Good Food And Treasured Memories

Stuffed Burgers

I used the same spice combination in the basic meat patty recipe for whatever meat I chose to use ( beef, chicken/turkey, pork), to keep it simple. These meat patties were then used to prepare the SAVORY-HERB, APPLE-ZUCCHINI BACON, & MOROCCAN burgers.

Servings

Ingredients

Basic Meat Patties

Moroccan Spicy Fruit Filling

50grams (1/3 cup) dates,pitted & chopped fine
40grams ( 3 Tbsp) dried apricots,chopped fine
40grams (3 Tbsp) raisins
1 small apple,peeled, cored & grated
1/4cup orange juice
1/4tsp cardamom, ground
1/4tsp mace
1/4tsp ginger, ground
1/8tsp crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne,(adjust these spices to your own taste or omit if you don’t care for them

Easy Couscous Side Dish

1tsp olive oil
1/2 cup green onion,chopped
1/4tsp EACH cumin & ground ginger
1 garlic clove,minced
1 1/2 tsp liquid honey
1 1/2 cups prepared chicken broth
1cup couscous,uncooked
1tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp parsley,dried or chopped fresh

Instructions

Basic Meat Patties

Place ground meat in a large bowl & combine with spices. Mix well. Shape into 8 – 1/4″ thick patties. Place equal amounts of prepared filling in center of each of 4 patties. Top with remaining 4 patties & press gently to seal, enclosing filling completely.
Place burgers in a greased foil disposable pan. Preheat barbecue grill to a medium heat, place pan on grates & close lid. Turn burgers once during cooking time, (do not overcook as the meat is only 1/4″ thick on each side).
Serve on a Ciabatta bun (or hamburger bun of your choice).

Moroccan Spicy Fruit Filling

Combine dates, apricots, raisins, apple & orange juice in a small bowl. Season with spices. Mix well; set aside to let marinate for a few hours. Divide between 4 burger patties & complete as above.

Couscous Side Dish

Heat 1/2 tsp olive oil in small saucepan. Add next 4 ingredients. Cook & stir until green onion is softened. Add honey. Heat & stir until onion is coated.
Add broth. Bring to a boil. Add couscous & 1 tsp olive oil. Stir. Cover. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes without lifting the lid. Fluff with fork; stirring in remaining ingredients adding a bit of butter if it seems to solid. Makes about 2 3/4 cups.

Recipe Notes

I found it really made this whole burger idea easy if I made 908 grams (2lbs) of each of the 3 types of ground meat into patties. Portion the meat with a scoop into 56 grams (2 oz.) balls, flatten & place in a plastic container, layered singly between a non-stick waxed paper to freeze.
When it comes time to use, take out the number of patties you require for the meal. Prepare the filling of choice, stuff & cook. What could be easier than that for a quick & easy great tasting meal!