Pita Burger

My mother makes the BEST burgers. When my sister and I were growing up burger nights we such a treat! All the pots of various goodies to fill the burger with till you couldn't even get your jaws around it, sauces dripping down everywhere, down our hands in down our arms. What a joy as a kid to eat with your hands and make a mess, and it all being allowed! Such simple pleasures children find and cherish. To this day I love to over stuff and over sauce my burgers, eating it very un-lady like.

The trick I have found is, through my mother is to allow the meat to sit, once you have spiced and added the ingredients to your liking. This might not always be handy or even possible, but if you can leave it sit an hour or two or even three. Also by using a pita bread instead of a big fluffy (unhealthy) white burger bun your getting a lot more stomach space for your burger & it's fillings, pits is the way to go in my opinion.

To make 4 burgers (medium sized, approx 100 gram each) you will need +/- 400 gram ground beef or lamb.

Here are the ingredients I like to add to my burger meat:

1 tbsp good quality BBQ marinade (preferably something smokey)
Salt & pepper
1 tsp el ras hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
1 tbsp capers
10 chopped olives (preferably Kalamata or other strong tasting good quality, i.e., pricey olives)
2 tbsp crumbled (sheep's milk) feta

1. To prepare you simply place all this in a large enough bowl and mix with your hands. The shape the meat into paddies, and place on a plate. I like my burgers almost thin, this way I can fill my pita with more ingredients and still almost be able to fit my jaw around it all. 
2. Pre heat a pan with a small drizzle of sunflower or other cooking oil (not needed if you have a teflon pan)
3. Cook the burgers first on 1 side for approx 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for as long as you like (rare, medium, well done). I like mine almost well done, that took me about another 4 minutes after flipping. 

For the fillings I love the following, all in 1 burger: 

1. Fried onion rings, I fry mine till then have gone totally limp and last minute I add a tinny drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 
2. Lettuce 
3. Sliced fresh tomato
4. Good quality mayonnaise
5. mustard, dijon
6. Ketchup (I found one made with agave instead of sugar at my health food store, its yummy!)
7. Pickled lime (Indian condiment, found in deli's) OR other spicy, chili type paste or chutney. 

I could also see how some sliced avocado could do nicely in this mix, but I have not tried that yet. 

ok, so then once you have toasted your pita, filled it with the burger and all of the above sauces and fillings, go ahead, digg in! Eat it with your hands, be messy and remember how fun it can be to be a little kid!