Burgers With A Spanish Flair Recipes

SPANISH BURGER WITH PICKLED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Make the spiced butter: Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the harissa and garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat, cover and let sit 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
• Make the pickled saffron shallots: Bring the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and the saffron to a boil in a small saucepan set over medium heat; remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes. Put the shallots in a small bowl, pour the vinegar mixture over them, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
• Make the aioli: Combine the mayonnaise, harissa, smoked paprika, piquillo peppers, anchovy and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• Make the crispy prosciutto: Heat the canola oil in a small saute pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add 1 slice of the prosciutto at a time to the pan and cook until just crisp. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
• Make the burgers: Combine the chuck and fat in a meat grinder and grind coarsely into a large bowl (or put the ground beef in a large bowl). Mix in some salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 4 equal patties.
• Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat until smoking. Add the canola oil and burgers and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and a crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Flip over and begin brushing with the spiced butter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and the meat is cooked to medium, 4 more minutes. Top the burgers with the fontina, add a little water to the pan, cover quickly and cook until the cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute.
• Spread some aioli on the top and bottom buns. Place a burger on each bottom bun; top with some of the pickled shallots, followed by a slice of crispy prosciutto and some arugula. Add the top buns and serve.

SPANISH BURGER

Steps:

• Preheat grill on high heat.
• Lay out ground chuck in a single layer and season well with salt and pepper. Divide chuck into four portions.
• Wrap each piece of Manchego in a 4-inch square piece of ham. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add each ham-and-cheese bundle and fry, turning, until ham is crisped and cheese is beginning to melt. Allow to cool slightly, fold meat around each bundle to form hamburgers about 1 inch thick.
• Grill burgers for about 4 to 5 minutes a side or until just cooked through.

SPANISH HAMBURGER ( SLOPPY JOES )

Steps:

• Brown hamburger with onion and celery. Flavor with salt and pepper to taste. You may want to use 1/8 tsp cayenne or white pepper to add some heat. A few drops of tobasco sauce could also be used, or some red pepper flakes.
• Drain hamburger; in same skillet, add tomato soup, garlic salt, and water. Stir to combine, and simmer for 20 minutes to half an hour or until you're ready to serve.
• This can also be made ahead of time and reheated, or placed in a slow cooker to be kept warm.
• Serve in warmed hamburger buns.

SPANISH BURGER WITH PICKLED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• For the spiced butter: Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the harissa and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, cover and let sit 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
• For the pickled saffron shallots: Bring the vinegar, sugar, salt and saffron to a boil in a small saucepan set over medium heat; remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Put the shallots in a small bowl, pour the vinegar mixture over, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
• For the aioli: Combine the mayonnaise, harissa, smoked paprika, piquillo peppers, anchovy and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• For the crispy prosciutto: Heat the oil in a small saute pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add one slice of the prosciutto at a time to the pan and cook until just crisp. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
• For the burgers: Combine the chuck and fat in a meat grinder and grind coarsely into a large bowl (or put the 80/20 beef into a large bowl). Mix in some salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 4 equal patties.
• Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat until smoking. Add the canola oil and burgers and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and a crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Flip over and begin brushing and basting with the spiced butter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and the meat is cooked to medium, another 4 minutes. Top the burgers with the fontina, add a little water to the pan, cover quickly and cook until the cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute.
• Spread some aioli on the top and bottom buns. Place a burger on each bottom bun, top with some of the pickled shallots, followed by a slice of crispy prosciutto and some arugula. Add the top buns and serve.

SPANISH BURGERS WITH ROMESCO AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

Steps:

• Build a fire for banked grilling in an outdoor grill.
• For a charcoal grill, let the coals burn until they are covered with white ash. Spread out the mound of coals into a bank, with one side about two coals deep, and the other side of the slope with a scattering of single coals.
• For a gas grill, preheat the grill on High.
• Leave one side on High and turn the other side to Low.
• In both cases, you will have two areas for cooking, one hot and the other cooler.
• To make the romesco, with the machine running, drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade to finely chop it.
• Add the almonds, red peppers, vinegar, paprika, and oregano.
• With the machine running, gradually add the oil, then season with the salt and pepper.
• Transfer the sauce to a bowl. (The romesco can be made up to 2 weeks ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.).
• Working as gently and quickly as possible (overmixing compacts the meat and makes tough burgers), mix the ground round, salt, and pepper.
• Lightly form into 4 patties about 4 inches wide.
• Make an indentation, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch deep, in the center of each burger to help it keep its shape during grilling.
• Lightly oil the cooking grate.
• Place the burgers on the hot area of the grill.
• Cover and cook, turning once, until the outside is seared with grill marks, about 2 minutes per side.
• Move the hamburgers to cooler side of the grill and cover.
• Cook, turning once, until the hamburgers feel somewhat firm but not resistant when pressed in the center, about 4 minutes for medium-rare.
• If using a meat thermometer, insert it horizontally through the side of the burger to reach the center --it should read 125°F.
• During the last 2 minutes, top each burger with the cheese, and place the buns on the grill to toast lightly and warm through.
• Place a burger in each bun, top with a large dollop of romesco sauce, and serve immediately.