Book 105: Jerusalem

by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

I  originally went to the bookstore to purchase two books: Plenty from the same author as this book, and Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook by Joe Yonan. I love the Plenty cover, and I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover (this the reason I went to purchase Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single cook - and I am not single.)

However, Plenty is an all vegetable cookbook, as is Eat Your Vegetables mentioned above - so I decided on Jerusalem. A very good call. And I've only made this one recipe so far. I am so looking forward to several other recipes from this book.

These were incredibly easy to make and delicious to boot! Each time I had the book open to this recipe or had a photo of the burgers on the screen, my husband would say "those were really good".

I definitely will be making these again.

We had these awesome "burgers" for dinner (they are quite small - only a couple inches in diameter - the instructions even refers to them as meatballs, though they are a flat in shape, not round), served with a simple green salad. These would also make for a delicious hor d'oeuvre to bring to a party. You could even make them ahead. My husband said they were still just as tasty the next day; and the book mentions you can have them as a snack from the fridge.

The burgers are served with a sour cream and sumac sauce. Sumac was the only ingredient that was not readily available at any of my local grocery stores. But after a quick internet search, I discovered a small Mediterranean deli and market one city over. I was ecstatic to say the least - bring on more of these delicious recipes!

Yes, these are good. You gotta make em.

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The makings of the sour cream and sumac sauce. 

The raw meat patties where quite delicate. I had to reform some of them as I picked them up to place them in the pan.

Out of the frying pan, and into the oven to finish cooking.

How delicious does this look?

Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with

Green Onion & Cumin

Serves 4 to 6

About 18 burgers

1-lb ground turkey

1 large zucchini, coarsely grated (scant 2 cups)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large free-range egg

2 Tbl. chopped mint

2 Tbl. chopped cilantro

2 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

About 6½ Tbl. sunflower oil, for searing

Sour Cream & Sumac Sauce

Scant ½ cup sour cream

Scant 2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 Tbl. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1½ Tbl. olive oil

1 Tbl. sumac

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

First make the sour cream sauce by placing all the ingredients in small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands and then shape into about 18 burgers, each weighing about 1¼ ounces.

Pour enough sunflower oil into large frying pan to form a layer about 1/16 inch on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a baking sheet lined with waxed (I used parchment paper) and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.

Jerusalem/Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi