El Griego Gyros Burgers with Jicama Tzatziki and Minty Avocado Tomato Salad

Pairs well with:

Cabernet Sauvignon

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

Borrowing time-honored ingredients from both Greece and Mexico, I put a fresh spin on gyros by combining some of the best elements of each cuisine.This burger has big, bold flavors which beg to be eaten with a glass of wine in hand.

Ingredients:

Jicama Tzatziki

3/4 cup Mexican crema

1 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 small garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup peeled and freshly grated jicama

Patties

2 pounds ground chuck

1/3 cup grated onion

2 small garlic cloves, pressed or minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

3 teaspoons TABASCO Chipotle Pepper Sauce

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Minty Avocado and Tomato Salad

12 slices ripe California avocado

12 thin slices ripe tomato

12 thin slices white onion

1-1/2 tablespoons Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack

6 small thick pita breads

6 crisp romaine lettuce leaves

2 ounces crumbled Real California cotija cheese

1 (or 2?) bottles Sutter Home Cabernet Sauvignon or Sutter Home Sweet Red

Instructions:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-hot or prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.

To make the jicama tzatziki, whisk together crema, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt in small bowl. Fold in jicama. Refrigerate until serving.

To make the patties, combine the chuck, onion, garlic, cilantro,pepper sauce, cumin, oregano and salt in a large bowl, handling as little as possible. Shape into 6 patties to fit the pita breads. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

To make the minty avocado tomato salad, place the avocado, tomato and onion in shallow glass dish. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, cilantro and mint; pour over avocado, tomato, and onion. Set aside; turning occasionally.

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 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the pita breads on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, slice off and discard about one-fourth of each pita bread and carefully spread the bread apart to form a pocket. Stuff a patty into each pocket, add a lettuce leaf and an equal portion of the minty avocado tomato salad. Spoon the jicama tzatziki over the top and sprinkle with cotija.

Fill six glasses with wine; sip, savor and repeat as necessary!

Makes 6 burgers