BURGER WEEK!

Lamb burgers on split Moroccan bread with tomato-pepper salad and spicy harissa.

Burger week began on Memorial Day with a lack of imagination—your usual ground beef from the supermercado, packaged buns, name-brand ketchup and Ben’s fantastic square-cut olive-oil fries. (National Burger Day was May 28.)

Mid-week, a cache of ground lamb in the freezer inspired me to light the grill and make Moroccan kefta. Only, I remembered that kefta, shaped like a sausage on a skewer, was never very satisfying outside the narrow lanes of the medina in Tangier.  Mainly because, with my rendition, the meat tended to fall off the skewer into the fire. But, burgers would work, on the grill or on the stove.

Serve the bread in wedges or slice it open for burger buns.

Instead of buns, I served the burgers with Moroccan bread, khobz, a round, flat loaf that is cut in wedges. Sliced open horizontally, the wedges make perfect buns for kefta or burgers. All they need is a squirt of hot harissa and Moroccan tomato-pepper salad-relish.

We’ll finish the week with fish burgers—hake cakes (like cod cakes) served on toast, slathered in garlicky green sauce.

Harissa red chile paste is a spicy accompaniment to lamb burgers.

Salad-relish of chopped tomatoes, peppers and preserved lemons to heap on the burgers.

Burger is served with the relish and hot harissa.

Toast the bread or not.

Lamb Kefta Burgers
Hamburguesas de Cordero

Lamb cut from the leg or shoulder is best for these burgers. I like my lamb medium-rare so I shape the burgers really thick. With thick burgers and a hot grill pan, cooking takes only a few minutes. Shape them to suit yourself and adjust cooking time to your tastes.

Skewered kefta.

If you prefer to make keftas, take a golf-ball sized piece of the burger meat and shape it around a metal skewer, pressing to make a compact sausage. Cook the skewers on a grill or under the broiler.

Makes 4-6 burgers.

Ground lamb patties with spices and cilantro.

1 ½ pounds ground lamb
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Pinch of dried mint
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet pimentón (paprika, not smoked)
½ teaspoon smoked pimentón
1 teaspoon cumin
Olive oil for grilling the burgers
To serve:
Bread or buns
Tomato-pepper relish to accompany
Harissa chile paste to accompany

Place the lamb in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except the oil. Use a fork to lightly mix the meat. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Shape meat into burgers of desired size and thickness. 

Prepare grill, if using, or heat a plancha grill pan or heavy cast iron skillet. Drizzle or brush the burgers with oil. Cook them, turning once, to desired doneness, 2-4 minutes, depending on thickness. 

 Serve the burgers on quartered Moroccan bread, split horizontally, or on burger buns. Accompany with tomato-pepper relish and harissa chile paste.

Burger bun is a quarter of round loaf, split horizontally.

Tomato-Pepper Relish
Ensaladilla de Tomates y Pimiento

Preserved lemon.

Brine-cured Moroccan preserved lemon adds a special tang to this relish. Use the chopped rind, with or without the flesh and membrane. If preserved lemon is not available, use chopped green olives plus grated lemon zest. 

The salad can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, covered, until ready to serve. The salt draws the liquid out of tomatoes and cucumbers. Use a slotted spoon to serve the salad. (Use more bread to mop up the juices remaining.)

Add hot harissa to the salad or serve it on the side for everyone to add to taste.

Add caption

Makes enough for 4-6 burgers.

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
¼ cup finely chopped spring onions
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
¼ cup finely diced cucumber (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Harissa chile paste (optional)

Combine the tomatoes, onions, green pepper and cucumber, if using, in a bowl. Add the cilantro, preserved lemon, oil, salt, lemon juice and harissa, if using. Toss lightly. 

Relish can be made in advance and refrigerated, covered, for several hours. Use a slotted spoon to spoon it onto burgers.

Harissa Chile Paste
Salsa Picante

Moroccan “ketchup.” This spicy- hot condiment is available in jars and squeeze tubes from specialty food shops. It’s made with ground chilies. However Spanish “hot” pimentón picante (paprika, not smoked), makes a perfect substitute for grinding peppers. It is way spicier than ordinary sweet pimentón/paprika but not as hot as cayenne. It’s usually served in small pots with any Moroccan meal.

1 tablespoon hot pimentón (paprika, not smoked)
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil

Place the pimentón in a small, heat-proof bowl. Stir in the boiling water until smooth. Stir in the salt and oil. Store, refrigerated, for up to a week.

Moroccan Bread (Khobz)

Pan Marroquí

Not a flatbread, but a flattened loaf with a springy crumb.

This flattened round loaf, cut into wedges, is served with every Moroccan meal. It is traditional with all kinds of tagine.

I’ve used fresh yeast because that’s what I’ve got. You can substitute 1 envelope active dry yeast.

Makes 2 (9-inch) round loaves.

1 ounce pressed fresh yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ¼ hand-hot water (1l0ºF)
3 cups bread flour + additional for the board
1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil + additional for oiling bowl and pan
Semolina for baking sheet
¼ teaspoon aniseed (optional)
2 teaspoons sesame seed (optional)

Crumble the pressed yeast into a small bowl. Add the sugar and ¼ cup of warm water. Stir to dissolve the yeast and allow it to stand for 5 minutes until bubbly.

Place the two kinds of flour in a large bowl. Stir in the salt. Make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast, the remaining warm water and olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to gradually mix the flour into the wet ingredients. 

Once the dough comes together in a mass, turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead the dough 5-10 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Add only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. It will become less sticky with kneading. Gather the dough into a ball. Invert the mixing bowl on top of the dough and leave it on the board for 15 minutes (or up to 1 hour). 

Knead the dough again until smooth. Knead in the aniseed, if using. Lightly oil the mixing bowl. Divide the dough into two equal-sized balls. Roll them in the oiled bowl.

Press the ball of dough to flatten it.

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by oiling it lightly and sprinkling with semolina. Place the balls of dough on the sheet. Pat them into rounds approximately 2 inches thick. If using sesame, sprinkle it on the tops and press it into the dough.

Cover the dough with a clean dry cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 400ºF.

After rising, prick the dough with a fork before baking.

Prick the rounds of dough with a fork. Bake until the breads are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 40 minutes.

 

Cool the bread on racks. Serve it, cut into wedges, in a cloth-covered bread basket with any Moroccan-style meal. 

References for Moroccan food:
Moroccan Cuisine by Paula Wolfert (Grub Street; 2004)
The Scent of Orange Blossoms—Sephardic Cuisine from Morocco by Kitty Morse and Danielle Mamane (Ten Speed Press; 2001).

Taste of Maroc by Christine Benlafquih.

More burgers:

Best-Ever Veggie Burgers.

Tofu Black Bean Burgers.

More buns:

Sweet Potato Buns.

Sandwich Buns (Molletes).

More recipes to serve with Moroccan bread:

Kefta Tagine.

Eggplant Salad (Zeilouk)

PASTRIES ARE NOT DESSERT

In Spain, cakes, pastries and sweets are not traditionally served as dessert (postre) following a meal. Rather they turn up at any time of the day or night, as an accompaniment to coffee or tea for merienda, with decanters of sweet wine and anise liqueur when guests come calling and as special treats on fiesta days.

Many typical sweets have saints’ names and are made only once a year, for festivities to honor a village patron saint. Some are so local that they’re found nowhere else. Others are made in many regions, but often with different names. To confuse things even more, the same name might be used in different regions for completely different sweets.

These honey-glazed buns are made with an easy choux paste dough.

That seems to be the case with these little buns. Called almojábanas in Spanish, they turn up in the Alicante and Murcia regions as a pâte â choux pastry (made with oil instead of butter) and baked, while in Andalusia, they are fried doughnuts.

In Murcia, these pastries are served for saints’ day festivities. There is no sugar in the pastry dough, but the finished buns are glazed with sugar or honey syrup. They’re lovely split open and filled with whipped cream or cream cheese.

The name, almojábanas, comes from the Arabic al muyabbana, meaning  “mixture with cheese.” But, curiously, the current-day recipe for the pastry doesn’t include cheese. I’ve put the cheese back into the pastry dough, using queso fresco, fresh goat’s cheese, mashed. Fromage frais or well-drained ricotta could be used.

Lots of eggs give the pastries a lovely golden color.

Buns are spongy on the inside. They can be split open and filled with cream or cheese.

Honey-Glazed Buns
Almojábanas

Makes 16 (3 ½-inch) buns

1/3 cup olive oil plus more for shaping the buns
1 ¼ cups water
Pinch of aniseed (optional)
2 ½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 eggs
3 ounces queso fresco, mashed
For the honey glaze
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water

Flour with oil and water makes stiff dough.

Combine the oil, water and aniseed, if using, in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon or paddle to mix the flour until smooth. Dough will be very stiff. Return the pan to a low heat and cook 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Let cool 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Mix one egg at a time.

Dough absorbs egg.

Break one egg into the dough. Use the wooden spoon to mix in the egg until it is completely absorbed. Continue to add one egg at a time until all are beaten into the dough. Stir in the mashed cheese.

Dip a tablespoon into a small bowl of oil. Use it to drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Dip a finger into the oil and make holes in the center of the mounds of batter.

Drop spoonfuls of dough on baking sheets. Dip finger in oil and make holes in center of the mounds of dough.

Bake the buns until golden, about 25 minutes. Remove the buns from the baking sheet and let them cool completely on a rack.

Let buns cool on a rack so they dry thoroughly.

Dip buns in honey.

Combine the honey and water in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the honey 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour the honey into a shallow pan. While honey is still warm, dip each bun, topside down, into the honey syrup. Use a wooden skewer to lift them out. Place on a rack to dry.

Bun sprinkled with powdered sugar.

More recipes for pastries and buns:

Pastry Squares with Custard Filling.

Sweet Potato Buns.

Ring Cookies (Roscos).