Mediterranean Burgers

My inspiration today was enticed by some of my wonderful Greek friends. I was given some feta and cured olives by a friend to work with. This is what I came up with!

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes ripe, firm and red one cut in ¾ “pieces equaling 1 cup and two sliced in ¼ inch circles

5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ cup Greek olives that were cured in oil; pitted and cut in to 3

1 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano

1 tbsp. garlic fresh and chopped

1/3 cup tamarind candy (found at all/most Oriental Markets) it’s crystallized like ginger!

187 ml. mini bottle Sutter Home Merlot Wine

2 ½ lbs. ground beef 80/20

½ cup feta cheese

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 lg. sweet white onion cut in ¼ in. slab circles. (Don’t separate layers.)

2 cucumbers (not overripe) peeled and sliced in thin circles

6 sweet pepper rolls

Reynolds Brand Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the closed grill for high heat and prepare vegetables by peeling, chopping and cutting.

2. Stir 2 tbsp. olive oil, chopped oregano, chopped garlic, tamarind candy (cut in small pieces if they are too large), cured pitted olives and the Merlot wine in a 7 inch. cast iron frying pan (or one of comparable size). Place pan on grill, close grill’s lid and cook 14 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

3. In a large bowl put burger, feta, 1 tbsp. olive oil and pepper. Stir with utensil and form into 6 burgers. At the 14 minute mark of chutney cooking place burgers on the grill and cook 1st side 4 minutes.

4. On a 1 ft. piece of foil put 2 tbsp. olive oil and lay onion slices on oil. Sprinkle each onion with garlic powder. Place them on grill cook 3 minutes, flip and cook until golden colored.

5. Flip burger by pressing metal spatula against grill and cook 2nd side 6 additional minutes.

6. Serve each burger on a sweet pepper roll topped with tomato slices, cucumber, barbecued onion and 1 generous tablespoon of Mediterranean chutney spread evenly.