When I go out for a burger I prefer my meat pure and steaky, like at The Bird, my favourite in Berlin. But when I make burgers in my kitchen I like to get out my spice box and play with different aromas. I even add an egg and some breadcrumbs sometimes (which is not acceptable for purist burger lovers!). I don’t restrict myself, I just add whatever I feel like.

Yesterday I wrote about my parsley, tomato and mint salad which I love to eat at a Tunisian restaurant and today’s burger is the perfect companion for this dish, my lemon and cumin burger with a mint, cardamom and cinnamon sauce!

The mixed minced meat is seasoned with lemon zest, cumin, parsley and spicy crushed black peppercorns, it’s so rich in aromas but none of them is overpowering. When I came up with this recipe I got so excited that I decided to bake my own flat bread, it’s not really necessary but nothing beats warm bread which is cooked in a cast iron pan to accompany a burger. I used my Umbrian Torta al Testo recipe. My idea was to stuff the burger into this pita style bread and add a fresh sauce on top, made of sour cream mixed with cardamom, cinnamon and fresh mint leaves. Just delicious!

 Lemon and Cumin Burger with Mint, Cardamom and Cinnamon Sauce

For 4 burgers you need

mixed minced meat 550g / 19.5 ounces
zest of 1/2 lemon
cumin 1 teaspoon
black peppercorns, coarsely crushed in a mortar, 1/2 teaspoon
salt 1 heaped teaspoon
fresh parsley, chopped, 2 tablespoons
vegetable oil for frying

For the sauce

sour cream 100g / 3.5 ounces
olive oil 1 teaspoon
fresh mint leaves, chopped, 3-5
a pinch of cardamom, to taste
a pinch of cinnamon, to taste
a pinch of salt, to taste

For the bread recipe click here.

Whisk the ingredients for the sauce and season to taste.

Mix the ingredients for the burgers with your hands or the hooks of your mixer and form 4 flat burgers.

In a large heavy pan, heat a splash of oil to cover the bottom of the pan and fry the burgers for a few minutes on medium-high heat until they are done the way you like them. Put each burger between kitchen roll to remove excess oil.

Cut a flatbread in half, fill with a burger and sprinkle with mint sauce.