Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin

This week's theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs is "A Squash is a Squash, Of Course, Of Course..."  Participants could cook any Ottolenghi recipe using squash.  Here in New York it's springtime, so I didn't want to cook with any of the winter squashes.  I ended up choosing zucchini, since it's one of my favorite squashes.  I saw this recipe in Jerusalem but sadly had to return the cookbook to the library.  Luckily, I found an online version from Recipe Connoisseur that I adapted to suit our tastes.  The original sauce recipe called for ground sumac.  According to Wikipedia, sumac is a reddish-purple powder often used in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to foods.  Obviously, the local grocery store doesn't carry sumac.  There's actually a small Middle Eastern grocery store in the neighborhood but I never made it there.  I also didn't really feel like spending money on a spice that I thought I'd probably never use again.  I thought the sauce tasted fine without.  Overall, these burgers were okay.  They were nice and moist and both kids ate their entire patty.  I served them over couscous, as seen in the pic below. 

Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onions and Cumin
Recipe adapted from Recipe Connoisseur, via Ottolenghi's Jerusalem

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 large zucchini, coarsely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
about 3-4 tbsp olive oil, for searing

For the Sauce:
½ cup sour cream
⅔ cup plain yogurt
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ tbs olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:
First, make the sour cream sauce by mixing all ingredients in small bowl and placing in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine all burger ingredients except oil. Mix with your hands and form into desired patty sizes.

Pour enough oil to cover bottom of large frying pan. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear burgers about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared burgers to a baking sheet and place in oven 7-10 minutes, or until cooked through.    

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.