Food is love.
I’ve said it before, and in the last few days I’ve heard it repeatedly.
Our ongoing family emergency took a turn for the worse this week, and S and I hurried back to south Jersey. After two nights sleeping on floors and seven straight meals in restaurants (mostly of the diner variety), we were relieved to return home last night. There was no fresh food in the kitchen, and while I suppose I could’ve rustled up dinner using pantry items, my brain wasn’t up to the challenge. We ordered in—our eighth straight purchased meal. After a (very) long night’s sleep in our own bed, though, I woke up ready to cook, ready to re-stock the kitchen, ready to show S some love. We made brunch together—oatmeal pancakes with blueberries—and savored the time alone with each other, the simple, distracting comfort of flipping flapjacks. And for dinner, I tried something new: Chipotle Turkey Burgers. They came out great, quite spicy and flavorful. S had his with melted cheese (“skunk cheese,” which we picked up in Maine—a variety of aged cheddar about which I can find nothing online), guacamole, tomato, and red onion (pictured above); since I’m no fan of either guac or cheese, I went the more traditional route and added a little ketchup and some piccalilli relish (another Maine find).
It was wonderful to eat at home again, side-by-side on our sofa, watching Local Hero on DVD. Yup, food is love.
Chipotle Turkey Burgers
Makes 6
Cooking spray
1 canned chipotle in adobo, plus 1-2 t. of the sauce
2 t. salsa [I used a green chili variety]
1 T. Chinese plum sauce
1 ½ lb. ground turkey [I used half breast and half 7%]
Cheese of your choice [I’d recommend cheddar or jack]
Hamburger buns, toasted
Guacamole
Sliced tomato and red onion
Whatever else you like on a burger…
Spray your broiler pan with cooking spray and set aside. [You could also grill these—prepare your grill however you normally do it.]
Puree the chipotle pepper, the sauce, the salsa, and the plum sauce or jam in a food processor or blender. Combine it with the ground turkey—don’t overmix it or the burgers will be leaden. Form into six fairly flat patties—you’ll want to be certain they’re cooked through, so flatter is better. Put the patties on the broiler pan and cook 5-8 minutes per side, depending on how hot your broiler gets. Add the cheese and return to the heat for about 30 seconds.
Serve on toasted buns, topped with whatever makes you happy.