It’s June. Shavuot is already weeks behind us, and the only semi-significant Jewish holiday between now and the High Holidays is Tisha B’Av (which often fails to register on many Jews’ calendars). You know what that means it’s time for? Shabbat.
Time to get back to our bread and butter.
Whether you’ve been diligently lighting candles every Friday night since nursery school, or if you’re still trying to figure out what works for you, think of summer as a time to test drive new ways to keep (and guard!) Shabbat.
I’ve been reading “The Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat” (even though my only “kids” are two fuzzy kitties), and the author reminded me that Shabbat dinner doesn’t need to be a production. It’s about doing your best and being together with those you care about. It doesn’t need to involve your oven, Manischewitz, or even roasting a chicken. Remove the barriers, real or imagined, and you’re more likely to not just have Shabbat, but enjoy it too. And it doesn’t have to be about things you HAVE to do, or what you CAN’T do — it can be about making it meaningful and finding ways to do that, slowly adding more as you’re comfortable. Practice makes perfect!
And what would get you and your company more excited than an awesome meal to look forward to? With summer finally here, what’s better than a meal from the grill? I know of nothing that compares, particularly if there’s a good, cold beverage involved. My current favorite summer wine is Gazela, a vinho verde from Portugal that’s lightly effervescent almost like champagne, and dirt cheap to pick up at around $6 a bottle — not to mention it’s available almost everywhere. Plus, it pairs superbly with these delicious and not-bad-for-you turkey burgers and salad. Finish off your meal with grilled peaches or plums a la mode, and you’ll be convinced to have Shabbat dinner every week, I’m sure of it.
Asian Turkey Burgers
Makes: 4
Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (or chicken)
1/4 C plain dried bread crumbs (or toasted and crumbled bread)
1/4 C chopped green onions
1/4 C jarred Hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
4 pineapple rounds or drained, crushed pineapple (optional)
4 good, whole grain buns
Directions:
- Preheat the grill to medium high. If your grill slats are widely spaced, you may want to put down a sheet of foil sprayed with nonstick spray.
- With your hands, gently combine the turkey, bread crumbs, green onions, Hoisin sauce, and soy sauce in a bowl. Shape them into four equal patties.
- Cook patties about 15 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F (you want them cooked all the way through).
- Cut the buns in half and lightly toast them by placing them on the warming rack or around the edges away from the direct heat.
- Top burgers with pineapple
Asian Apple Slaw
Prepare this salad while the burgers are cooking, or up to two days in advance.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp sesame oil (dark, if you’ve got it)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 medium apple, julienned or grated
1/4 head of cabbage, grated or thinly sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
Cilantro for garnish (optional)
Directions:
- Whisk together the lime juice, honey, sesame oil, and ground ginger in the bottom of a serving bowl.
- Add the apple, cabbage, carrot, and bell pepper; toss to combine with dressing. Top with cilantro.
- Serve alongside the turkey burgers
Ed. Note: We hope that you, like us, want TC Jewfolk to stick around for a very long time. So we’re asking for a few minutes of your time so we can learn more about you. Oh, and if warm fuzzies aren’t enough motivation, maybe this is: the awesome folks at Parasole Restaurants (think Chino Latino, Salut, Il Gato and Burger Jones to name a few) have generously donated a $50 gift card for us to give away to one lucky survey taker. Your chance to enter is at the end of the survey. Click here to take the survey.
sara, yum! and i *love* the grilled fruit idea!! and btw, i’m reading meredith jacob’s book right now, too!! great minds and all that jazz! 🙂
With Shabbat coming in so late these days (although probably not as late as up in Minnesota) we often grill our Friday night dinner early in the day for later. If we weren’t having dairy this week (veggie guests) I would be defrosting my hamburger meat and digging around for some canned pineapple thanks to your post. Great idea, I love the Asian twist you gave your burgers.
Thanks Galit, and nice to have you Miriyummy! Glad you found us 😉
What a delicious looking recipe! I fear the name, though: “Asian” burgers and slaw? What makes them “Asian”? That’s like saying “European Stew”… Anyway, just a little pet peeve of mine. Thanks for the great Shabbat dinner idea!
April – fair point; the burgers are hoisin, a Chinese/Asian/Korean style sauce, and the slaw because of the ginger, sesame oil, and cabbage. I actually didn’t mean to call the burgers “Asian” but we have a policy of not changing stuff after the fact (I meant to call them “Hoisin Turkey Burgers”).
Let us know how they turn out!