June 16, 2020
Italian Burgers
with Kalamata Olive Relish
Pg. 115
Gavin, Season 1
11 down…88 to go!
When I think of burgers, I automatically label it All-American Cuisine. Having that ideal challenged with this recipe was a treat. It makes me want to try more fusion recipes and think outside of the box from “normal” or “traditional” American classics.
Also, if you read my last post you know I try to pick recipes that have overlapping ingredients. So, when I realized that this Italian Burger called to be topped with arugula, and the yuzu salad was made up of half arugula and baby spinach, I jumped at the opportunity to combine them onto one plate.
And what else goes good with a burger? Chips, right? Yes, but this time I tried the kale chips from the “Snacks and Starter” section of the MasterChef Junior Cookbook. Needless to say, it was an amazing, flavorful, complete meal brought to me by three talented MasterChef Junior contestants: Gavin, Sean, and Alexander. Thanks, guys!
My overall thoughts were: I loved the burger, and all the flavors from the other supporting ingredients made it amazing. However, I was not a fan of the olive relish because I am not a fan of olives; but I served this dish to my sweetheart, Chad, and good friend, Sam, and they both loved it. Sam liked it so much, I sent the leftover relish home with her and she said she was going to put it on everything for the next few days.
What did I do differently?
- The recipe didn’t call to season the burger patties with anything besides Italian Seasoning, and that worried me because I could hear Gordon Ramsey in my head saying, “Season EVERYTHING!” Which usually means at least salt and pepper, so I compulsively did that.
- My friend Sam said she enjoyed mushrooms and onions on her burgers, and so do Chad and I. Instead of grilling the red onion, I sautéed it with some mushrooms and seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano (to stick with the Italian flavors), and some crushed red pepper flakes.
- The day we went to the grocery store was the day we planned to have Sam over and cook the burgers. The store didn’t currently have any brioche buns in stock (which is what the recipe called for), and we didn’t have time to go to another store. I’m not going to lie, I was disappointed because I LOVE brioche buns, but we substituted them with onion buns, and thankfully they were delicious.
- I feel like I’m going to be showing my picky side with this recipe because I already admitted that I didn’t like the olive component, but also, I cannot stand raw tomatoes. So I omitted those on mine, but Sam got the full experience because she opted for the sliced tomatoes on her burger.
All my love,
Dani, a big tid
P.S. Have you tried any fusion burgers where they put a multicultural spin on this American classic? If so, tell me all about it so I can try it next time I’m in the mood for burgers, which is at least once a week, so help!
Wanna give this recipe a shot? Click below for the recipe.
https://www.statesman.com/news/20180308/try-this-recipe-an-italian-burger-so-easy-a-13-year-old-can-make-it
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Have to say this is the first time I’ve had a burger with anything other than Hamburger meat but I loved the change up. It was diff and delicious
Adding sausage to it definitely took it to a whole new level!
The best burger I have ever eaten in my entire life was at Rodeo Goat in Ft. Worth. Grass-fed beef with candied bacon, grilled peaches, caramelized onions, arugula, and jalapeno jam. My mouth is watering just remembering the taste.