My inspiration today was enticed by some of my wonderful Greek friends. I was given some feta and cured olives by a friend to work with. This is what I came up with!

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes ripe, firm and red one cut in ¾ “pieces equaling 1 cup and two sliced in ¼ inch circles

5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ cup Greek olives that were cured in oil; pitted and cut in to 3

1 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano

1 tbsp. garlic fresh and chopped

1/3 cup tamarind candy (found at all/most Oriental Markets) it’s crystallized like ginger!

187 ml. mini bottle Sutter Home Merlot Wine

2 ½ lbs. ground beef 80/20

½ cup feta cheese

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 lg. sweet white onion cut in ¼ in. slab circles. (Don’t separate layers.)

2 cucumbers (not overripe) peeled and sliced in thin circles

6 sweet pepper rolls

Reynolds Brand Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the closed grill for high heat and prepare vegetables by peeling, chopping and cutting.

2. Stir 2 tbsp. olive oil, chopped oregano, chopped garlic, tamarind candy (cut in small pieces if they are too large), cured pitted olives and the Merlot wine in a 7 inch. cast iron frying pan (or one of comparable size). Place pan on grill, close grill’s lid and cook 14 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

3. In a large bowl put burger, feta, 1 tbsp. olive oil and pepper. Stir with utensil and form into 6 burgers. At the 14 minute mark of chutney cooking place burgers on the grill and cook 1st side 4 minutes.

4. On a 1 ft. piece of foil put 2 tbsp. olive oil and lay onion slices on oil. Sprinkle each onion with garlic powder. Place them on grill cook 3 minutes, flip and cook until golden colored.

5. Flip burger by pressing metal spatula against grill and cook 2nd side 6 additional minutes.

6. Serve each burger on a sweet pepper roll topped with tomato slices, cucumber, barbecued onion and 1 generous tablespoon of Mediterranean chutney spread evenly.

Ingredients

Patties (Preparation 7 minutes)
Items needed:
large bowl,
measuring cups,
measuring spoons,
wax paper,
spautla for grilling
2 pounds 93% lean ground beef
1/2 cup tapenade (
1/4 cup minced red onion
3 teaspoons Greek seasoning
1 teaspoon Oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable Oil – if needed to grease grill rack
Bun Toppings (Preparation 10 minutes)
Items needed:
cutting board,
sharp knife,
dinner fork,
spreader,
tablespoon,
wax paper
and serving platter or 6 individual plates
6 sesame sandwich rolls 
12 teaspoons Mayonnaise
6 red or green leaf lettuce – full size leaves
1 red bell pepper (whole) sliced thinly into 12 seeded rings
1 English cucumber – scored w/ fork and thinly sliced 42 slices
6 tablespoons of fat-free feta cheese

Instructions

Pattie Preparation: To make the patties, combine first six ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well with washed hands to blend ingredients, but don't over work. Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. Divide meat mixture and form into 6 patties about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with another sheet of wax paper during setting time. Topping Preparation: During setting process, preheat gas grill (for testing purposes a Weber natural gas grill with cast iron grates was used). Allow 15 minutes maxium for medium-high heat. While grill preheats, prepare toppings as directed. To assemble the burgers,working in an assembly-style fashion. Remove buns from package and place buns on serving platter or individual plates. Using the spreader, spread 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise to cover each bottom bun. Then place one lettuce leaf on each bun; folding or sectioning to cover bottom of bun with slight overhang. Next place 2 red pepper slices on each bun overlapping each other. On top buns, place 7 cucumber slices on each bun in over-lapping concentric circle. Cover with wax paper during grilling of patties. Place patties on grill. Take wax paper off cookie sheet; cookie sheet is still clean to place grilled patties. Grill patties on medium-high heat for approximately 4-5 minutes on each side until juices run clear. Flipping with spatula. Remove from heat. Place each pattie on bottom bun. Top each pattie with 1 tablespoon of feta cheese. While slightly holding cucumbers in place, carefully place each top bun on the patties and serve while hot. Total time from prepartion to serving is about 30 minutes. Makes 6 burgers.