Chicken mini burgers with tomato and chile sauce

ServeS 12

Ingredients:

1¾lb (800g) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp thinly sliced sage leaves

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 cup dates, finely chopped

½ cup toasted hazelnuts, skinned and chopped

2 tsp dukkha (egyptian spice blend)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra

¾ cup fresh bread crumbs (from about 3 slices of firm white bread)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 x 14oz (400g) jar tomato sauce

2 small fresh red chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped

6 fresh basil leaves, torn

To serve:

12 thick baguette slices

1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole

2 yellow bell peppers, broiled, skinned, seeded, and sliced

2 red bell peppers, broiled, skinned, seeded, and sliced

Method:

1 Pulse the chicken in a food processor until finely minced; be careful not to process it into a paste. Transfer to a bowl, and add the herbs, garlic, dates, hazelnuts, dukkha, eggs, oil, and bread crumbs. Mix together thoroughly, and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

2 To cook the burgers, position the top rack of the oven about 8in (20cm) from the broiler, and preheat the broiler to medium-hot. Form the mixture into 12 burger-style portions, then brush with a little extra oil. Broil for 6–8 minutes on each side until cooked through, brushing lightly with oil while cooking. Set aside for 15 minutes in a warm place.

3 Warm the tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat, adding the fresh chile and basil. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil, and toast on both sides under the broiler. Rub each slice with the garlic clove. To serve, arrange the bread slices on a platter, top each with a small mound of the bell pepper slices, and then a chicken burger. Spoon a little tomato sauce over each burger, and serve.

Chicken mini burgers with tomato and chile sauce