Jono & Jules do food & wine

Turkey & courgette burger

These delicious burgers have taken over our neighbourhood, everyone is making them, and they should because they are delicious!

Wine Suggestion: a fresh, vibrant rosé suits the dish and the time of the year. Something like the Roc des Anges “Effet Papillon” rosé made from Grenache Gris really hits the mark with this.

Turkey & courgette burgers with spring onion & cumin – serves 4-6 (about 18 burgers)

• 500g turkey mince
• 1 large courgette, coarsely grated
• 40g scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 medium egg
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne
• about 100ml sunflower oil for searing

Soured cream & sumac sauce:

• 100g soured cream
• 150g Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sumac
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Make the soured cream sauce by putting all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC Fan/Gas Mark 7.

Mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs, except the sunflower oil, together in a large bowl. Shape into small burgers – they should weigh about 45g each and you should aim for around 18 of them.

Pour enough of the sunflower oil into a frying pan to get a thin layer on the bottom, about 2mm thick. Heat well and sear the meatballs in batches over a medium heat on all sides. Cook for about 4 minutes, adding more oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the meatballs onto an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and cook in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over.

(Original recipe from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi, Ebury Press, 2012.)