Hi all!
So I’ve been talking about this book called Build a Better Burger in a few of my posts, and if you haven’t looked it up or bought it by now, it’s high time that you do. Every burger that I have made from this book has been a succulent slab of heaven. I’ve made the Tuscan Bruschetta, Chipotle-Honey BBQ Bacon, Barbeque Bacon & Blue, and the Napa Valley Basil-Smoked burger. All of these have individual strengths and absolutely NO weaknesses. It was high time that I tried another burger from this magic cookbook of delight, so Chet and I decided upon the Vitello Focaccia.
Now, after deciding upon this recipe we also made some executive decisions to alter it. First, cut the Focaccia bun because I’ve often felt that Focaccia steals away the opportunity to really dig into your sandwich or burger because the bread is so thick. Second, vitello is Italian for veal, meaning this burger was to contain ground veal which I’m just too broke right now to afford, so we settled for plain ground beef. So aside from those minor changes we pretty much stayed true to the recipe and to quote Chet, “Can I never eat a regular burger ever again, please?!” This burger was for real, people. Pretty much the only thing that would have made this burger better (hah, yeah, I said it) would have been if we actually charcoal grilled the sucker. But, back to the whole being broke thing, we had to settle for our Cuisinart griddler. Regardless, it was amazing and that is all that counts. 🙂 I’m even including the recipe for you all. Keep in mind that we halved the recipe because we were only making enough for the two of us.
Caprese Topping
- 6 tomato slices
- 12 fresh basil leaves
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 3 TB olive oil
- 1 TB balsamic vinegar
- 1 TB Dijon mustard
- 3/4 TB dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- pinch of salt
Patties
- 1/2 TB olive oil
- 1/4 sweet yellow onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 oz. hard salami cubed
- 1 oz. prosciutto
- 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 TB chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 TB white cooking wine
- buns of your choice (we used rye sesame
To make topping, combine tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella in bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, and mustard in small bowl and whisk to blend well. Add the herb seasoning and pepper, whisk to blend again. Pour mixture over the tomatoes and mozzarella and set aside to marinate. To make the patties, heat the olive oil in a fry pan and add onions and garlic. Saute until soft, roughly 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine Salami, prosciutto, Parmesan, and parsley in a blender or food processor and blend until mixed. Transfer to a bowl and add your beef, onion, garlic, egg, and cooking wine. Do not handle excessively. Form patties and cook on grill 3-5 minutes a side. Once cooked, place burger on toasted bun (if you want) then lay your tomato slices, mozzarella, and basil on top!
Charlene Champion Photography 
You don’t really want veal, and it makes me sad! That is an adorable grill. Your burger is fantastic looking!
That looks killer!
thanks for the comments guys! The grill actually once held flowers as a vase! When we first moved my in-laws sent us flowers which arrived inside of it! I thought it would make an awesome prop!
Thanks for the fun, cute, & cheery mealtime photos! You make jazzing up burgers look fun! The recipe looks good!