Awesome Artichoke Treasure

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

Ingredients

Filling:
6 Artichoke bottoms canned (can states 5-7, possibly need two cans)– drained & dried
1 ½ tsp Roasted Minced Garlic packed in olive oil
12 fresh Basil leaves
6 – 1 1/3 oz. Fresh Mozzarella Balls
6 tsp of  Pesto
Burgers:
3 lbs. Ground chuck
1 ½ tsp Meat Magic
1 ½ TBS Oregano
2 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
4 TBS Sutter Home Zinfandel wine
1 TBS Sundried Tomato Paste
Colavita Olive Oil for brushing the grill racks
6 slices of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
6 Semi-Hard Italian rolls – sliced horizontally
6 TBS  Artichoke Bruschetta
6 Romaine leaves – split & remove the main vein

 

Instructions

Step by Step Instructions – Filling: Drain the artichoke hearts from the can, pat them dry & place them on a tray. Spread each Artichoke Heart with ¼ tsp of the  roasted minced garlic. Lay 2 Basil leaves in a crisscross on each Artichoke Heart. Place one Mozzarella Ball in each Artichoke Heart. Place 1 tsp of  Pesto onto each of the mozzarella. Place tray into the refrigerator until you build your burgers. Burgers: In a large bowl place 3 lbs. Ground chuck, 1 ½ tsp Meat Magic, 1 ½ TBS Oregano, 2 tsp nutmeg, 3 tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper. In a small bowl place 4 TBS Sutter Home Zinfandel wine, 1 TBS Sundried Tomato Paste mix well to desolve the paste. Add the Sutter Home Merlot wine & Sundried Tomato paste mixture to the large bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix all ingredients well. Separate the mixture into 12 equal parts and form into patties. Take 1 patty and place 1 filled Artichoke Heart in the middle and top with a second patty and seal the edges to form a stuffed patty. Place the burger on a tray and continue building the 5 other stuffed patties. Grease the grill racks with the Colavita Olive Oil. Start the grill and preheat (15 mins) to a temperature of 450 degrees. Place burgers onto the grill and close the lid, let cook 4 to 5 mins. Turn the burgers to create grill marks & cover, cook another 3 to 4 mins. Flip burgers, cover and cook 3 to 4 mins. Turn burgers to create grill marks, cover & cook another 2 mins. Then for the last 1 to 2 mins. of cooking, place a slice of Mozzarella cheese on each burger and heat to melt the cheese. Remove from heat. During the entire time you are cooking the burgers, you are trying to maintain a grill temperature of 400 to 450 degrees. To plate: Slice the Semi-Hard Italian rolls horizontally, keeping tops with their partners. Place 6 of the Semi-Hard Italian bottoms onto the plate, spread each bottom with 1TBS of the Artichoke Bruschetta & then top with the romaine leaves. Top with the burger. Place the lid of the Semi-Hard Italian on top and serve. 2006 – ToniLee M. Monteparte