To take the turkey meatballs to the level of sensational all you need to do is make them into mini burgers. These burgers can actually be made with any ground meat that you like, beef, pork, or chicken but I do find that the turkey works really well.If you are feeling inspired you can make them into cheeseburgers, add bacon, or as they do in Australia where I am from, add sliced beets (an addition that I have been told by non Australians, is an abomination).
It may seem overkill to make the chili jam and you can buy it in some specialty stores, but the advantage of making it yourself is that you can tailor the amount of heat to suit you and your guests.The amount below will give you a kick, but I don’t find it too bad.Having said that heat is so much a matter of personal taste that you should add as much or as little of the fresh chilies as you like.Start with a little when you are processing the ingredients and add more until you reach the level you like, bear in mind that it is not as hot once it has been cooked.This is because raw garlic has heat to it, like chili, once you cook garlic this heat is lost, so the finished jam will be less spicy that before it is cooked.Also don’t let the fish sauce put you off; this jam doesn’t taste at all fishy. Instead the fish sauce just gives saltiness without the harsh edge.The final thing about this jam is that it lasts for weeks, so make it well ahead of when you actually need it.If you’re like me, once you have it in your fridge you will find that you serve it with everything.
Mini Turkey Burgers
Mini Turkey Burgers with Chili Jam
(makes about 34)
400g ground turkey 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon oregano 1 tablespoon sage 1 tablespoon paprika 12 slices of bread (I like to use slightly dense Italian bread and slice it into ½ inch 11 mm cm slices) Bunch of Arugula 1/3 cup of chili jam (recipe below)
Method
Put the fennel and coriander seeds into a dry fry pan and heat until toasted. You will smell the spices when they are done and usually hear the seeds start to pop.Watch the spices as they cook, they burn easily.Grind the seeds in a spice grinder, or a mortar and pestle.Combine the ground turkey with the garlic and all the spices and mix well.When combined, form ½ tablespoonfuls of the mixture into small burger patties (about 1 ½ inches/38 mm wide, I find if I form them inside a round cookie cutter it is easier).Heat a non stick fry pan and cook the patties until just done, about 2 minutes per side. The patties can be partially cooked in advance and reheated in a 350 degree over just before serving, just don’t overcook them in advance or they will dry out when you reheat them. Using a 1 7/8 inch (48 mm) cookie cutter cut circles from the slices of bread.I usually get around three circles per slice, so to do the math here you will need to get 12 slices of bread from your loaf to have enough “buns” for your burgers.Toast the bread circles until just browned.To assemble, put a piece of arugula on a slice of bread, top with a patty, a little chili jam and finally another slice of bread.Serve immediately.
Chili Jam
Ingredients
1 cup sliced garlic ½ cup large red chiliesdeseeded and chopped 1 small onion, sliced 2 teaspoons minced ginger Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 ¼ cups grape tomatoes ½ cup brown sugar ¼ cup malt vinegar 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
Add the garlic, onion, salt and chili to a non-stick saucepan with the oil.Add when the oil is cold, so as not to burn the garlic and sauté over medium to low heat until soft, about 10 minutes.Put the garlic and onion mix in a food processor with the tomatoes and pulse until you have a puree.Put the puree in a small saucepan with the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat until dark and thick, about 45 minutes.You will need to stir occasionally, because the sugar means it can stick, but you don’t need to hover over the mixture.Cool and refrigerate.Keeps for up to a month and makes around one and a quarter cups.
