shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i saw a really delicious-sounding recipe

last weekend for shrimp burgers.

on wednesday, i really wanted to use

the pickled korean radishes

that i had just made for something

more than snacking.

so, i did the only thing that made sense:

i made turkey burgers.

clearly, burgers were on my brain

and i kept thinking about traditional

cheeseburgers (why? i'm not sure):

beef,

cheese,

ketchup

and, usually, pickles.

so, instead i strayed:

korean-inspired turkey burgers

(that quickly made the leap to asian

burgers when i started tossing every

sauce in my fridge into the bowl),

enhanced with shiitake mushrooms

and topped with a

sesame-scallion mayo instead of ketchup.

skip the cheese.

and instead of the cucumber pickles,

neon pink radish wedges.

i decided to wing it,

buying whatever looked good to me

in the produce department, from

gigantic shiitake mushrooms,

to scallions, a firm jalapeno

and knobby ginger.

when i got home, i diced the mushrooms,

and reasoned that in spite of the fact

that i just didn't want to dirty another

pan, i really should saute them first.

so, i heated a bit of oil, added the

mushrooms, followed by the ginger,

jalapeno and garlic, cooking them all until they

were just tender and fragrant.

as soon as the mixture was out of the pan,

i stirred in the scallions,

sesame seeds,

sriracha,

sesame oil

hoisin and

oyster sauce.

the made-up mixture was spicy,

and even though i reasoned that

all the turkey would mellow it,

i still opted to make a very

gently-flavored spread to

smear over the burger:

mayonnaise,

scallions,

garlic

and sesame oil.

it was...fine.

yes, on it's own, it was

ok. with the burger, it

was better. is it worth it

to make again? i really

don't know. i do know that

i wanted it to be fabulous.

but, sometimes, as in life,

things just aren't.

it was a good burger.

still spicy after cooking,

moist thanks to the mushrooms

and packed with all of my favorites.

but, i wasn't as original

as i believed i was.

while assembling, i

realized that they were a

clear imitations of one of my

very favorites: turkey meatball banh mi.

but, these tasted even better because we

ate them in the daylight.

and that?

that was fabulous.

shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i made some interesting choices with these burgers. an avid lover of sticky sweet hoisin sauce, i added a spoonful before considering the consequences. it was already stirred in before i thought about the fact that these burgers were sure to burn, thanks to the sugars in the sauce. since i had already taken a wrong turn, i thought stirring in equally sugary oyster sauce seemed like a good idea. i also added in sesame seeds, which i loved - but i'm pretty sure some of those burned, too. at that point, the more the merrier, right? if you worry that the burgers charring a few minutes before they're finished will bother you, maybe think about removing these ingredients from the turkey and instead, adding the sauces to mayo. maybe.

a note about the toasted sesame seeds. i buy them from the asian markets, toasted, in large quantities and on the cheap. totally worth it.

scallion-sesame mayo

i think it's safe to say that you will have more mayonnaise than you need. that's ok - even not-so-exciting mayo has it's uses.

3 large scallions, trimmed and sliced

2 small cloves garlic, peeled and halved

2/3 cup reduced-fat mayo

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

in mini food processor, pulse scallions and garlic 10 times, or until finely chopped. add mayo, sesame oil and a pinch of kosher salt. process 30 seconds, or until well combined, scraping down sides, if necessary. taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

shiitake turkey burgers

2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4" dice

1 (1-inch piece) gingerroot, peeled and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (use only half if you want to tone down the spice)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

3 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 heaping tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 1/4 pounds ground dark turkey

4 buns, halved (it's a nice echo if they're sesame buns)

scallion-sesame mayo

pickled korean purple radishes, dried with a paper towel

in medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil 30 seconds, or until shimmering. add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. add ginger and jalapeno; cook 1 minute, more. add garlic; cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. remove from heat and immediately transfer to large mixing bowl. stir in scallions, sesame seeds, soy, hoisin, oyster and chili sauces and sesame oil; season gently with salt and black pepper. let cool completely.

add turkey to bowl; using hands, mix just until combined. separate into four equal patties.

heat grill or grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. add burgers. cook 10 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center, turning once. transfer to plate. place buns on grill and cook 1 minute, or until toasted and golden brown (do yourself a favor and check them midway through in case your grill runs hot).

to assemble: place one burger on bottom of each bun. top with pickled radishes. spread top bun with mayo and place on burger. if you happen to have made baked sweet potato fries during this whole thing - all the better. put those on the other side of your plate. you may find yourself thinking the scallion-sesame mayo isn't all that bad on the tip of a fry.

turkey meatball banh mi

do you know how many things

i cook, bake, mix together that

you never hear about?

too many. so two weeks

ago, i made a pact with myself

that it all would change.

and then the screen went black

on the computer.

this is not some blogger

metaphor for writer's block.

it actually stopped functioning,

refused to produce an image.

no computer aside, we got really

lucky. the problem, it turns out,

was a known malfunction and fixed

for free. but, it kind of put things

on-hold here for a while,

dinners piling up on the

memory card

and some meals, not even

making it to the camera at all.

but now, the computer's back,

most of the pictures are downloaded

and i'm trying really hard to recall

the details of some of the dinners

i've made over the past couple weeks.

but one dish that i have zero

trouble remembering was last

sunday's:

turkey meatball banh mi.

i've had my eye on the recipe

for 4 months, ever since

bon appetit published a

pork version in january.

truth be told, i wanted to make

these sandwiches the minute

i saw the recipe, so it seems

like i've known about them for

much, much longer.

i know banh mi is quite the craze.

or it was or it will be or something.

but, i first stumbled across

banh mi two years ago, at an

event in which i was partially responsible

for assembling minis, layered on a crostini

that would later be passed around

on pretty little trays.

it wasn't trendy. it was work.

they were were quite

a job to put together:

from the little i can remember:

a smear of chicken pate,

shreds of marinated chicken,

a cilantro leaf,

chiffonades of basil,

pickled carrots and daikon,

microgreens and a tiny

dollop of garlicky mayonnaise.

the chicken,

i could have done without,

but i'm a sucker for liver

and anything pickled.

i went home knowing i was

late to the banh mi game and

googled it anyway.

what i learned:

they are crazy cheap,

can be found in little tiny shops

in the city and, properly,

are served on gum-shattering

crusty breads. i wanted one.

it took months before i finally

set out to make one on my own,

only to admit, that even though

i'd never had the real thing,

these were not quite right.

that weekend, we visited

colleen and christian in philly,

told them about my attempt at

banh mi two nights before and then

became unbelievably excited when

i found out that they didn't know

what banh mi was. i was, at this point,

a wee bit obsessed with banh mi.

cut to the next day,

when the four of us,

on the way to somewhere else,

unknowingly parked

in front of a tiny, tiny

storefront, reading banh mi.

we were coming from dim sum

and not very hungry, but

we knew that we had to buy one.

for $4, we bought a gigantic

chicken banh mi, asked for it to

be split four ways and stood

on the sidewalk in front,

eating our share.

none of us were especially hungry.

all of us, i think, could have split another.

colleen talks about it here.

so, when i saw this recipe,

i wanted in. and last week,

i finally got it together

to make them.

i'll say this:

they were easy,

they were fun

and most of the work

(except for the cooking

of the meatballs) can be

done earlier in the day so that

when you're ready to serve,

all that's left is assembly.

not only that, but i think

everything will taste even

better with a few hours

of sitting time.

i'll admit,

i wasn't crazy about the

pickling part of this recipe.

for everything - and i've thought about this,

i really do mean everything - else

that i've ever pickled, i've

heated the vinegar mixture first.

here, not only was the mixture

just swished together at room

temperature, but it also used,

in my opinion, way too little

vinegar. yes, this may be because

instead of grating

the carrots

and the daikon,

i julienned them,

but still: a 1/4 cup of liquid

for 4 cups of veggies?

so, i kept adding rice wine vinegar

until i realized that i had added a little

over 1 1/4 cups. i felt better about

the chances of all of the veggies pickling,

instead of just the select few on the bottom.

it was good and vinegary -

especially on the leftovers the next night.

still, next time, i think i'll use this standby.

instead of pate or soft garlic butter,

these sandwiches call for mayonnaise

that's been spiked with sriracha and sliced scallions.

i used low-fat mayo,

squeezed in extra hot sauce

and added more sliced scallions.

this spread almost made me change

my negative feelings about mayonnaise.

and the meatballs.

when i change a recipe from

beef or pork or lamb

to turkey,

there is always a voice

in the back of my head taunting me,

telling me that it's already ruined.

and then there's larry,

who is very good-natured about

ground turkey (probably just

happy to be getting some meat,

if i'm being honest), but who i think

also feels cheated when he sees

that a recipe planned for another meat,

especially pork.

and to top it all off,

i chose this day to take a stand against

skillet-cooked meatballs and instead,

bake them in the oven.

i was thinking disaster.

and yes, it's true that we have

no idea how they would taste with pork

or browned in sesame oil.

but, after eating the baked meatballs

made with turkey,

we really don't care.

these are little flavor-bombs,

brimming with

fresh basil,

garlic,

scallions,

fish sauce and more.

they were tiny, and if not

intended for a sandwich,

could probably all have been eaten,

one by one,

plucked straight from the baking sheet.

they were potato chip-good.

in case i haven't made it clear,

we loved, loved, loved

this home-cook's version of

banh mi. think flavorful,

without hours prepping

and crowd friendly

without new food intimidation.

or, just think: yum.

turkey meatball banh mi

adapted from bon appetit

if you start researching, you learn very quickly that banh mi enthusiasts are all adamant about one thing: if you don't have the right bread, you shouldn't even bother making it. in fact, when i asked our local vietnamese restaurant if they ever planned to add banh mi to their menu, they said that they wouldn't dare without finding the right bread vendor. the baguette should be very crunchy on the outside with a super soft interior. i have not been able to find anything like that around here. the first night, i used a type of bread called fizzle from a korean bakery around the block (this fizzle, by the way, could be a blog post of its own). it was not very crunchy, but i loved it. the next night, i used a french baguette that was very crunchy - larry preferred this one. we agreed to disagree.

and as for the changes - i've included them all below, from cutting instead of grating the veggies (i still had just about 4 cups carrots and daikon total), increasing the liquid and decreasing the sugar in the pickling, to using low-fat mayo for the spread to drizzling the (turkey-based) meatballs with sesame oil before baking, instead of browning them in the oil. i also halved the ground black pepper in the meatballs to 1/2 teaspoon - i didn't want the seasoning taking over the other flavors. and, i used pickled jalapeno instead of fresh - not traditional, but delicious. the original recipe is here.

pickled carrots and daikon

5 small-medium carrots (this is what was in the store), peeled and cut into tiny planks

1 large daikon (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into tiny planks

1 1/4 cups unseasoned rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

in bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well. let sit at room temperature least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

spicy mayonnaise spread

2/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha

3 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced

in bowl, stir together all ingredients. taste; add more chili sauce to taste, if desired. (i did.)

turkey meatballs

1 pound ground turkey (i used 85% lean to accommodate for the no-pork factor)

1/4 cup thinly sliced and chopped basil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon fish sauce (i splashed in a tiny bit extra)

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha (again, i added an extra squeeze)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon (or less) sesame oil

line large rimmed baking sheet with foil (coated with cooking spray) or parchment paper.

in bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. using 1 tablespoon measure, form 1-inch meatballs; place on baking sheet. cover and place in fridge.

when ready:

heat oven to 375˚f. drizzle meatballs with sesame oil. bake 8 minutes. flip meatballs and bake 8-9 minutes more, or until cooked through. (at this point, i turned on the broiler and broiled them for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan once midway through, just to crisp up the exterior of the meatballs. i was glad that i added this step, but i don't know that it's necessary.)

banh mi

we really enjoy pickled jalapenos and added a bunch to the sandwiches, and even more the second night. like the cilantro, however, if you're not a fan, don't feel that you have to use these. adapt them to your taste.

4 small-medium baguettes

spicy mayonnaise spread

fresh cilantro sprigs (about 16), broken into pieces

pickled jalapeno (about 18 slices)

turkey meatballs

pickled daikon and carrots

split baguettes down the center; gently remove most of the interior from the baguette, making sure to keep the shell in tact. spread inside of bread with spicy mayonnaise. add cilantro sprigs and pickled jalapenos.

line baguettes with hot meatballs; top with pickled carrots and daikons. (i also added some cilantro leaves for color, but if i wasn't taking a picture, i'm not sure i'd bother.)

finally - spaghetti and turkey meatballs

when i say to you

that i have been trying to

write this post for over two weeks,

i mean it. i've started it.

several times. only to be

cut off by small things - like

having to go to work,

go to bed, actually make dinner

for the night ahead, deal with

unexpected work crises and um,

one day, somehow cutting

off our internet connection.

so, i know it's been a while.

so long that i almost scrapped

the whole post

in a sign of moving on,

but, i couldn't do it.

we liked the meatballs too much.

--

usually when larry

goes away for work,

i try to get my act together

in time for his homecoming.

not this time.

he had been away for a

week and he was actually

coming home late on

a thursday evening - not

the middle of the night like

usual. i wanted to top

the sweet potato andouille pie

or the pulled chicken sandwiches.

instead, i found out that he

was coming home earlier

than expected, i had a very, very

long and busy day at work that ended with

10 children, pizza dough, flour, sauce

and eventually, baked pizzas for them

to eat. and, i lost my cell phone.

my only phone - especially if larry

and his cell are not in the house.

i got home from work just after

his plane landed, figured out how

to text him through gchat and

ran out to order and wait for

dinner. life without a phone

is tough. i was back home fast -

but he was already there.

and so, he welcomed me and

a bag of (good, but not homemade)

mexican food at the door.

not exactly the way i pictured it.

the next night,

i wanted to make it up to larry

(although, honestly, i think

his spicy pork tacos were fine

with him. i was the one

with the problem). i gave him

a few choices - he chose

spaghetti and turkey meatballs.

on the way to the store

i asked him to cook with me.

he agreed. he also tried to sneak

ground pork into the basket.

he did not succeed.

that night,

while i set to work

chopping and sauteing

onions and garlic,

larry squished peeled

san marzano tomatoes

from the biggest can

i had ever bought.

we added the tomatoes

to the aromatics, dropping in

a few bay leaves and while

i spent time regretting that

i didn't add wine to the pot,

the whole thing started

simmering.

i had made this recipe

once before, a few years back.

my memories of the experience

consisted of these four things:

i made them for larry after a very

long spell of all things vegetarian,

i was very hot in the kitchen that day,

it took a very long time

and the end result was worth it.

that's why i had asked for

larry's help.

this time around,

even though the company

was nice - very nice - the whole

process was much smoother and

i probably could have handled it

by myself. larry cracked eggs

into a bowl while i mixed together

milk and breadcrumbs. i incorporated them

all together with some grated romano cheese

while he stirred the sauce.

once the ground turkey was added

and the whole thing was rolled

into balls, i looked around the kitchen

and realized that everything was very calm.

i brought a pot of water to a boil

and pulled out my best kitchen friend,

the immersion blender. i've never really

smoothed out a sauce like this before -

i usually like them chunky and full,

but it was an experiment. i hadn't

followed the sauce recipe that accompanied

the meatballs, but it did call for pureeing

and i thought, maybe that's one step

i should follow. i blended everything

for a minute. just long enough to

make the mixture thick and cohesive,

but still maintain pieces of tomatoes and onions.

it was a lovely success - something i'm sure

every italian grandmother and grandchild

could have told me years ago.

when it was time to put it all together,

i was glad to have larry there to monitor

the pasta, so that i could tend to the

meatballs, which of course, by the time

i was done with them, looked nothing

like balls, more like unruly pentagons.

no matter. once they're sauced,

no one cares. or at least, no one

in this house cares.

it was a meal not so shocking,

nothing so groundbreaking

in turkey meatballs and sauce,

but for me,

topped with freshly grated cheese

and big glasses of red wine,

it was the welcome back meal

i was hoping for.

just a day late.

spaghetti and turkey meatballs

adapted from giada de laurentiis

the original recipe calls for dark ground turkey, but i used 93% lean, and was very happy with the results. we also had 1/4 pound more turkey, so i upped everything else, in addition to adding chopped garlic and oregano. these turkey meatballs are a great basic recipe - good to store somewhere in your head and adapt as inspiration strikes. i really wantd to bake them, but this meal was larry's and he offered up objections. next time, i'm trying them in the oven. oh, and if you're making your own sauce (so worth it), start the sauce and while it's cooking, make the meatballs. or, if you're really on top of things, make the sauce the day before.

5 tablespoons dried bread crumbs

2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk (we used 1% - it was fine)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons grated romano cheese

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/4 pound ground turkey

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

5-7 cups marinara sauce

1 pound spaghetti

in bowl, stir together bread crumbs and whole milk. stir in eggs, cheese, garlic and oregano. season mixture with salt and pepper. using your hands, gently mix in turkey, just until combined, being sure not to overmix. shape mixture into golf size balls.

bring large saucepot water to a boil; cook and drain spaghetti according to package directions. (ideally, the pasta will be ready just around when the sauced meatballs are done.)

meanwhile, in large skillet over medium high heat, add oil until shimmering, but not smoking. add meatballs. cook 2 minutes, or until golden brown and easy to lift from the skillet. turn meatballs and cook 2 minutes more. continue turning and browning until meatballs are browned on all sides.

add 5 cups sauce to meatballs; bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. using a slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to a bowl; tent to keep warm. over low heat, add cooked spaghetti to skillet and mix with sauce, adding extra sauce if desired. transfer spaghetti to a large serving bowl or individual bowls; top with meatballs and additional sauce, if desired. serve with grated romano cheese.

the marinara sauce

this sauce made a lot - more than needed for the meatballs. i emptied the leftovers into a resealable bag, flattened it out and froze the bag for a future dinner. if the past few weeks are any indication of the weeks ahead, i'm sure i'll be glad to have it stashed. there was not a ton of measuring involved with this, so here's a close approximation of how the sauce came to be:

olive oil

dried oregano

red pepper flakes

2 large white onions, peeled and chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 can (106 ounces) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes

2 bay leaves

granulated sugar

grated romano cheese

in large saucepot over high heat, heat a small splash of olive oil 30 seconds, or until hot and shimmering. add oregano and dried pepper flakes and stir 30 seconds. add chopped onions and cook 10-15 minutes, or until tender. add garlic. saute 1 minute more, or until tender.

meanwhile, remove tomatoes from can into large mixing bowl, squishing and breaking down as you go. when onions and garlic are ready, add everything from the bowl, plus a decent pour of the tomato puree that the tomatoes came in, to the saucepot. add bay leaves.

bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened. remove and discard bay leaves. using immersion blender (or a regular blender in careful batches), puree sauce just until combined, but chunks still remain.

simmer 15 to 20 minutes more. if too acidic, sprinkle in a couple pinches of sugar. add a small palmful of grated parm; stir to combine.