By I closed on a beautiful home in Channelside this week. The buyers — a young couple, first-timers — looked at the keys the way I looked at my real estate license in 2012: like they were holding the future in their hands.
Dimitri stopped by the bakery Saturday morning to eat spanakopita and tell Mama she is doing things wrong. She told him he had his chance. They argued. They ate. They loved. In that order, which is the only order this family knows.
Some weeks are ordinary. This was an ordinary week. I sold houses. I cooked dinner. I called Mama. I drove to Tarpon Springs on Sunday. The extraordinary thing about ordinary weeks is that they are the ones you miss most when they are gone.
I made gemista — stuffed tomatoes and peppers, filled with herbed rice, baked until soft and fragrant. Summer in a baking dish. I served it with bread and olive oil — always too much olive oil, because in this family there is no such thing as too much. We ate and the conversation was easy and the evening was warm.
Sophia told me this week that she is proud of me. I was not expecting it. We were in the car, driving to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner, and she said Mom, I am proud of you. I said for what. She said for everything. For the bakery. For the houses. For making dinner every night even when you are tired. I gripped the steering wheel and blinked and said thank you, koritsi mou. She said do not cry. I did not cry. Much.
Gemista feeds a crowd and asks you to slow down — to stand at the stove, fill each tomato by hand, wait for the oven to do its slow, fragrant work. This week earned that kind of meal, but for the nights when the extraordinary hides inside the ordinary and you just need something warm and spiced and deeply satisfying on the table fast, these Falafel Beef Burgers carry the same spirit: cumin, coriander, parsley, garlic — the flavors Mama’s kitchen taught me before I even knew what a recipe was. Sophia said she was proud of me, and I did not cry much, and I made dinner anyway. That felt exactly right.
Falafel Beef Burgers
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for the pan
- 4 sturdy burger buns, toasted
- For serving: sliced tomato, red onion, crisp lettuce, and tzatziki or tahini sauce
Instructions
- Mash the chickpeas. Place the drained chickpeas in a large bowl and use a fork or potato masher to mash them until about two-thirds are broken down — you want texture, not a paste.
- Mix the patties. Add the ground beef, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mix with your hands until just combined; do not overwork or the burgers will be dense.
- Form and chill. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties roughly 3/4-inch thick. Press a shallow dimple into the center of each with your thumb. Refrigerate for 10 minutes while you heat the pan.
- Cook the burgers. Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook patties 4—5 minutes per side, until a deep crust forms and the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Resist pressing them down — let the crust build.
- Rest and assemble. Transfer patties to a plate and rest 3 minutes. Set each burger on a toasted bun and top with tzatziki or tahini, sliced tomato, red onion, and lettuce. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 490 | Protein: 33g | Fat: 23g | Carbs: 39g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 630mg