Here’s my recipe for grilled feta burgers with fresh herbs, topped with mint aioli.
The ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery; ground lamb, fresh herbs, onion, and feta. I buy Dodoni feta at Costco, but 2 or 3 brands of crumbled feta are in most markets now. These herbs are from my garden. I have a decent size patch of Greek oregano, but I used dry oregano in this lamb mixture. Fresh oregano can be a very strong and over powering herb.
This recipe will make 4 to 6 lamb burgers, depending on the size you want.
The mint aioli is a really quick recipe. You can make aioli from scratch, whipping eggs and olive oil. I took the easy route and used Hellmann’s mayonnaise as the base. The mint is from my garden. I have it contained, so I let it flower. The bumble bees love it.
I like to make this aioli with a lot of flavor, so add the garlic and dry mustard slowly. Taste it as you mix, to make sure it has just the right amount of zing for your taste buds. You know the rule. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.
It’s an easy recipe for a delicious alternative to ordinary hamburgers. Enjoy!
- LAMB AND FETA BURGERS
- 1½ pounds of ground lamb
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ large onion diced
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons for vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- Salt and Pepper to taste (remember the feta is salty)
- FRESH MINT AIOLI
- 1 cup mayonaisse
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or if you prefer, 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced and smashed into a paste)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- LAMB AND FETA BURGERS
- Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, toss in the diced onions
- Bring the pan to medium-high heat and cook the onions for 5 to 10 minutes
- Turn the heat off and let cool.
- In a large bowl, add the ground lamb, onion, feta, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, soy sauce and vinegar
- Mix well with your hands
- Form the lamb mixture into 4 to 6 patties (depending on the size you want)
- Grill the burgers to your desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
- FRESH MINT AIOLI
- In a small bowl , mix together well the mayonnaise, chopped mint , dried mustard, garlic, salt and pepper
The recipe for ice cream is so easy if you have an ice cream maker. Just mix the ingredients, add them to the machine, step back and watch the magic happen. It’s that simple.
Using a hand mixer helps, but it’s not really necessary.
I pulse the frozen berries in my blender before I add them to the mixture.
You don’t need to mix for very long if you use agave nectar, but granulated sugar takes longer to dissolve.
Just cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour, or you can even leave it over night.
Here’s the very berry ice cream after a few hours in the freezer. You should remove it from the freezer at least 10 minutes prior to serving. One quick caveat: you will love this so much you may not want to buy ice cream from the grocery store again.
I served it with roasted carrots. Here’s a suggestion: make enough glaze to use on the carrots too.
To make the glaze you mix together the marmalade, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and cumin in a small saucepan. Melt the ingredients together, but don’t over heat or boil.
Roast the pork tenderloin until the internal temperature reaches 150°F.
As with all meat, it’s important to let the tenderloin rest before you carve it.
Cover it with foil and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
At the internal temperature of 150° it should be slightly pink, and medium-rare. Also, feel free to substitute any jam or jelly. Raspberry jam or even red pepper jelly would be delicious.
