Tuscan-style Marinated Artichoke Burgers with Roasted Garlic and Mozzarella di Bufala

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) jar Colavita marinated artichokes
1/4 cup Sutter Home Zinfandel
1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons Acadia Natural
–Roasted Garlic Tuscan Grill Marinade, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium red onion
2 tablespoons and 1/3 cup mayonnaise, divided
3 large balls of Italian Buffalo Mozzarella
Burgers:
2-1/2 pounds ground beef chuck (80/20% lean to fat)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon Acadia/wine marinade mix (above)
1 tablespoon prepared roasted minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 head Romaine lettuce
6 Kaiser rolls, split
Vegetable oil, for the grill.

Instructions

Preheat the gas grill to medium-high. Empty the marinated artichoke hearts into a strainer and set aside. In another small bowl, combine ¼ cup Sutter Home Zinfandel,1/2 cup Acadia grill marinade, and ¼ teaspoon salt; set aside. For stuffing, finely chop 2 tablespoons of red onion and medium-coarsely chop the artichokes, setting both in a small bowl. Fold in 2 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon marinade/wine mixture. Set aside. For topping, paper-towel dry 1 mozzarella ball, dice (corn kernel size), set into an empty small bowl and add a little less than half of the artichoke mixture, folding together. Set aside. Combine ground beef with ¼ cup marinade/wine mixture, 1 tablespoon prepared roasted minced garlic , 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, and 1 ½ teaspoons dried red pepper flakes. Combine well and divide meat into 6 equal size balls. Holding each, flatten and form a “wellâ€Â in the centers. Add a rounded teaspoon of artichoke mixture (the one with no cheese in it), fold, seal and reshape with a slight indentation in the centers. Tear bun sized portions of lettuce leaves for underneath burgers, rinse, dry, and set aside. Rinse, dry, and shred more lettuce, about 1 ½ cups, and slice red onion for 6 medium size rings. Paper-towel dry 2 mozzarella balls, split in half and slice about 1/8â€Âthick. Fork-wisk together 2 tablespoons of the marinade/wine mixture with 1/3 cup mayonnaise for dressing, set aside. Cut open the buns, giving them a thick base, and place cut side on the grill for a few seconds until lightly browned and set aside, loosely covered with foil. Brush the grill rack with oil. Place the burgers on the rack, brushing tops with marinade/wine mixture. Flip and baste about every 3 minutes for 9 minutes. Turn once more, baste lightly and add slices of Mozzarella to each, arranging with a hole in the center to help secure more topping later. Cover for 1 or 2 minutes minute allowing the cheese to begin melting. Remove burgers to a platter. Toss buns back on the grill for a couple of seconds on each side to warm, and remove. To assemble, put a thin layer of dressing on the bottom half of buns, then a layer of dry lettuce pieces, the burgers, a single red onion ring, a rounded teaspoon of artichoke topping (the one with mozzarella), and a layer of shredded lettuce. Spread dressing on top bun more generously and top off the burgers.