Boigas

Today Rebecca hosted a fabulous Memorial Day cookout. We ate. We drank. We sucked it up at croquet (well, I did anyway). As my potluck item, I brought fixings for my cajun burgers, which are Nawlins-inspired burgers packed with juicy vegetables and spicy andouille sausage. I serve them with a red pepper aioli (props to Steph for the classy-sounding term).
Burgers are one of those great foods with endless possibilities. Like pizza or pasta, you can work all kinds of magic around a very simple frame - in this case, a meat patty on a bun. Sure, there's the classic beef patty with ketchup, lettuce and tomato. Or you mix it up by using different meats, and then throw in some unique ingredients and special spices. Restaurants have made an art of this, after all. Ever had the Yokahoma Mama at The Vortex, with it's thick pineapple slice and teriyaki sauce? Or one of the artful mini burgers from Flip, such the Southern burger smothered in curried pickles and pimento cheese? Even Houston's has a veggie burger that will blow your mind.
Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of the $40 over-the-top, classy burger, probably made from the tenderest bits of cows who drink out of golden troughs and are given deep tissue massages twice daily. It's a burger, for Pete's sake. A summertime staple. Meat on a bun. Juicy, flavorful, and totally unpretentious. That said, I wanted to share a few of my favorite non-traditional burgers.

CAJUN BURGERS- Here it is, kids. Remember that this recipe has pork in it, so cook your patties thoroughly. If you like your burger medium-rare, then replace the ground pork with just beef. The patties are also a little fragile, so don't push them around on the grill or skillet too much.
- 1 lb andouille sausage, removed from casings
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb ground chuck
- 1 rib celery
- 1/2 green bell, pepper
- 1 small white onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1-2 tsp hot sauce, or to your liking
- salt and pepper to taste

1. Pulse sausage into crumbles in a food processor.
2. Pulse celery, bell pepper, and onion in a food processor until finely chopped (about 1/4" pieces).
3. Combine all ingredients. Form into 5-6 thick patties, with a slight indentation in the middle of each patty.
4. If cooking in a skillet, heat 1-2 Tb vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook 6-7 min per side, indented side first. Don't move them around the pan too much, or they may fall apart.
If cooking on the grill, you may want to line the rack with foil, because the patties may fall apart. Cook 6" from coals or over medium-high heat, covered, for 6 minutes per side.
5. Serve with a generous dollop of red pepper aioli.

RED PEPPER AIOLI- mix all ingredients together
- 1/4 C mayonnaise
- 2-3 TB red pepper relish
- dash hot sauce (skip if using hot red pepper relish)

SALMON BURGERS - I've looked for a good salmon patty recipe for years, and I finally found this one in the latiest issue of Food Network Magazine (which has a whole section of unique burgers - buy it!). It has a wonderful salmon flavor, which is enhanced with a little lemon and dijon mustard, without being too fishy or dry. It's absolutely delicious with some baby arugula and some Old Bay aioli on a toasted bun.
- 1 1/4 center-cut salmon fillet, skin and bones removed
- 2 Tb dijon mustard
- 1 Tb mayonnaise
- 1 Tb fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 scallions, chopped fine
- 1 C + 2 Tb panko or white bread crumbs
- 2 Tb olive oil

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with olive oil.
2. Cut three quarters of the salmon into 1/4" pieces. Set aside in a large bowl.
3. Cut the remaining salmon into chunks and put in a food processor with the mustard, mayo, lemon juice, lemson zest and cayenne. Pulse to make a paste.
4. Add the paste mixture to the diced salmon. Add the scallions, 2 Tb bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Gently mixed until just combined.
5. Divide the salmon mix into 4 mounds on the parchment paper. Pat into 1" thick patties. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes to set.
6. Spread the bread crumbs in a pie plate or shallow bowl. Press both side of the patties into the crumbs.
7. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties. Cook until browned on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until browned and centers feel springy, 3-4 minutes more. Remove from pan and pat with paper towels to remove excess oil.

OLD BAY AIOLI- mix all ingredients together.
- 3/4 C mayonnaise
- zest and juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 scallion, minced