With a nod to Martha: Mini Greek Burgers

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My kids love Greek food. So do I. So does Daddy. It's almost always a slam dunk to go out for Greek, get take-out, or make it at home. What's not to love about garlicky grilled meat, yummy salads, and, of course, the chickpea?

This week I chanced upon a Martha Stewart recipe for Greek-style mini-lamb burgers. I modified by using lean beef, making the burgers really teeny, dropping the tomatoes called for (they're not fresh yet and I don't like them raw anyway), using different herbs, and I added some red wine vinegar. They were A HIT. Easy. From the time I started the tzatziki to the table with the kids was about 30 minutes. Here's how I did it:

Assemble:
1 cucumber
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1T fresh lemon or lime juice
1 small garlic clove
Some fresh mint to taste
Some fresh dill to taste
Some fresh oregano to taste
Salt and pepper

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 small finely chopped read onion (about a half cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 T chopped fresh oregano
just under 1 T red wine vinegar

4 pita breads (6")
Shredded lettuce

1. Turn on grill to high.
2. Peel and seed cucumber. Chop up fine. Throw it in a bowl. Add the yogurt, lemon or lime juice, mint, dill, oregano (any or all is fine). Shred the garlic with a grater (or garlic press, or just mince it). Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. hrow beef in a bowl. Add the onion, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into tiny little patties. They should be use big enough to cook on your grill and not fall through.
4. Cook the patties on the grill until done. They'll only take a few minutes per side. Take them off the grill, then throw on your pita. Once they're done, cut them in half. It's cool to cook extra pita because you'll have extra tzatziki to use for dipping.
5. Open the pita halves carefully. Put some finely shredded lettuce at the bottom. Add a slice of tomato if you'd like, then a little burger or two. Top with tzatziki.

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