Mediterranean Magic

Ingredients

Tzatziki Sauce
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
a pinch of salt pepper to taste
Burgers
4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces.
1 onion,coursely chopped (about 1½ cups)
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1-1/2 lb ground round
1/2 lb ground lamb
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black peppe
r 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
Vegetable oil, for brushing the grill rack
6 slices feta cheese
6 pieces of pita bread
Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Shredded romaine

Instructions

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium. To make the Tzatziki Sauce, combine the yogurt, onion, cucumber, garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To make the patties, cover bread with water in a bowl and soak 10 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of bread to remove as much excess water as possible. Transfer to a bowl. Pulse onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro and pine nuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Add to bread along with ground round and lamb, salt, allspice, cayenne, cinnamon, black pepper and roasted red peppers. Mix with your hands until well blended, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it. Form the mixture into 6 uniform patties. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Grill patties 5-7 minutes per side. Top each burger with a slice of feta cheese just before removing from the grill. To assemble the burgers, warm the pita bread in foil on the grill. Cut the top off each piece of pita bread. Place burger in the pocket of the pita bread. Top with 1-2 Tablespoons tzatziki sauce, sliced tomato, red onion and shredded romaine. Makes 6 burgers