Pork burgers

We were excited to have a batch of fiddlehead ferns still to enjoy. I did a freezer inventory (I’d gotten way behind) and when I found a package of pork I went for pork burgers. The pork was some kind of chop cut but was quite fatty. I trimmed it thoroughly and ground it in the food processor. Then I put in everything I could think of for flavor.

Along with the ferns we had some real nice quinoa. I don’t know why I don’t cook quinoa more ofter – it’s supposedly very healthful and it cooks very much like rice. Here’s a caveat though. The last two times I’ve cooked it, the proportion of 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa (from the package instructions) seems wrong. It’s supposed to cook in 15 minutes, but after that time the liquid wasn’t absorbed. I took the lid off and increased the heat. After a couple of minutes it was better. I still had to use a slotted spoon to serve it. The next time I’m going to change the proportion to about 1 cup quinoa to 1 2/3 cup broth or water.

Pork burgers (for 2)
14 oz. ground pork
2 scallions, white and green parts chopped
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp each powdered garlic and onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
Cheese (optional)

Mix everything in a bowl. Take about a teaspoon’s worth and nuke it for 20 seconds and taste for seasoning. Form the pork mixture into 2 burgers.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. When hot, add the burgers. Cook about 5 minutes per side. After flipping the burgers put slices of cheese on top if you wish. We used fontina.