Veloce e Saporito (Quick and Tasty)

Tired and hungry yesterday evening, I wanted a quick, yet delicious meal. After a quick survey of our pantry and fridge, I developed this, my latest creation, which is a take on the most American of foods, the hamburger. Thus, with no further ado, I present to you, dear reader:

Italian sausage panini burgers with creamy pesto
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 20 minutes

What you’ll need (all measurements are approximate):
½ pound ground Italian sausage
¼ c bread crumbs
1 egg
¼ c parmesan cheese
2-3 tsp mayonnaise
1-2 tsp pesto
minced garlic to taste
4 thick slices Italian bread
2 slices provolone
salt and pepper

Topping suggestions:
roasted red pepper strips
peperoncini slices
artichoke hearts
marinara
romaine leaves

Step 1: Assemble the ingredients.


Step 2: Prepare the burgers, mix ground sausage, bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl. If mixture is too runny, add more bread crumbs. Form into two large patties. Tip: To make nice, flat restaurant-style burgers, make a small depression in the center, the patties will swell as they cook.


Step 3: Cook in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until cooked through, flipping once, about 5 minutes per side.

Step 4: While burgers are cooking, prepare pesto. Mix mayo and pesto in a bowl, add additional garlic to taste.


Step 5: As burgers near desired done-ness, brush olive oil lightly on one side of each slice of bread. Place burgers on side without oil, top with slice of provolone, and place on panini press and cook until bread has browned nicely. Tip: No panini press? No problem, simply use your George Forman Grill to get those great grill marks.



Step 6: Remove burgers from grill and dress with pesto mixture, roasted red pepper strips, peperoncinis, tomatoes, romaine leaves, marinara or some combination thereof if desired.


That’s it, your done, plate up and enjoy. If you like, try it with a bowl of minestrone soup. For a quick and easy meal, this works great, using commonly available ingredients to create complementary flavors that work well together. Next time you’re in a rush, give it a shot. I bet you’ll like it…


Special thanks again to my lovely wife Natasha for her photography.

Scorecard
Taste: 4
Ingredient availability: 4
Cost: 3.7
Time: 4.8
Ease of Preparation: 4.5
Total: 21
Average: 4.2

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