Greek Burgers Biftekia Recipes

BIFTEKIA

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, kneading the mixture with the hands for 5 minutes.
• Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Divide the meat into 8 portions and roll them up.
• Flatten each meatball to form the biftekia, a kind of small hamburger.
• Cook the biftekia on each side in a lightly oiled grill or cast iron pan over medium to high heat.
• Serve with a green salad and fries.

GREEK BURGERS - BIFTEKIA

Steps:

• Place the beef in a bowl.
• Add all the ingredients to the beef and knead with your hands until all the ingredients are well mixed and blended with the meat for about 5 minutes.
• Cover the bowl and let the meat sit in the refrigerator for about an hour.
• Remove the beef 10 minutes before cooking. Form in 5 patties (these are made slightly smaller than a hamburger). Flatten them.
• Heat the grill pan, Place the patties and cook for about 4 minutes on each side.
• Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

BIFTEKI BURGER SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the tzatziki: Place the cucumber into a strainer or colander over a bowl and squeeze with your hands the shredded cucumber to release the liquid. When the liquid comes to a slow drip, set the strainer into a bowl and set the bowl in the refrigerator to continue to slowly drip for 30 minutes. Make sure the bottom of the strainer does not touch the bowl. (The purpose of straining the cucumber is important to retain the thick consistency of tzatziki sauce. You can either discard the cucumber liquid or reserve it to make a refreshing cucumber water drink.)
• Empty the yogurt into a medium bowl. Add the strained cucumber along with the garlic, dill, vinegar and oil into the bowl and gently mix with a whisk. When all the ingredients are equally distributed, your tzatziki sauce is ready. Season with salt and pepper, if using. (Sauce can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.)
• For the bifteki: In a medium bowl, add the ground beef, red onion and mint leaves. With your hands, work in all the ingredients until everything is equally distributed. Then add the crumbled cheese and mix, being careful not to overwork the mixture. You want the cheese to stay relatively chunky. Form into a loaf and cut into 6 equal pieces, about 5 ounces each. Form each piece into an oval-shaped meatball and then pat down to form an oval shaped patty. (Patties can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.)
• For the sandwich: Cook each patty on a hot charcoal grill or broiler for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until desired temperature is reached. (I like this patty cooked to medium, unlike my burgers that I prefer on the rare side.)
• Lightly toast the baguettes on the grill, if desired. Remove from the heat and then spread 1 tablespoon of tzatziki sauce on the top half of each baguette piece. When the patties are ready, remove from the heat and cut on a bias into 3 equal parts. Spread the cut pieces over the bottom half of the toasted baguette. Top the patty with sliced tomatoes and sliced red onions. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and Spanish smoked paprika, if using. Press both sides of the baguette together and enjoy.