Italian Street Food Burger with Gorgonzola Dolce and Prosciutto Crisps on Parmesan Toasted Corndusters

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

We have a fabulous new restaurant in town that serves the best piadinis.I used the colorful ingredients and bright, bold flavors of the Italian street food as my inspiration for this outstanding burger!

Ingredients:

prosciutto crisps:

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

patties:

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground Italian pork sausage

1/2 cup grated sweet onion

2/3 cup chopped and drained oil and herb packed sundried tomatoes-reserve 3 tablespoons oil for rolls

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh garlic

2 teaspoons dried sage

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

vegetable oil to rub on grill rack

4 ounces Gorgonzola dolce very, very thinly sliced

6 corn dusted kaiser rolls, split

1/2 cup finely grated parmigiana reggiano cheese (freshly grated with a fine microplane)

3 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce

1 cup very thinly sliced radicchio

6 teaspoons balsamic salad dressing

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

18 thin slices roma tomato

Instructions:

Heat a gas grill to medium high heat.

To make the prosciutto crisps, place olive oil in a large non stick skillet and place on grill rack or on side burner over medium heat, if available. Place prosciutto slices in skillet and cook until crispy, turning as necessary. Remove to paper towels to drain. Prepare in batches as necessary.

To make the patties, in a large mixing bowl, place pork, sausage, onion, tomatoes, garlic, sage, crushed red pepper, and salt. Mix together gently but thoroughly with a large spoon so the fat does not melt. Form the mixture into 6 patties, taking care not to compact meat.

Wipe the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook for 4 minutes, turn and cook additional 4 minutes or until done. Place a portion of the cheese in a single layer on each patty during the last few minutes of cooking. Brush cut sides of rolls with reserved oil from tomatoes and place on grill rack to toast and warm during the last few minutes of cooking patties. Immediately after removing rolls from grill, sprinkle each top and bottom evenly with parmesan cheese, pressing lightly to adhere.

To assemble the burgers, top each roll bottom with a portion of romaine, radicchio, evenly drizzled balsamic dressing, a sprinkle of pepper, tomato slices, a cheese covered patty, prosciutto crisps, and roll tops. Serve with a glass of Sutter Home Zinfandel and enjoy! Ciao!

Yield: 6 servings