Spanish Burgers With Saffron Aioli Recipes

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 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.

SAFFRON AIOLI

Steps:

• Steep the saffron threads in warm water for about 10 minutes. Drain water, but don't allow threads to dry out.
• Combine mayonnaise, and lemon juice with a wire whisk, mixing together until uniform.
• Add pressed garlic, only 1/2 of saffron threads, 1 teaspoon of saffron powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and continue to mix once again until uniform in texture.
• Use remaining saffron threads to garnish aioli in a small ramekin, bowl, or directly on top of food. Serve cool to slightly below room temperature.

SPANISH BURGERS WITH SAFFRON AIOLI

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. To make Saffron Spread, heat a non-stick, fire-proof skillet with olive oil over grill. Add shallots, garlic, saffron threads and wine. Heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool. Once cooled, add mayonnaise and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. To make carmelized onion topping, heat non-stick fire-proof skillet with olive oil over grill. Add onions, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook covered until onions are soft. Add wine and continue to cook covered over grill until wine is reduced. Remove from grill and set aside until ready to use. To make the patties, in a large bowl, combine the meat, peppers, capers, onion, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Ensure the ingredients are well distributed throughout the meat. Add the sliced olives, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it. Divide the meat into 6 equal portions to fit size of rolls. Place patties onto a platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grill. When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook, turning once until done to preference, 5 – 7 minutes on each side for medium. Meanwhile, place the skillet with the caramelized onions on the side of the grill to keep warm until patties are done. Place the cheese slices on the patties during the last 2 or 3 minutes of grilling and place the buns cut side down on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly. To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of saffron spread over the cut side of the rolls. On each roll bottom, place a patty, an equal portion of the carmelized onion topping, and a lettuce leaf. Add the roll tops and serve.

SAFFRON ALIOLI

Steps:

• Put saffron threads in a small cup, then add hot water and let stand 5 minutes.
• Purée saffron mixture with remaining ingredients in a mini food processor or a blender until smooth.

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.