I was recently invited to participate in a competition being hosted by British Turkey alongside Peppadew to find Britian's best recipe blogger.  They asked me if I would mind devising a dish using both British Turkey and Peppadew peppers.  The winner will be crowned at the British Turkey Awards being held at the Savoy this September.

 

I love figuring out new recipes and new ways to use things, so I was quite happy to comply.  We eat a lot of turkey in this house and we love Peppadew peppers.  A pizza just isn't a pizza for me unless I have chopped peppadew's on it, and as a woman who is always trying to keep my weight down, turkey is a natural and healthy choice.

 

We are great lovers of turkey burgers, so I thought I would create a tasty turkey burger.  We also love hot Buffalo Wings, but they are bad, bad, bad for you.  All that fat and skin, is a no no.  I decided that I would try to create a tasty turkey burger which would encompass a lot of the delicious flavours from Buffalo Wings and yet at the same time remain relatively healthy.

 

I think I might have just managed it.  These turkey burgers are not only incredibly delicious but wonderfully moist.

 

I flavoured them well with a delicious combination of warm spices and herbs . . . along with some grated onion and finely chopped celery and Peppadews.  The Peppadews give them a little bit of sweet heat and colour.  I browned them and then pan basted the finished burgers in a delicious buttery hot pepper pan sauce.  This is where the real heat comes from . . . but it's not obnoxiously hot, just tasty hot.

 

Popped onto toasted buns with some lettuce and drizzled with a tangy blue cheese dressing, these are fabulously tasty and satisfying on many levels.  Todd declared them the best turkey burger he's ever tasted!

 

That made me smile.  I do hope you will give them a try.  I think you just might agree.  That would make me smile too.  ☺  Delicious, easy and the perfect choice for a family pleasing supper any time of year.

 

 *Buffalo Turkey Burgers*
Makes 4 servings
Printable Recipe

Moist and delicious turkey burgers with a bit of a bite, sauced with a lovely blue cheese dressing and served on a toasted bun.  Fabulous!

500g of lean turkey mince (about 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey), at room temperature
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp dried savoury
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried sage leaves
pinch of fennel seeds
pinch of coriander seed
pinch cayenne pepper
generous grating nutmeg
1 TBS finely grated fresh onion
1 stalk of celery, along with it's leaves, very finely chopped
4 peppadew mild pickled peppers, finely chopped

To Baste:
2 TBS unsalted butter, melted
2 fluid ounces hot sauce (1/4 cup.  I used Cholula)

For the Sauce:
250ml of prepared ranch dressing (I used Newman's)
4 ounces of crumbled blue cheese (1/2 cup)

To finish:
Toasted buns
fresh lettuce leaves
Celery sticks (optional)

 

Whisk together the ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles.  Cover and chill.

Place all of the herbs and spices into the bowl of your pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder.  Place the turkey mince in a bowl.  Add the ground spice mixture and mix together well with your hands, using a gentle touch.  Stir in the grated onion, chopped celery and chopped peppadews.  Mix together gently.  Shape into 4 equal sized patties.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Spritz with a bit of oil.  Add the turkey patties.  Cook, for six minutes per side, until nicely browned and the juices run clear.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Wipe any residue out of the pan with paper towels.  Add the butter and hot sauce.  Melt together, swirling gently.  Add the turkey patties back to the pan and turn to coat well with the hot sauce/butter mixture.  Keep warm.

Split your buns, lightly butter if desired and toast under a hot grill.

Place the bun bottoms onto each of 4 plates.  Top each with some fresh lettuce leaves and one turkey pattie.  Spoon some of the blue cheese sauce over top.  Add the toasted top of the bun on the side. Garnish with some potato crisps and celery stalks if desired.  Serve hot.



Peppadews are delicious whole sweet and piquante peppers.  This type of piquante pepper was first discovered in early 1993. The name is derived from "Pepper" and "dew". The flavour of the Peppadew fruit is sweet, with mild heat, that is not at all unpleasant. The fruit is processed for removal of the seeds and reduction of the heat, and then pickled and bottled, with a most delicious result.  We love them!  They are available in the pickle section of most grocery shops.

When I worked down South as a personal Chef, I think I must have cooked these delicious burgers at least once every week for the Lady of the Manor . . . seriously. I never really tasted them myself . . . but I knew that they smelled out of this world while they were cooking and the family seemed to really enjoy them . . . hence my need to make them every week.



That's seven and a half years of Turkey Burgers, once a week . . . add it all up and it amounts to one heck of a lot of juicy and tasty turkey burgers!!



I can't believe that until today, in the two years since I left the Manor . . . I have not cooked them even once! I had always planned to, but always got home after shopping, having forgotten the coriander or some other crucial ingredient.



Today, I didn't forget anything and tonight I finally cooked them. My goodness, but they are truly delicious! Moist and spicy, with just a touch of heat. I use a very mild chili powder . . . as I don't like a lot of heat, but you can adjust the heat up or down as you wish.



With some spicy oven baked potato wedges this made a delicious supper that we ate Al Fresco . . . enjoying this sunny weather while we can. I'm really happy that I finally was able to make them and to see what all the fuss was about. I can tell you I won't be waiting two years to make them again! (I think these would be fabulous with corn relish as well!)



*Spicy Turkey Burgers*
Makes 4 servings

These can be as spicy or not, as you like them. Simply adjust the amount of chili powder. I prefer to use a very mild chili powder myself and on most days would not add the full teaspoon.

1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey, at room temperature
3 TBS finely chopped fresh coriander
1 spring onion, both green and white parts, chopped
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp chili powder (you can use mild or ancho or whatever strength of chili powder floats your boat)
1 tsps fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
a pinch of ground cinnamon
non stick cooking spray for the pan

To serve:
toasted burger buns
guacamole (your own homemade, or a good quality store brand)
1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced thickly
some lettuce leaves
finely sliced red onions

Place your ground turkey into a bowl. Add the coriander, spring onion, garlic, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander and ground cinnamon. Mix all in well with your hands. Shape into 4 equal sized round patties, making a gentle dip in the centre of each. (For some reason this helps them not to shrink as much and keeps them thinner so they are not as bulky in the bun.)

Spray a non stick skillet with cooking spray and brown the patties on both sides over medium heat, taking about 5 to 6 minutes per side and cooking until they are cooked through. Try not to mash them down with the spatula too much as this only forces the juiciness out of the burger.

Once cooked through, spread the bottom halves of the toasted buns with some guacamole. Top with some sliced red onions and the cooked burgers. Top the other half of the bun with some lettuce leaves and sliced tomato. Serve immediately and enjoy!