Caprese Burger

Sadly, a glitch occured in the matrix, and I lost a couple of recipes – including this one.  So, here it is, redux-style.  Like a phoenixburger, it shall rise from its ashes…

This was a peculiar flash of inspiration – I knew what I had to make for dinner (burgers) but at the same time I had in my head a flavor combination that I was craving.  So, I decided to meld the two.  Thus….the caprese burger – an Italian salad, but on, and in, a cheeseburger.

Shopping List:

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• bunch of basil
• onion
• a couple tomatoes (roma or heirlooms if you can get them)
• Italian bread crumbs
• balsamic vinegar
• pepper
• salt
• mayo
• buns – I’ve been favoring Orowheat Golden Seeded lately. No HFCS and tasty.

These are pretty straight-forward, like all my preferred recipes. It’s the ingredients that make it special.

I’ve been making these as standalone 1/3 pound burgers, but 1/4 pounders will work just fine, and if you use 2 pounds of burger suddenly it serves 8 and room for more sides

So I regress.  This burger does well as a 1/3-pounder, so for four people, roughly 1-1/2 pounds of meat.

In a bowl, combine the meat with:

• 1/2 onion (diced)
• 1/2c Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/4c balsamic vinegar
• 1-1/2tsp pepper
• 1/2tsp salt

Knead until the mixture is homogeneous, and if it seems a little dry add another splash or two of  the balsamic.  When everything is incorporated, cover, and leave in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Meanwhile start the fire or heat up the griddle and prepare the toppings :

• a couple of basil leaves per burger
• two slices of roma tomatoes (one of you’re using a larger tomato)
• enough mozzarella sliced about 1/4″ thick to cover each burger.

When the fire’s ready, cook until just done, and top with the mozzarella for a minute or so to let it start melting.  Toasted buns also work very well with this burger, so now would be a good time to do that as well if you wish.

So, to plate: I recommend a little mayo on the buns, but it’s not 100% necessary – the burgers should be moist enough.  Assemble the salad on top of the burger: burger, cheese, tomato, basil is the order I’ve found that works best, but whatever.  It’s going to taste the same.

For the ultimate side, try my tomato-pesto pasta salad: https://nomdujour.net/pesto-tomato-salad/