Neither Joseph nor I normally choose to eat burgers consisting of anything but beef, however, we're both feeling a little too "bulky" right now. I have a good excuse...I still haven't gone for my six week check up since having Grace (it's tomorrow!) so I haven't been given the green light to exercise. (After tomorrow I don't know what excuse I'll use.) As for Joseph, well, he just eats too much and eats out too often at work. So, we're trying to find some healthier alternatives for dinner around here.
This week I selected some lean ground turkey with the turkey burger in mind but I wasn't extremely hopeful that it was the best idea. I pictured dry and flavorless which has been my experience with the two or so turkey burgers I've had in my life. But what I got was so much more.
When prepping I went in the direction of Oprah's favorite turkey burger. (My taste buds must match up with hers because this was the best turkey burger ever.) In fact it was big hit with both of us, oh, and Gabe ate his as well - even going as far as to say "It's nummy." The addition of my pineapple chutney made these burgers so flavorful and moist that I certainly wasn't missing the all beef patty I'm used to. This burger had a good balance of sweetness from the pineapple and heat from the Chipotle and ginger. It also felt a little tropical which was fun and interesting. The chutney recipe makes enough chutney for two or three batches of burgers, but I don't think it will last that long, I have plans to try it on top of some pork tenderloin.
Here I've taken the recipe from the Oprah Show, a recipe from Fresh Everyday by Sara Foster, and some of my own ideas to create a moist flavorful burger. I changed out the pear chutney for pineapple chutney because I had a fresh pineapple that was begging to be used. I also added and omitted a few things depending on what I had in the pantry/fridge. It turned out swell, in my opinion.
Pineapple Chutney
If you haven't had or made a chutney before you should definitely give it a try. You combine lots of ingredients that you wouldn't normally pair (pineapple, onion, peppers, vinegar, ginger) to get a wonderfully interesting and flavorful accompaniment for a variety of meats.
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 orange/red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarse grain mustard
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. freshly ground ginger
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Simmer for 45 minutes. Cool before using.
Turkey Burgers
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
small bunch chives, chopped (about 1/8 to 1/4 cup)
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. ground chipotle powder
1 Tbl salt
1 Tbl pepper
1/2 cup chutney (more or less depending on your taste)
Combine all ingredients and lightly mix with hands. Form into 4 patties and grill for about 7 minutes per side depending on thickness.
