Mini Italian Pub Burgers

We don't eat much red-meat in our family; maybe once or twice a month. But I bought some organic ground beef at the farmers market and did a search for a good burger recipe. I usually search Food Network and Myrecipes and Crockpot365 as my top 3 go-to-sites.  This recipe was one I grabbed from Giada De L....which brings up the question of how many adaptations/adjustments do you have to do to a recipe in order to call it your recipe?  How long do you keep giving credit to the originator, and when does it become a "new recipe"?

Back to the recipe. I'm telling you, this is the BEST burger I have ever made at home. And we have made it quite a few times over the summer. Juicy and moist!  The last time I made it, I went easy on the parsely and added zucchini...I mean, zucchini is overflowing in everyones garden come the end of summer...and if my family can't see the zucchini, they are far more apt to eat it willingly. Which they did.

 

Prep time: I've never made this without the boys wanting to help, so for me it takes at least 30 minutes

Cook time:  8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley (or half zucchini)
2 ¼ pounds ground chuck

3/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
9 small ciabatta rolls, sliced in 1/2
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
9 Taleggio cheese, sliced
9 large basil leaves

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the ground chuck, Parmesan cheese, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Pulse until ingredients are combined. Form the mixture into 9 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes each side.

Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and toast on the grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To serve, place 1 mini burger on the bottom half of each of the rolls. Place 1 slice of Taleggio cheese on top of the burgers. Place the basil leaf on top of the cheese and cover with the top half. Serve.