The Rural Voice, 2019-07, Page 42Summer months slip by quickly
when there are so many
pleasant things to do. No one
wants to spend a lot of time in the
kitchen but it is still fun to try out
new flavours and dishes when the
summer markets are full of fresh,
local fruits and vegetables.
What is more quintessentially
summer than the burger? Although it
is fast and easy to buy ready-made
burgers in the supermarket, making
your own international gourmet
burgers offers a flavour treat. These
can be full-sized or shaped into 12
sliders. (Slider buns are now
available in most supermarkets.)
I served these three types of
sliders at a party recently and the
guests loved trying out the different
flavours.
Greek Burgers
1 ½ pounds ground beef or lamb
1 small onion, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 slice soft bread, crumbled
1 egg
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
Italian Burgers
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 sweet or hot Italian sausage,
casing removed
1 small onion, grated
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp oregano
Pinch chili flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Truly Canadian Pork Burgers
1 ½ pounds ground pork
1 slice soft bread, crumbled
1 egg
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil or sage
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions for all burgers:
• Toss all ingredients lightly
together.
• Form into 6 patties or 12 slider-
sized patties.
• Grill 3-4 minutes on each side
over high heat on BBQ or bake for
20 minutes in 375°oven (less for
sliders).
To serve the Greek Burgers:
Instead of traditional buns, tuck
burgers into a pita bread pocket and
serve with tzatziki and Greek Salad.
To serve the Italian Burgers: Use
Kaiser buns brushed on the inside
with tomato sauce. Top with grilled
peppers, onions and/or mushrooms.
To serve the Truly-Canadian Pork
Burgers, top each burger with a slice
of bacon, cooked until crisp and
snapped in half. Add a slice of
mozzarella over bacon in the last
minute of cooking.
Potatoes form a perfect
accompaniment for any meal as
this tuber can be served in so
many different ways. Potatoes are as
versatile and nutritional as they are
comforting. Their scientific name is
solanum tuberosum which is derived
38 The Rural Voice
Recipes by Dorothy Henderson
Fresh garden herbs add superb flavour
Hamburgers can be served as Greek, Italian and Truly Canadian Sliders with a
switch of ingredients and popping them on slider buns, now available at most
supermarkets. For dessert, an Apricot Upside-Down Cake (above, right) is
considered the “best cake in the world” by the Henderson family. Peaches on
the barbeque add a unique flavour to a dish of peaches served with toasted
almonds and pecans.