Enchanted Green Chile Pine Nut Burgers with Sweet Lime Slaw, Guacamole, and Cotija

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for sweet lime slaw:
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 3 limes)
3 Tablespoons white table sugar
1 teaspoon celery salt (with a sea salt base)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground 5 peppercorn blend
1 tablespoon finely minced cilantro

Ingredients for Guacamole:
3 Hass avocados
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 Tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed, about 1 lime
1/2 cup (about 3 whole) roasted green chile, coarsely chopped (you may use canned, frozen or fresh)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground 5 peppercorn blend

Ingredients for Hamburger patties:
2 pounds freshly ground chuck
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground 5 peppercorn blend
2 Tablespoons lightly packed dark brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup (about 5 whole) roasted green chile (canned, fresh or frozen), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly crushed (you may use New Mexico pinon, Italian pignola, or pine nuts, whatever you have available)

6 split Kaiser rolls
about 12 tablespoons Cotija cheese( 2 Tablespoons per burger), crumbled

Instructions:

First, to make the Sweet Lime Slaw:

Finely shred 2 cups cabbage, place in a medium size bowl. Cut 3 limes in half and use a citrus reamer to juice them, to get about 1/2 a cup of lime juice. Pour over cabbage. Add in the table sugar, celery salt and fresh ground peppercorn blend. Finely chop 1 tablespoon cilantro, add in to the cabbage mixture. Stir well to combine, cover and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble burgers, at least one hour. Stir every 20 minutes to evenly marinate the cabbage.

To make the Guacamole:
First, halve 3 avocados and remove the pits. Scoop the fruit out with a spoon into a medium size bowl. Finely mince 3 cloves of garlic. Add 1 clove of garlic to the avocados, and set aside 2 cloves for the burger patties. Cut the lime in half and use a citrus reamer to get about 3 tablespoons lime juice. Pour over avocados. Coarsely chop about 8 green chiles, to get 1 1/4 cups of chopped green chile. Add 1/2 cup to the avocado mixture, and reserve 3/4 cup for the burger patties. Add sea salt and peppercorn blend to the avocados. Use a fork to mash the avocados and combine well. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble the burgers.

To make the burger patties:
Combine in a large bowl: freshly ground chuck, sea salt, peppercorn blend, brown sugar, the reserved 2 cloves minced garlic, and the reserved 3/4 cup chopped green chiles. Pour 1/2 cup of pine nuts in a plastic bag, close the top and lightly crush with a rolling pin. Add the pinon to the patty mix. Mix together just till combined, being careful not to over mix. Divide mixture into 6 balls and pat out to 1 inch thick patties, place in refrigerator until ready to grill.

To grill the patties:
Preheat Gas Grill to medium high heat (about 400 degrees), lightly rub grill with a paper towel soaked in olive oil. Place the burger patties on the grill and cook for 4-6 minutes per side for a medium burger. During the last couple minutes of grilling the patties place the split kaiser rolls on the top rack or sides of the grill, cut side down, to lightly toast. Remove patties and buns from the grill and assemble.

To assemble the burgers:
Place the bottom half of bun on a plate, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon crumbled Cotija cheese. Place the patty on top of the cheese and sprinkle one more tablespoon crumbled Cotija over the patty. Use tongs to put 1/4 cup of the Sweet Lime Slaw on top of the patty, draining slightly before adding to burger. Cover the cut side of the top bun with Guacamole, about 1/6th of the mixture. Place top bun on top of the burger and slaw. Enjoy!