Turkey Burgers With Roasted Eggplant

Manami's Note:

Marmite is a concentrated yeast paste that helps give this burger meaty flavor - find it in the aisles of your supermarket baking aisles or in a health food store. The leftover eggplant puree can be used as a dip with toasted pita wedges. What gives it a great taste as well is the sesame or poppy seed buns! :) Cooking Light Magazine, July 2010 edition.Chilling time for grinder = 30 minutes and chilling time for the turkey = 15 minutes, not accounted for in the recipe. ;)

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (8 ounce) eggplants
• cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley , divided
• 4 teaspoons olive oil , divided
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt , divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , divided
• 1 lb turkey tenderloins , cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon marmite
• currant jelly
• 4 (1 ½ ounce) hamburger buns , toasted
• 4 bibb lettuce leaves
• 4 slices tomatoes (1/4 inch thick)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Lightly coat eggplant with cooking spray; wrap eggplant in foil. Place eggplant on a jelly-roll pan; bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until very tender, turning once. Remove from foil; cool slightly.
3. Cut eggplant in half. Carefully scoop out pulp to measure 1 1/4 cups; discard skin. Place pulp in a food processor; process until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup pureed pulp. Combine remaining pulp, 1 tablespoon parsley, 2 teaspoons oil, juice, and garlic. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
4. To prepare grinder, place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die plate in freezer 30 minutes or until well chilled. Assemble the grinder just before grinding.
5. Arrange turkey pieces in a single layer on jelly-roll pan, leaving space between each piece. Freeze 15 minutes or until meat is firm but not frozen.
6. Combine meat and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in large bowl; toss to combine. Pass meat through meat grinder completely. Immediately pass meat through grinder a second time.
7. Combine reserved 1/4 cup eggplant puree, turkey, remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, soy sauce, currrant jelly and Marmite in a large bowl.
8. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Press a nickel-sized indentation in the center of each patty. Cover and chill until ready to grill.
9. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
10. Lightly coat patties with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
11. Place patties on grill rack, and grill 4 minutes until well marked. Carefully turn patties over, and grill 3 minutes or until done.
12. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each serving with 1 tablespoon eggplant mixture, 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, and top half of bun. (Reserve remaining eggplant mixture for another use.).
13. **Wine note: Turkey Burgers with Roasted Eggplant have a rich and meaty flavor, accentuated by the addition of Marmite. This savory, meaty character is often identifiable in the affordable and intriguing reds of France's Languedoc region, like Jean-Luc Colombo Syrah La Violette 2007 ($12), with chewy black fruit and notes of fresh herbs and smoked meat that pump up the flavor even more.