Jessica's pesto burgers

We have a good friend to thank for this idea and recipe, so I've named it after her in my book. Since our little herb garden has yet to mature we had to buy our basil and pesto, and we found beautiful organic herbs at Meijer. Come to think of it, all of our Pesto ingredients are organic from Meijer!

Pesto burgers

● 1/2-2/3 cup pesto
● ~1 lb. ground beef

Mix pesto and ground beef together in a small bowl before forming into hamburgers. Grill to desired doneness and serve on buns with your favorite toppings! We topped with mozzarella cheese, tomaotes, and mayo mixed with the leftover pesto.

Pesto for pasta

● 1 cup fresh basil, firmly packed
● 1/2 cup fresh parsley, firmly packed with stems removed
● 1/2 cup parmesan or romano cheese, grated
● 1/4 cup pine nuts
● 1 large garlic clove, quartered
● 1/4 tsp salt
● 1/4 cup olive oil

In food processor combine all dry ingredients and blend until a paste forms (pulsing sometimes helps with this), stopping the machine frequently to scrape the sides if necessary.
While machine runs slowly, add olive oil and continue to process to the consistency of soft butter.

Hamburger buns

● 2 tbsp. active dry yeast
● 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water , (105° to 115°)
● 1/3 cup vegetable oil
● 1/4 cup sugar
● 1 egg
● 1 tsp. salt
● 3-3.5 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let stand for 5 minutes. 

In mixer bowl combine oil, 2.5 cups of flour, egg, and salt, add dough hook and mix on speed 1 for a few seconds.  Add yeast mixture slowly, over about a minute, with machine running on speed 1 or 2.  Allow flour to incorporate then add remaining flour slowly until a soft dough forms a ball on the hook and begins to clean the sides of the bowl.

Remove to a lightly floured surface and divide into 10-12 pieces, rolling each into a ball.  Place on greased baking sheets, approx. 3 inches apart.  Cover and let rest for at least 10 minutes, then press each ball gently and bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Comments

[Jessica M]

Awwww, you guys are so great! I'm glad you enjoyed the burgers. They look awesome! :)