Bada Bing Burger with Roasted Garlic Aioli on Crusty Italian Rolls
I recently moved to Iowa from my home town of West Chester Pennsylvania.West Chester not only is a college town, but it has some of the best restaurants to offer. Every September, they have the “Restaurant Festival”, where all of the restaurants put out their best treats. I always looked forward to someone always having their version of sausage, peppers and onions on a great roll. This burger captures all of that and the essence of amazing vendor food! What also inspired me for this burger was my Italian family who literally came right off the boat from Italy. They always had peppers in oil on the tables and great bread to fill them with.
Ingredients:
,
Roasted Garlic Aioli
1 head of garlic
1 teaspoon of Colavita Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of white pepper
12 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Sausage mixture for patties
3 tablespoons Colavita Olive Oil
1/2 pound Johnsonville Italian Sausage taken out of casings
1/2 cup green peppers
1 cup onion chopped
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoons of Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon
Tomato and Basil Relish
3 red tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 yellow tomato seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped basil
1 small onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons Colavita Olive Oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Patties
2 pounds ground chuck
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Grilled vegetable toppings
2 zucchinis-shaved into thick slices with vegetable peeler, down to the seeds only-you will need 12 slices
2 large onions cut into half inch slices- you will need 6 slices
2 tablespoons Colavita oil for brushing
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for brushing grill rack
Cheese
6 thick slices of provolone cheese
3 tablespoons of Colavita Olive Oil for brushing on Rolls
6 fresh crusty Italian rolls
Instructions:
Preheat grill to a medium high heat.
To prepare roasted garlic aioli, cut top off of garlic head, pour olive oil over top and add sea salt and pepper. Wrap up tightly and put on grill. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Let cool slightly to handle and press garlic out of skins. Add mayonnaise to a small bowl, add roasted garlic and mix well. Cover and set aside.
To prepare sausage mixture for patties, put olive oil, sausage, green peppers, onion, and mushrooms in a deep 10 inch non stick fire proof skillet and cook until sausage is cooked through. Pull skillet off grill and away from fire and carefully add Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon. Return skillet to grill and stir to deglaze for one minute.. Put mixture in a bowl, cover and set on ice to cool.
To prepare tomato relish, put red tomatoes, yellow tomato. basil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and red wine vinegar in a large bowl. Mix well, cover and set aside.
To prepare grilled vegetables, take shaved zucchini and cut onions and brush lightly with olive oil. Place vegetables on grill and cook about 1-2 minutes on each side. Zucchini will cook faster then the onions. Pull off grill, cover and set aside.
To prepare the patties, add ground chuck, parmesan cheese, sea salt and pepper to a large bowl. Take cooled sausage mixture and add it to ground chuck. Very gently mix ingredients handling as little as possible. Form into 6 patties to fit rolls, cover and set aside.
Brush grill with vegetable oil
Place patties on grill and cook, turning only once about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium. Towards the end of grilling, place one slice of grilled onion, 2 slices of grilled zucchini, and top with provolone cheese. Cover grill to let cheese melt faster.
During the last few minutes of grilling, brush rolls with olive oil, and place cut side down on grill and toast lightly.
To assemble the burgers, spread equal amounts of roasted garlic aioli to each cut side of rolls. On each bun bottom, place cooked burger with grilled vegetables, and top with a generous amount of tomato relish. Add the top bun and serve.