A Great Italian/American dish!
Ingredients
(for homemade basil pesto)
- 2 cups basil leaves
- 1/4 cup salted roasted almonds
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
- (you can also purchase fresh basil pesto from your deli/grocer)
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
- 1 pound ground beef sirloin
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 6 slices
- 6 brioche hamburger buns, split
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
Directions
- For the basil pesto, in a food processor, combine the basil with the almonds and garlic and pulse until the almonds are finely chopped. Add the 1/2 cup of olive oil and process to a paste. Add the grated Pecorino and pulse to combine. Season the pesto with salt and pepper. You should have about 1 cup.
- Transfer 1/4 cup of the pesto to a bowl. Add the ground chuck and ground sirloin and a pinch of salt and gently knead to blend. Form the mixture into six 4-inch patties, about 3/4 inch thick.
- Light a grill and oil the grates. Grill the burgers over moderately high heat for 3 minutes. Flip the burgers, top them with the mozzarella slices and close the grill. Cook for 3 minutes longer for medium-rare burgers. Grill the buns until lightly toasted.
- Assemble your burger by spreading some of the pesto on the bottoms. Top with the burgers, the tomatoes and the remaining pesto. Add some fresh basil if you like. Serve immediately…add a side of truffle fries!