Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Like Greek Food?

I made these for dinner the other night and they were really good and easy (this is from someone who hates chopping and prepwork). Some changes I made: I didn't have access to a grill, so I cooked the burgers in a skillet on the stove and nuked the pitas wrapped in a paper towel for 10 seconds. Also, my Safeway only sells ground lamb in one lb packages, and it was just me eating so I had a little less of everything in the recipe (and leftovers). For the sauce, I used regular cucumber and no mint.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 small onion, minced (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and pepper
4 pita breads, (6-inch)
Iceberg lettuce, for serving
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, sliced, for serving

Directions:
Heat grill or grill pan to high.
Make tzatziki sauce: In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, mint and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make burgers: In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine lamb, onion, parsley, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Gently form mixture into 16 small patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Grill until medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

To serve, warm pitas on the grill or directly over a gas burner, turning occasionally. Halve pitas, and fill with lettuce, burgers, tomato, and tzatziki.

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food

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