Charred Chile Relleno Burger with Pico de Gallo Slaw

Pairs well with:

Cabernet Sauvignon

This rich red easily complements your homemade chicken dishes, red meats, game, and mildly seasoned pastas.

Ingredients

Pico de Gallo Slaw:
5 Roma tomatoes seeds and gel removed and julienned
1/3 medium head jicama julienned
1 green onion chopped (green only)
1/3 cup cilantro chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 jalapeño finely chopped
1 lime juiced
1 T Colavita olive oil

Chile Relleno:
6 poblano peppers (medium to small in size)
6 slices pepper jack cheese cut to fit the poblanos

Patties:
2 lb ground chuck
2 tsp ground oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ancho chile powder
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1/8 tsp allspice
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 garlic clove minced
1 T grated Spanish onion
2 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T Sutter Home Zinfandel
1 large egg lightly beaten

3 T cold butter (cut into six 1/2 T pieces)
Colavita olive oil for brushing grill rack
6 Kaiser rolls split

Avocado Mayonnaise:
1/2 ripe Haas avocado diced
1 lime zested finely
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Pinch of salt

 

Instructions

To make the pico de gallo slaw: Combine the tomatoes, jicama, green onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, and olive oil. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the chile rellenos: Preheat grill to 400 degrees place whole chiles directly onto grill for about 3 minutes on each side or until skin is completely charred. Remove from grill and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Remove from bowl and gently peel off charred skin. Cut off top of each pepper and remove seeds. Insert a piece of cheese into the cavity of each pepper. Place on foil and seal loosely.

To make the patties: Combine the ground chuck, oregano, salt, pepper, ancho chile powder, coriander, allspice, parsley, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and Sutter Home Zinfandel in a large bowl. In a separate bowl lightly beat one egg. Add egg to the meat mixture. Handle the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting, mix well. Divide the mixture into six equal portions. Form the portions into patties and insert 1/2 tablespoon of cold butter into the center of each patty.

To make the avocado mayonnaise: Place the diced avocado in a bowl with lime zest and juice. Mash with a fork until smooth. Add mayonnaise and salt. Mix well, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Brush grill rack with Colavita olive oil. Reduce the grill temperature to 350 degrees. Place the patties on the rack, cover and grill until browned on bottoms, 4-5 minutes. Turn the patties and continue grilling until cooked to preference (I like mine medium about another 5-7 minutes). Avoid pressing on the patties during cooking in order to keep all of the juices from running out! During the last few minutes of cooking remove the chiles from the foil and place one on each burger. Remove patties from grill once cooked to preference and cheese has melted. Place buns split side down on the outer edges of the rack to toast slightly.

To assemble the burgers, place a heaping tablespoon of avocado mayonnaise on the bottom half of the bun. Next place the burger topped by the chile relleno and a 1/2 cup of the pico de gallo slaw. Add the roll tops and serve immediately.