absolutely adore. <a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o388/courjen/?action=view¤t=PipChloe_web.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o388/courjen/PipChloe_web.jpg" border="0" alt="Pip and Chloe"></a> <a href="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o388/courjen/Giselle_zaar.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o388/courjen/Giselle_zaar.jpg" border="0" alt="Giselle"></a> I've participated in the following events: <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg" border="0" alt= "Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/calendar%20clips/Copyofsoybean.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Zaar%20World%20Tour%204/ZWTAB-tg.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> I most recently had the privelege of being on the ZWT5 Team, the Sultans of Spice, with a great group of people. We came in second place! <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/participantbannerzwt5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src=http://home.insightbb.com/~webdesign5/Logo1a.jpeg>

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