Zesty Italian Burgers
Rich Zesty Italian Burgers layered with pancetta, smoked mozzarella, pesto, and grilled onions.
We Americans like our comfort food.
We are always trying to turn the unfamiliar into the familiar. You have to agree, this is better than the old tradition of shunning the unfamiliar altogether.
American fusion food is a great example of this new-found fascination.
Dishes such as Mexican pizza and Asian-style hot dogs are just the beginning of our efforts to bring world flavors into the main stream. You can hardly go out-to-eat without seeing menus with ingredients from all over the globe. What an exciting time in culinary history!
Italian food has made its way, full-force, into the heart of America.
Very few people here would ever think of it as an exotic style of cooking. Americans eat pizza, pasta, cured meats, and cheese in enormous amounts, probably only comparable to the eating habits of, let’s say…Italians!?
So I thought it would be fun to take the comforting flavors of Italy and layer them, like a warm fuzzy blanket, over the only thing that might be even more comforting. A hamburger.
Introducing Zesty Italian Burgers. A combinations of all my favorite Italian flavors in one meaty sandwich!
These Zesty Italian Burgers are piled with smoked mozzarella cheese, pesto, pancetta, grilled red onions, ripe tomato slices, arugula and tomato-butter on a ciabatta bun.
Zesty Italian Burgers are glorious dripping towers of international bliss. American style!
Zesty Italian Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 8 slices pancetta
- 4 ounces basil pesto (or make your own!)
- 1 large ball smoked mozzarella
- 1 red onion, cut into thin rounds
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- Baby arugula
- ripe tomato slices
- 4 ciabatta buns
Instructions
- Heat the grill to high. Divide the ground beef into 4 portions. Salt and pepper the patties. Layer each patty with a slice of pancetta on top and bottom. Press the pancetta into each patty.
- Cut the onion and mozzarella into rounds. Melt the butter and mix it with the tomato paste and anchovy paste. Cut the ciabatta buns and brush the insides with tomato-butter.
- Carefully brush the grill with oil or use non-stick grill spray. Grill the patties and onions at the same time. Grill the patties for 3-5 minutes per side and the onions for 1-2 minutes per side.
- Once you flip the burgers, lay the onion rounds over the top of each patty, followed by the mozzarella slices. The cheese will melt while the burgers finish cooking.
- Place the buns on the open grill and toast for 1 minute. Once the buns are toasted, slather them with pesto. Layer arugula leaves, tomato slices and a patty on each bun. Top and serve!
Notes
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Love your foray into Italian cuisine via American and burger food! Very clever and very tasty too.
Oh sommer what a perfect burger, first your perfect peach salad and now your fab burger, really great labor day ideas!! yum, love the pic of the bitten butger!!
sweetlife
We love our comfort food and there's nothing like a juicy burger! And with pancetta – what's not to like ;)
Wow that burger looks so delicious!!!
What a unique and delicious looking burger! It's making my mouth water big time! Thanks for sharing!
Speaking of delivery… 12 noon is okay with me – lol… Burgers look great – I love home grilled burgers the best.
Neat idea! I'm not much of a hamburger maven but this one looks like a must try!
Great post!Tomato butter sounds wonderful. Thanks.
yum panchatta and a burger what can beat that!
This is a perfect burger, complete with ciabatta. This is triple comfort.
Very interesting burger and I love the italian spin. Sounds delicious.
This sounds TOTALLY awesome. My mouth is watering, literally. And I dont think it would be wise for me to whip up one of these burgers this late at night. I suppose I will have to wait until next weekend for labor day. *sigh* It will be hard to wait that long… ;)
What a burger!Absolutely delightful!
Will try with minced chicken!…and that tomato butter rocks!
:)
These burgers look absolutely fantastic. I love burgers and surely yours would be my recipe to go. Thanks for sharing!
I surrender. You are the hands down winner in the burger department. These sound other worldly. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
Oh boy! This burger looks so amazing, loooooooved the tomato butter idea.
OMG you are a burger goddess. I wouldn't change a thing!!
I hope you've entered this recipe into a burger contest. It's unique and looks fantastic. I bet you could win!