Turkey Burgers

A lot of times my turkey burgers come out dry and bleh. I am so excited because my turkey burgers have turned the corner. These were tastey, moist and delicious. Okay so I am tooting my horn here but how else am I going to tell you that this recipe is worth trying.

After Thanksgiving, for the past three years, I have made some serious turkey fixings. The first thing I do the week after Thanksgiving is go shopping for turkey. You know the week when everyone is sick of turkey and the stores have it marked down because they have an abundance. I buy two turkeys. I butcher them, reserving turkey legs for one or two dinners. The remainder of the meat I place in the meat grinder. The bones, skin, giblets and heart are baked in the oven until they reach crispy perfection. The browner the better. I take the bones et al and place it in a large stock pot with some onion, celery, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns (crushed) and whatever other veggies I have around. I bring it to a boil and simmer it for three hours. Whew. I am tired just thinking about it. It's a lot of work I admit but well worth it. You end up with a lot of broth, ground turkey and turkey legs enough for many meals to come at a fraction of the cost. Oh, and after the carcasses have boiled I do salvage the meat and mix it with mayo for turkey salad.

After boiling the broth, I strain it and chill the clear broth. I scrape the fat off and freeze it in small containers for future soups.
Italian Turkey Burgers

1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of rosemary seasoning
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade
2 teaspoons of olive oil
s and p
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 egg or 2 egg yolks (I used the yolks since I always have some left over from my egg white breakfast)

Combine all the ingredients together. The oil is added in because the ground turkey is fat free. If your turkey has fat in it you don't need to add the oil.

Spray frying pan with cooking spray or very lightly grease. Fry until both sides are browned on a medium high flame. Add about a 1/2 cup up to a cup of water to the pan cover and steam until the turkey is cooked through.

* Bench Notes: I discovered this by accident as the outside of my turkey burgers were cooking faster than the inside and I thought what am I going to do here? I added the water and quite by accident discovered it worked real well. Adding the water to finish cooking the turkey burgers gave them a really nice texture and moistness. I will always do my turkey burgers like this from now on.