Ground meat patties (p. 511) and Pea puree (p. 290)

I have been making such great progress on the Randomly Selected List that I didn't want slow down. Page 511 only had one recipe I hadn't already made--Ground meat patties (p. 511)--so that was a simple choice. It's pretty exciting to have pages that are either entirely finished or only have one recipe left!

The recipe calls for either chicken, veal, or lamb. I'm not going to waste expensive lamb or veal on burgers and I don't like ground chicken. I decided that if ground chicken was okay, than ground turkey should be fine (right?).

I mixed together the bread crumbs, an egg, a little lemon zest, salt, coriander, nutmeg, curry powder, and black pepper:



You can tell from the picture how strongly spiced these patty recipe was.

I added the meat and worked it with my hands until it was mixed (I always find this strangely enjoyable, smashing the meat with my hands--just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly). I formed the mixture into patties. I only got about half the quantity the recipe mentioned, so my patties must have been too big.



I cooked the patties about ten minutes per side:



And done! These had a very strong and very specific flavor, which, unfortunately, I couldn't put my finger on. I can even recall it--one day I will be eating whatever food these patties are reminiscent of, jump up, and yell "Eureka!".

Josh expected not to like the ground meat patties (he insists he doesn't like ground turkey) at all but was won over--these aren't your average hamburgers but they were very good. I honestly think these would be good with any of the meats suggested, although each one would give you a unique flavor. This is a REALLY good choice for people who don't eat beef for religious reasons.

As many of you know, I love Top Chef. On the current season, it seems like every week somebody is making (or stealing!) pea puree. 'What is so special about pea puree', I wondered. So I decided to make Pea puree (p. 290).

This is an incredibly simple recipe. I thawed a package of frozen peas, drained it, and pureed it with heavy cream.



I seasoned it with a little salt and pepper:




And it was finished. First of all, it was beautiful. An incredibly vibrant Spring green, absolutely perfect for Spring (I realize it isn't Spring but it would be perfect for Spring). I can see why chefs like to use it on a plate, it's very eye-catching. And it was tasty! I always thought I didn't like peas but I think I just don't like canned peas. These peas were very fresh tasting and smooth. Plus they heated up very well the next day. If you do any of that fancy plating, I think this would make a great base.