Crazy for Cumin

     Cumin is one of my favorite spices and it is an important flavor in one of my seldom-made comfort foods, my mother-in-law's empanadas.  My mother-in-law lived most of her life in northwest Argentina where a regional specialty is beef-filled empanadas flavored with cumin and raisin.  The fillings used in empanadas are as varied as the many Hispanic cultures and the flavors used in my mother-in-law's recipe were influenced by Syrian and Lebanese immigrants in Argentina and are my favorite.  
     Sadly, the pastry used to make empanadas is too Points pricey these days so I came up with a burger with a similar flavor profile that has a smaller Points price with big bucks flavor.  I usually cook these on my outdoor grill but have successfully used a grill pan on my cook top, too.  In my mind these are not hamburgers so I have never served these burgers on buns but with a side of couscous since half of the onion-seasoning mixture I cook up for the burgers goes into the couscous!   


Empanada-Style Burgers with Cauli-Couscous

Seasoning Ingredients and Preparation

• An onion (I use sweet), finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon olive or oil of your choice
• 2 teaspoons light (or regular) butter
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon of salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oil and butter in a medium saute pan.  Add onion and raisins, sprinkle on salt and crushed red and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and remaining spices, stir for an additional minute or two.  Stir in parsley, remove from heat and allow to cool.


Burger Ingredients and Preparation

• 3/4 pound 95-96% lean ground beef
• 1/4 pound very lean ground pork
• Approximately half of the cooked onion-raisin mixture
• Olive oil spray
  

In a large bowl, using your hands, combine meats and allotted cooked mixture.  Try not to overwork the mixture.  Form into burgers (I usually make 3 or 4), spritz with olive oil spray on each side and grill or cook.  I cook on my preheated gas grill (between 350-400 F) about 4-6 minutes on first side and 3 -5 minutes on second side (I cook these to medium to medium-well).

Cauli-Couscous Ingredients and Preparation

• 1/2 cup couscous (I used  regular, not whole wheat, for 1 less Point per 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 medium-sized head of cauliflower
• Approximately half of the cooked onion-raisin mixture

Rinse the cauliflower and remove any woody ends.  Using the large grate side of a box grater, grate the cauliflower (I place the grater in a large bowl to keep the bits from flying about).  The floret's grate into couscous-looking pieces, the stems end up a bit bigger.  Return the pan with the onion-raisin mixture to the heat, having pushed the already cooked mixture to the edges.  Add the grated cauliflower (1 to 2 cups) and a few tablespoons of water to the pan, cover and cook on medium low for a few minutes.  Cook the couscous according to directions (my brand says to bring 1/2 cup water to boil, stir in 1/2 cup couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes).  Stir the cauliflower and onion-raisin mixture, taste for doneness and seasoning.  If to your liking, stir in the cooked and fluffed (just use a fork after the 5 minute wait) couscous and it's ready to serve. 
     
     I think you'll agree that the the cauliflower couscous mixture looks pretty much like, well,  couscous!  But I hope you'll discover for yourself that it has a nicer mouth feel and a sweet, nutty flavor due to the cauliflower.  The burger gets a nice caramelization and moistness from the onion-raisin addition and it reminds me of my favorite empanadas and my wonderful mother-in-law!

Empanada Burgers and Cauliflower-CousCous, inspired by my mother-in-law

Just a note to fellow Weight Watchers:  The leaness of the ground pork makes a huge point difference.  I personally love a beef-pork mix but I have also tried beef-lamb (not a lamb fan, sadly), beef-turkey, beef-veal and all beef.  For this recipe (with four servings) a burger and approximately a generous cup of cauli-couscous would cost you 8 Points, according to my Recipe Builder.