Recipe: Cilantro Turkey Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup

Still got leftover turkey? I made burgers with the rest of mine. Cilantro turkey burgers to be exact.

Search online and you’ll see I’m hardly the first person to come up with this combo. However, it was a moment of inspiration rather than Googling that led to me creating this recipe.

Before ya get started, a couple of things to consider:

If you’re using already cooked turkey meat, you may find your patties don’t stick together as compactly as you might like. Add some bread to your mix or simply deal with it. Or don’t worry about keeping the meat compact at all, just stir in a few heaping scoops of the chipotle ketchup and make cilantro turkey sloppy Joes.

Brit friends note: Cilantro is coriander. It took me ages to realise this when I first moved to London from the States.

CILANTRO TURKEY BURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE KETCHUP Yum

Chipotle Ketchup

One part chipotle paste, one part ketchup with a squeeze of fresh lime juice (to taste) all mixed well together. Stupidly easy to make, I used Discovery Foods chipotle paste which seems to be readily available at Waitrose and other supermarkets.

Burgers

• 800g (just over a pound and a half) of turkey (I’d say roughly 2/3 white and 1/3 dark meat);
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 1 finely diced red onion;
• 1 finely diced bell pepper;
• 1 corn tortilla, soaked in water and shredded (alternatively use a spoonful or so of your leftover stuffing or dressing);
• 1 handful (maybe about a ¼ cup) of lightly toasted pine nuts;
• 1 tablespoon of oregano;
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa;
• 4 to 6 tablespoons of Worcester sauce;
• 1 pinch of cinnamon;
• 3 tablespoons of salt;
• 3 tablespoons of black pepper;
• 6 to 10 dashes of Tabasco Chipotle Sauce;
• Juice from ½ of a fresh lime;
• 2 eggs.

Mix all the ingredients in a mixer/blender/whatever, leaving the mix a bit clumpy. Form into small (even slider-size) patties or little meatballs then fry, grill or bake to your own preferred burger perfection.

Serve on a toasted hamburger bun (sesame seed might do nicely) with a generous heap of the chipotle ketchup along with any other favourite condiments and garnishes. I like mine with some French’s mustard, iceberg lettuce and a couple of pickled jalapeños. Cheese it up if you wish. I’d rec some Monterey Jack (good luck finding that here in Britain) or a mixture of Cheddar and mozzarella, but I think I like these burgers more without cheese to be honest. A bit of guac or a slice of avocado wouldn’t be such a bad idea. And then, of course, there’s always bacon.

I think you could also make a tasty meatloaf with these same ingredients baked with a thick layer of the chipotle ketchup applied on top.