The Phoenician Spring Burger

Pairs well with:

Cabernet Sauvignon

This rich red easily complements your homemade chicken dishes, red meats, game, and mildly seasoned pastas.

Ingredients

Grilled Orchard Harvest
6 apricots, halved and pitted
2 pears, halved, seeded and cut into ¼ inch slices
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Juice and zest from one lemon
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Tahini yogurt sauce
1 cup non-fat yogurt
¼ cup tahini
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
juice from one lemon
Patties
2 pounds ground lamb
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons mint
2 tablespoons parsley 2
teaspoons nutmeg
½ cup diced onion
1 fresh seeded chili pepper, finely diced
Oil for grill
Lebanese pocket bread

 

Instructions

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. To make the grilled orchard harvest, arrange the apricots and pears in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine the olive oil, salt, lemon juice and zest, mint and parsley in a small bowl and whisk until fully mixed. Pour over apricots and pears. Set aside. To make the tahini yogurt sauce, whisk yoghurt, tahini, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Set aside. To make the patties, combine the lamb, salt, pepper, mint, parsley, nutmeg, onion and chili. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the rolls. When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Grill the apricots and pears until tender with char-marks just appearing, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until done to preference, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. Toss grilled apricots and pears in the marinade. Lightly toast the bread on the grill until it puffs. Slice open, creating a pocket. To assemble the burger: spread a generous amount of the tahini yogurt sauce on the bottom inside of the bread, place patty inside pocket, top with the grilled fruit and serve. Makes 6 burgers