Mouthful of Mediterranean

Ingredients

Walnut Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup shelled walnuts
1-cup “best quality” extra virgin olive oil
1-cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
¼ cup freshly grated imported Romano cheese
Dash of fresh ground salt
Pinch of fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional:
Prepared pesto. For this recipe, if using a prepared pesto, select one that does NOT include cream.
Prepared Spicy Red Pepper & Jalapeno Hummus Or, to prepare..
1 (14 to 18 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 tbsp finely chopped Jalapeno pepper, stems, seeds and skin removed.
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
Pinch of cumin powder
1 1/2 cups prepared hummus dip or spread
Beef Patties
2.5 lbs ground sirloin with 10-15% fat.
3 tbsp. Italian dried herb seasoning blend
3 tsp best-quality seasoning salt 
2 tbsp olive oil
Other Items
Vegetable oil spray for the grill
Fresh ground sea salt
6 slices Smoked Provolone cheese 6 ea 5” (approx) round Kaiser /Onion Sandwich Roll sliced horizontally.
4 oz. fresh Arugula, washed and patted dry
6 ea. large but thin slices of peeled red onion
6 ea. ¼ “ slice of large, best tasting tomato

Instructions

To make the Walnut Pesto… Combine the basil, walnuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and chop. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Shut the motor off and add the cheeses, the salt and the pepper. Process again briefly to combine, then scrape out into a bowl and cover until ready to use. If you choose to make the Spicy Red Pepper & Jalapeno Hummus… Coarsely chop the red peppers and place them in a food processor with the chopped Jalapeno, lemon juice, the garlic and the cumin. Pulse-grind the pepper mixture, then scrape in the prepared hummus and process until the spread is smooth and evenly red in color. Transfer the spread to a bowl and cover. To make the beef patties.. Combine the ground sirloin, Italian dried seasoning, seasoning salt and olive oil in a large bowl, mixing it well but handling the mixture easily and as little as necessary to avoid too much compacting. Divide the burger mixture into 6 equal portions and form the burgers into patties 6” wide, so that when cooked they will completely cover the 5” buns. The 6” width of the patties will ensure that they just thick enough but not too thick. Ready to Grill… With the Pesto, Spicy Hummus and burgers sitting covered out of the refrigerator so as to come up to room temperature, prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill with a lid. When the grill is clean and temperature ready, lightly spray the area the burgers will be placed on with the vegetable oil spray. Place the burgers on the grill and keep covered for 5-6 minutes depending on desired doneness. Turn the burgers over and immediately give the top of each burger a couple of grinds of fresh salt. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the burgers for an additional 4 minutes. Lift the lid and place the cheese slices on top of the burgers and place the buns face down on the second shelf of the grill or on the outside edges to lightly toast the bread surfaces. Close the lid and if using charcoal, close all the vents. If using gas, turn it to off and continue to allow cooking till the cheese is just melted or approximately 2-3 minutes. Remove the burgers and buns from the grill and keep loosely covered with foil while preparing to assemble the burgers. Assemble the burgers Spread a generous amount of Pesto over the entire bottom bun Cover the Pesto spread on the bottom bun with Arugula leaves Place the cheese-topped burger on top of the Arugula leaves Lightly spread another layer of Pesto on top of the cheese Place one slice of tomato on top of the Pesto Place one slice of onion on top of the tomato On the top bun, spread a generous portion of Spicy Hummus to cover the bun top. Cover the top bun and Spicy Hummus with Arugula leaves Place the bun top on top of the tomato slice and SERVE IMMEDIATELY!