Lamb and capsicum burgers on Turkish tomatoes

Quarter the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds, then dice the remainder very finely. Core and deseed the capsicums and dice them very finely. Remove the onion skin and dice as finely as possible. You can use a food processor for the onions and capsicums, but it is best to cut the tomatoes by hand. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the diced capsicum for the butter and set aside. Combine the mince with half the diced onion, half the remaining diced capsicum, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika. Mix well by hand and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Combine the remaining onion, capsicum (except the 2 tablespoons previously reserved) and chilli (if using) with the tomato in a non-reactive bowl and stir through the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover and set aside at room temperature for about 1 hour.

To cook the burgers, divide the mince mixture into 6 roughly equal portions. Flatten them with your fingers to around 2cm thick. Heat a large lidded frying pan over medium heat and add around a little olive oil. Fry the burgers in batches, covering the pan when not flipping, for about 3 minutes a side until cooked through. 

Heat the butter and reserved capsicum together in a small saucepan for around 5 minutes, then add a good pinch of salt and remove from the heat. To serve, mix two-thirds of the parsley through the diced tomato mixture and transfer to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Place the burgers on top and put a dollop of yoghurt on each. Pour the hot butter over the top and scatter with the remaining parsley. Serve with warm grilled Turkish bread drizzled with olive oil.

Adam's tip You can make your burger filling as much as a day or two in advance – the extra marinating time will improve both the taste and texture. And, as always with burgers, fattier meat is better. 

Also try: Adam Liaw's melon, feta and cucumber meze

Find more of Adam Liaw's recipes in the Good Food Favourite Recipes cookbook.