A Taste of Tuscany Burger

Pairs well with:

Merlot

Get cozy and get pouring. Our Merlot is the wine for long weekends and lengthy chats.

Ingredients

1 – 2 T. good olive oil
2 baby eggplants, small dice
1 small yellow onion, small dice (can substitute 1 c. diced frozen onion)
1/2 c. , heaping medium heat bottled salsa
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 T. granulated sugar
1/2 wine glass, red Merlot
2 lb ground sirloin
1 lb ground chuck
1-1/2 c. plain breadcrumbs (3 palm fulls)
1/2 c. Pecorino cheese, grated
2 t. salt
1 extra large egg, slightly beaten
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
6 large Kaiser-type buns, split
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
6 slices Provolone cheese
6 Romaine lettuce leaves
1 small purple/red onion
2 medium red peppers
Extra oil for grill

 

Instructions

For the Base:
Coat medium-size, non-stick saucepan with olive oil, place on grill side burner or stove and add onion. Cook until transparent and add diced eggplant. Saute for about five or ten minutes, stirring frequently, and add salsa, salt, pepper and sugar. Continue cooking on high/medium heat, stirring to prevent burning, until mixture is cooked down to an almost “smashed potato” consistency. Add Merlot, reserving a sip for the cook* who could use it about now! Continue cooking and stirring until all wine is incorporated and mixture is further reduced. Remove pan from burner and place it in a bowl of cold water and ice cubes. Cool for at least 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Note: the base mixture can be made the night before and refrigerated.

Lightly butter split Kaiser rolls and set aside. Slice red peppers and purple/red onion horizontally into rings (thickness is optional) and set aside.

Meanwhile, assemble the burger mixture. In a 9 x 13 pan, place sirloin and chuck and sprinkle with bread crumbs, grated cheese and basil. Beat the egg slightly, add salt, and pour over meat mixture. Top with cooled eggplant mixture and mix thoroughly with clean hands. Divide in six portions and hand fashion burgers. They will be huge! Place burgers in a flat, rectangular pan.

Oil and preheat grill to high and begin grilling burgers. Grill two minutes on high, reduce heat to medium and grill another four minutes. Flip burgers and grill
for a minute or two. Place buttered buns on grill for one minute, and place a slice of cheese on each burger. Continue grilling burgers and buns for another minute or so — which should make buns and burgers ready at about the same time.

To assemble burgers, place one leaf of lettuce on bun bottom, then a red pepper ring, burger w/cheese, three purple onion rings then bun top. This assembly keeps the burger from making the lettuce and bun bottom soggy, keeps the red pepper ring from slipping when taking a bite, and the purple/red onion rings make a pretty finish.
Mangia!

*Cook’s Mantra: “I always cook with wine –sometimes I even put it in the food.”
Anonymous