
Caprese burger with pesto mayonnaise recipe
The history of insalata Caprese is a bit cloudy but there seems to be two possible explanations to its origins that involve sandwiches. The dish originated on the island of Capri (near Naples, Italy) where a patriotic mason might have modeled a tricolor sandwich after Italy’s flag after World War I or King Farouk of Egypt might have requested a stuffed sandwich with the Caprese ingredients thirty years later in the 1950’s. Either one of those sandwiches could have even been the precursor to this fresh and gratifying Caprese burger.
In any event, it’s easy to see why Insalata Caprese has become the iconic dish it is. An Italian flag made from tomatoes, basil and mozzarella — ingredients whose importance can’t be overestimated in Italian cuisine. More importantly, preparing the dish correctly not only demands the freshest possible ingredients but uncommon sophistication, patience and restraint, traits embodied by the very best traditions of Italian cooking.
But for all of that, Caprese has only ever been mildly intriguing to me — I’ve never even ordered one at a restaurant. Which, if I’m reading these diatribes correctly, might have been a good thing. Food lovers from all corners of the internet strongly suggest insalata Caprese in the United States are a cruel mockery of the original dish, an abomination that continues to insult the people and culture of Capri. I’m paraphrasing (as there may be children nearby), but that’s the sanitized gist. I always thought the fresh basil smelled inviting when I served it to guests as a server, and the fresh mozzarella was, well, fresh mozzarella — no further explanation necessary — but I couldn’t get past those damned tomatoes.
For the longest time as a kid, I did everything I could to avoid tomatoes, especially those large beefsteak tomatoes. You know, the ones that are bursting with seeds floating in some form of revolting ectoplasmic goop. I vividly remember watching my grandparent’s neighbor-lady take these giant bites of ripe tomato from the basket she used to bring over from her garden. When she started to rub one of them on her shirt, I knew the horror that would soon unfold — I always knew, but I could never make myself turn away. She smiled and laughed as that slimy tomato ooze slowly ran down her chin, relishing the panic and terror in my eyes. Clearly, my grandmother’s unassuming, little town had been quietly taken over by aliens that reveled in the torture of the small humans. They may have looked and talked like us, but they weren’t human. No human could ever suck the gooey guts out of a raw tomato like that?*
Eventually, I came to terms with tomatoes while working in a restaurant kitchen — the food industry will quickly disabuse you of any weird food hang-ups you may have. It will disabuse you of many things. Free from otherwise sweet old lady aliens torturing me with ripe tomatoes, I actually began to enjoy them outside of cans and jars, craving fresh tomatoes for the first time in my salads and sandwiches. This Caprese burger might not be the nuanced, national treasure that is so revered throughout Italy but if you use fresh tomatoes, freshly-picked, flavorful basil and a nice, quality mozzarella, it might be close. Or as close as we can get here in the States. (That last bit was for you, angry Italian food writers, forum haters and Reddit rage-machines.).
* The lizard aliens from V routinely ate guinea pigs and rats, so why not lizard-friendly larval goo pods?
Image: ForkingSpoon
Caprese burger with pesto mayonnaise recipe
The Caprese burger combines beefsteak tomato, basil and thick mozzarella slices on a ciabatta bun with pesto mayonnaise for a playful take on the classic.
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toast the pine nuts
Arrange the pine nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake them for 6 to 8 minutes until they’re lightly toasted. Allow them to cool completely before using them.
Make the pesto mayonnaise
Once the pine nuts have cooled, put them in a small food processor (or use a hand blender in a small bowl) with the basil, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of lemon juice and pulse it until everything is finely chopped. Then, with the machine running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Fold the pesto gently with the mayo to combine.
Prepare the toppings
Rinse the basil leaves and gently pat dry. Place the tomato slices on a paper towel-lined plate in a single layer and lightly salt both sides. Top them with another paper towel and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. This will enhance the natural flavor of the tomatoes and remove some of the moisture and make it slide around less on the burger.
Assemble the burgers
Toast the buns for 2 to 3 minutes in the oven until they start to have crispy edges. Spread both sides of the ciabatta with the pesto mayonnaise (focaccia buns work nicely as well). Place the burger on one half of the ciabatta and top it with a slice of fresh mozzarella, a slice of tomato and a leaf of fresh basil. Drizzle a little olive oil over the burger and top with the remaining ciabatta half. Repeat for the remaining burgers.
Notes
I found a similar recipe that actually works some of the pesto into the ground meat while you're making the burger patties. That sounds pretty tasty and is definitely something worth trying.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toast the pine nuts
Arrange the pine nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake them for 6 to 8 minutes until they’re lightly toasted. Allow them to cool completely before using them.
Make the pesto mayonnaise
Once the pine nuts have cooled, put them in a small food processor (or use a hand blender in a small bowl) with the basil, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of lemon juice and pulse it until everything is finely chopped. Then, with the machine running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Fold the pesto gently with the mayo to combine.
Prepare the toppings
Rinse the basil leaves and gently pat dry. Place the tomato slices on a paper towel-lined plate in a single layer and lightly salt both sides. Top them with another paper towel and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. This will enhance the natural flavor of the tomatoes and remove some of the moisture and make it slide around less on the burger.
Assemble the burgers
Toast the buns for 2 to 3 minutes in the oven until they start to have crispy edges. Spread both sides of the ciabatta with the pesto mayonnaise (focaccia buns work nicely as well). Place the burger on one half of the ciabatta and top it with a slice of fresh mozzarella, a slice of tomato and a leaf of fresh basil. Drizzle a little olive oil over the burger and top with the remaining ciabatta half. Repeat for the remaining burgers.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING: The USDA cautions against washing your meat before grinding or cooking due to it's ineffectiveness and risks of cross contamination. Additionally, they recommend that all ground beef be cooked to 160 degrees F as measured by a "thermistor or thermocouple food thermometer if possible" (a ThermoWorks Thermapen or Lavatools Javelin for instance).
RELATED LINKS
Handling food safely
Safe cooking temperatures (Chart)
Using a thermometer
The importance of resting
Fresh ground meat and ground turkey can be safely refrigerated for 1-2 days and frozen for up to 4 months with minimal quality loss. To freeze, place the fresh patties on a tray, cover and freeze for 6-8 hours. Wrap patties individually using plastic wrap or freezer paper, removing as much air as possible. Stay organized and give your frozen food extra protection by placing the wrapped patties in a labelled and dated freezer bag. Stacked patties should be separated with wax paper squares (or a suitable substitute).
RELATED LINKS
Preparing food to freeze
Refrigerator and freezer storage times (Chart)
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