Hold the Mushrooms--in the Burger

On Memorial Day it’s usually hamburgers that wind up on the grill. They’re easy and almost everybody loves them.

But sometimes it’s fun to play with tradition. For instance, instead of making plain burgers or cheeseburgers, try this savory mushroom, garlic and ginger filling with the meat.

If you’re barbecuing burgers, shape two thin meat patties to cover the filling and then grill as you like. If you’re cooking the burgers indoors on the stove top, use the recipe that follows and serve with a soy/red-wine sauce to compensate for the lack of outdoor-grill flavor.

MUSHROOM-STUFFED HAMBURGERS

4 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and minced (about 2 cups when measured whole)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3/4 pound lean ground beef

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon chutney of choice, optional

Combine mushrooms, garlic and ginger. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet. Add mushroom mixture and cook over medium-high heat until mixture gives off moisture, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and continue cooking until mixture becomes dry, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Shape ground beef into 4 large, thin patties. Place half of mushroom mixture on 2 patties and top with remaining 2 patties. Press gently to seal edges.

Cook burgers on barbecue grill to desired doneness.

If cooking indoors, heat oil in skillet. Gently place hamburgers in skillet and cook over medium heat 5 or 6 minutes per side or to desired doneness. Remove hamburgers and keep warm.

Pour off fat in skillet. Add red wine and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Cook over high heat, scraping up browned bits on bottom of skillet, until liquid is reduced to 3 to 4 tablespoons. Stir in chutney. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, allowing to melt in. Ease hamburgers onto 2 plates. Top each hamburger with half wine sauce. Makes 2 servings.

Note: If desired, skip wine sauce and serve hamburgers plain or with chutney. If serving outdoors, use buns with burgers. If cooking with sauce, serve plain, with buns or over rice.