Stuffed Soprano Burger

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

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

Ingredients

Pesto Mayonnaise:
2/3 C mayonnaise
2 T prepared Pesto
Patties:
2 ½ pounds ground sirloin
1 T. fresh minced garlic
¼ cup Zinfandel
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
6T prepared pesto
6 oz mozzarella ball, divided into 6 thin slices
Vegetable oil for brushing on grill
6 Ciabatta rolls
6 slices provolone cheese
6 ¼ inch thick tomato slices
6 green leaf lettuce leaves
6 thinly sliced red onion slices, broken into rings

 

Instructions

Prepare medium hot fire in charcoal grill with cover. To make the mayonnaise, combine the ingredients and stir well. Cover and refrigerate until needed. To make the patties, combine the sirloin, garlic, Zinfandel, bread crumbs, salt, pepper in a large bowl and mix well, but do not handle meat too much. Divide mixture into 12 equal thin 1/3 inch patties. Place a slice of mozzarella and 1 T of pesto in the middle of 6 of the patties. Cover the 6 cheese/pesto patties with the remaining plain patties and seal the edges by pressing the edges together. This will form 6 patties. Shape them to be slightly over the bun size. When grill is ready, brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Place patties on rack, cover, and cook until done – about 7-8 minutes each side. Since this burger is stuffed and somewhat thicker than most burgers, you will need to check the internal doneness before removing from grill. During the last few minutes of cooking, place ciabatta rolls on upper grill to slightly toast. With 1-2 minutes left of cooking, place a slice of provolone cheese on top of each patty until it just starts to melt. To assemble the burgers, spread the pesto mayo on the tops of the rolls. On each roll bottom, place a lettuce leaf, a patty, a tomato slice, and a couple rings of the onion. Add tops of the rolls and serve.