Spanish Burgers With Romesco And Manchego Cheese Food

SPANISH BURGERS WITH ROMESCO AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

Steps:

• Build a fire for banked grilling in an outdoor grill.
• For a charcoal grill, let the coals burn until they are covered with white ash. Spread out the mound of coals into a bank, with one side about two coals deep, and the other side of the slope with a scattering of single coals.
• For a gas grill, preheat the grill on High.
• Leave one side on High and turn the other side to Low.
• In both cases, you will have two areas for cooking, one hot and the other cooler.
• To make the romesco, with the machine running, drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade to finely chop it.
• Add the almonds, red peppers, vinegar, paprika, and oregano.
• With the machine running, gradually add the oil, then season with the salt and pepper.
• Transfer the sauce to a bowl. (The romesco can be made up to 2 weeks ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.).
• Working as gently and quickly as possible (overmixing compacts the meat and makes tough burgers), mix the ground round, salt, and pepper.
• Lightly form into 4 patties about 4 inches wide.
• Make an indentation, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch deep, in the center of each burger to help it keep its shape during grilling.
• Lightly oil the cooking grate.
• Place the burgers on the hot area of the grill.
• Cover and cook, turning once, until the outside is seared with grill marks, about 2 minutes per side.
• Move the hamburgers to cooler side of the grill and cover.
• Cook, turning once, until the hamburgers feel somewhat firm but not resistant when pressed in the center, about 4 minutes for medium-rare.
• If using a meat thermometer, insert it horizontally through the side of the burger to reach the center --it should read 125°F.
• During the last 2 minutes, top each burger with the cheese, and place the buns on the grill to toast lightly and warm through.
• Place a burger in each bun, top with a large dollop of romesco sauce, and serve immediately.

SPANISH-STYLE CHORIZO AND ROMESCO BURGERS WITH MANCHEGO CHEESE

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. It should have the consistency of a thick pesto. If too chunky, add more water.
• Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
• Place the chorizo in a food processor and process until finely chopped and crumbly.
• Transfer to a large bowl with the ground beef and loosely mix together with your hands.
• Form the mixture into 4 (1-inch) thick patties and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.
• With your thumb, make a small indentation in the center of each burger, this will allow for even cooking.
• Grill the burgers to desired doneness, approximately 5 minutes and then flip over for another 4 minutes for medium.
• Divide the shredded Manchego cheese among the patties and cook for 1 minute longer until the cheese melts.
• To assemble, place the Manchego-covered chorizo patties atop the bottom rolls with a generous dollop of the Romesco on top.

SPANISH BURGERS WITH ROMESCO AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

Steps:

• Build a fire for banked grilling in an outdoor grill. If a charcoal grill, let the coals burn until they are covered with white ash. Spread out the mound of coals into a bank, with one side about two coals deep, and the other side of the slope with a scattering of single coals. For a gas grill, preheat the grill on high. Leave one side on high and turn the other side to low. In both cases, you will have two areas for cooking, one hot and the other cooler.
• To make the romesco, with the machine running, drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade to finely chop it. Add the almonds, red peppers, vinegar, paprika, and oregano. With the machine running, gradually add the oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to a bowl. (The romesco can be made up to 2 weeks ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• Working as gently and quickly as possible (overmixing compacts the meat and makes tough burgers), mix the ground round, salt, and pepper. Lightly form into 4 patties about 4 inches wide. Make an indentation, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch deep, in the center of each burger to help it keep its shape during grilling.
• Lightly oil the cooking grate. Place the burgers on the hot area of the grill. Cover and cook, turning once, until the outside is seared with grill marks, about 2 minutes per side. Move the hamburgers to the cooler side of the grill and cover. Cook, turning once, until the hamburgers feel somewhat firm but not resistant when pressed in the center, about 4 minutes for medium-rare. If using a meat thermometer, insert it horizontally through the side of the burger to reach the center; it should read 125°F. During the last 2 minutes, top each burger with the cheese, and place the buns on the grill to toast lightly and warm through.
• Place a burger in each bun, top with a large dollop of romesco sauce, and serve immediately.

SPANISH BURGERS WITH MANCHEGO AND CHORIZO HASH BROWNS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat then add chorizo.
• While chorizo is rendering and browning, peel onion. Place meat in a mixing bowl. Grate a few tablespoons of onion directly over the meat. Quarter the remainder of the onion and thinly slice.
• Add potatoes and onions to the chorizo. Season the hash browns with salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Once the potatoes are lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes, flip them and press them down with a spatula to crisp them, continue to cook 7 to 8 minutes more.
• To the sirloin, add parsley, smoked paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix the burgers to combine and form 4 large patties. Create an indentation in each burger using the heal of your hand to counter the burger at the center that happens to burgers as they cook - your burgers will be nice and flat for topping if you use this trick!
• Heat the remaining extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the burgers to the skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare burgers and up to 6 to 7 minutes on each side for well done. Melt manchego cheese, 2 thin slices on each burger, the last 2 minutes they are in the pan. Tent the skillet with loose foil to trap enough heat to melt the cheese.
• Place pequillo peppers in food processor and add hot sauce, salt and pepper. Process the peppers into a smooth paste.
• To assemble, place burgers on bun bottoms and top with sliced red onion, cucumber and tomato. Slather the bun tops with pepper paste and set into place. Serve crispy hash browns with chorizo along side.

SPANISH BURGERS WITH MANCHEGO AND CHORIZO HASH BROWNS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat then add chorizo.
• While chorizo is rendering and browning, peel onion. Place meat in a mixing bowl. Grate a few tablespoons of onion directly over the meat. Quarter the remainder of the onion and thinly slice.
• Add potatoes and onions to the chorizo. Season the hash browns with salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Once the potatoes are lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes, flip them and press them down with a spatula to crisp them, continue to cook 7 to 8 minutes more.
• To the sirloin, add parsley, smoked paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix the burgers to combine and form 4 large patties. Create an indentation in each burger using the heal of your hand to counter the burger at the center that happens to burgers as they cook - your burgers will be nice and flat for topping if you use this trick!
• Heat the remaining extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the burgers to the skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare burgers and up to 6 to 7 minutes on each side for well done.
• Melt manchego cheese, 2 thin slices on each burger, the last 2 minutes they are in the pan. Tent the skillet with loose foil to trap enough heat to melt the cheese.
• Place pequillo peppers in food processor and add hot sauce, salt and pepper. Process the peppers into a smooth paste.
• To assemble, place burgers on bun bottoms and top with sliced red onion, cucumber and tomato. Slather the bun tops with pepper paste and set into place. Serve crispy hash browns with chorizo along side.

SPANISH BURGER

Steps:

• Preheat grill on high heat.
• Lay out ground chuck in a single layer and season well with salt and pepper. Divide chuck into four portions.
• Wrap each piece of Manchego in a 4-inch square piece of ham. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add each ham-and-cheese bundle and fry, turning, until ham is crisped and cheese is beginning to melt. Allow to cool slightly, fold meat around each bundle to form hamburgers about 1 inch thick.
• Grill burgers for about 4 to 5 minutes a side or until just cooked through.

HAM AND MANCHEGO CROQUETAS WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA AIOLI

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Add the flour and cook 1-2 minutes while whisking frequently. Gradually add the milk while whisking and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the ham, cheese and nutmeg. Cook another 1-2 minutes while stirring. The mixture will pull away from the sides of the pan. Taste the mixture and add Kosher salt if desired. If the ham and cheese are salty so you probably won't need to add any additional salt.
• Transfer the mixture to an 8x8-inch baking tray and spread it out so that it is even. Let the mixture cool, then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook the croquettes, lightly beat the eggs in a shallow dish. Mix the panko and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt in another dish. Scoop up tablespoons of the cooled filling and form them into balls. Dip each ball into the egg and then the panko. Place the completed croquettes on a wire rack or baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes. The croquettes must be chilled before frying otherwise they may fall apart in the oil.
• Meanwhile, make the aioli by pureeing the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and smoked paprika in a blender or mini food processor. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Pour enough vegetable oil into a large stockpot to reach a depth of 1 inch and heat over medium high heat. Working in batches, fry the croquettes in the oil, turning them on all sides, until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with the smoked paprika aioli.