Pizza Burger with Pepperoni Sauce – Recipe

If you’re a vegetarian, you may want to move on to another recipe. If you’re a meat lover, then this is the recipe for you! I’ve been dying to make Mike Isabella’s pepperoni sauce that he kicked ass with on Top Chef season 8, so I decided to make a “pizza burger.”

This burger just screams “take me to the cardiac care unit”

Ingredients:

For the pepperoni sauce (makes about 2 cups):
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, cut into small dice  
2 – 3 medium cloves garlic, cut into very thin slices  
1/2 pound pepperoni, cut into thin slices 
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 to 6 ounces canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices  
3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 fresh bay leaf

For the burgers (makes 4):
1 pound 80% ground sirloin
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons of ground oregeno
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

For the fixin’s:
1/4 thinly sliced small onion
1 cup thinly sliced crimini or white mushrooms
About 10 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 roma tomato
mayo
arugula

Preparation:

Pepperoni Sauce:
1. Toast the fennel seeds in a small dryskillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil simmers.

3. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.

4. Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.

5. Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth, and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate. Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color. Remove from the heat.

Working in batches as needed, transfer to afood processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf). Puree until smooth. The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Burgers:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and thoroughly mix with your hands.

2. Roll meat into 1 large ball, and let rest for 20 minutes.

3. Carefully separate the meat into 4 equal portions, and roll into balls, and then flatten with your hand.

4. Carefully try to “butterfly” the each patty with your hands, to create a pouch that you’ll fill with cheese. Fill with an equal amount of parmesan and mozzarella cheese, then re-form into a ball (with the cheese stuffed in the middle).

5. Carefully flatten into patties, keeping the cheese stuffed on the inside of the patty.

6. Using either an indoor grill or a BBQ, cook the burgers until about medium (no more than 10 minutes). Set aside to rest on a plate.

Fixin’s:

Parmesan crisp:
1. On a flat baking sheet, spray a litte Pam or mist some olive oil on the pan.

2. Use a circular form, or carefully by hand form a circle of the parmesan cheese until it’s about 1/8″ thick. Do 4 of these.

3. Carefully put in the broiler, checking often.

4. When the cheese appears to have formed a solid crisp, or until it’s slightly browned all over, remove from broiler and set aside to cool.

Sauté’d Onions:
1. In a small pan add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat until butter has melted.

2. Add onions and sauté until caramelized.

3. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Sauté’d Mushrooms:
1. In a small pan add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat until butter has melted.

2. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft.