Caprese Burger & Tempranillo

9 Jul

Continuing on with my burger theme, I have a new recipe combining one of my old time favorite Italian appetizers and those delicious beef patties Americans consume so often. Maybe the 4th of July influenced my patriotism more than I realize. I am also training for a marathon so serious meat is really what I crave. I had planned on making fish tacos tonight but after a 6 mile run, that meal just wasn’t going to do it for me. With some leftover fresh mozzarella in the refrigerator and a tree of fresh basil in my garden, I created the caprese burger. Also, look for the pickled red onion and cucumber salad listed as a side.

Since I was making this European style burger, I figured an old world style wine would fit perfectly. If I was staying with Italy, Chianti comes to mind but that seemed a little too light bodied to stand up to a red meat. Barolo, Barbera, and Barbaresco from Piedmont in Northern Italy would have been a good accompaniment but those aren’t as readily available in stores as good value Tempranillos are these days. I recommend Rejadorada Tinto Roble from Toro. This Tempranillo has been aged 6 months in oak and has a delicious dry backbone that complements the burgers perfectly. Think black… black pepper, blackberries, black currant. Sidenote… the #2 wine on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 this past year was from Toro in Spain. The region is hot! Grab a Joven if you want a $10 great value, although you’ll be sacrificing the oak. See below for my Caprese burger and salad…

Caprese Burger Patties

1 lb 80/20 ground beef

1 egg

1/6 cup oatmeal

Salt and pepper

Dash of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 minced garlic cloves

To Dress up the burger:

Kaiser rolls toasted with olive oil

Fresh basil leaves

Fresh mozzarella ball- slice and add in last stages of grilling