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Recipe Detail Page
Rosemary Veal Burgers with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic Sauce & Polenta with Pancetta
Winter 2010
The crisp exterior hides a very flavourful and moist interior. Ground veal can be in short supply, especially in small communities, so beef makes a good substitute. Purchase fresh focaccia to use as buns such as those made daily at Kingston’s Pasta Genova grocery.
Makes 6 servings
Sauce
¾ cup (175 mL) mayonnaise, preferably olive oil variety
2 to 3 large roasted garlic cloves, mashed (see Tip)
Zest of ½ lemon
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Burgers
1½ lbs (750 g) lean ground veal or beef
¼ cup (50 mL) milk or cream
1 egg
1 large shallot, minced
8 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp (5 mL) finely minced fresh or dried rosemary
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (250 mL) fresh bread crumbs
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 25 mL) each of unsalted butter and olive oil
6 focaccia or other buns
6 slices provolone cheese
Polenta
4 oz (125 g) thinly sliced hot or sweet pancetta
1 can (341 mL) concentrated chicken broth
1 cup (250 mL) cornmeal, preferably coarse
2 tbsp (25 mL) unsalted butter
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup (125 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. To make sauce, stir mayonnaise with roasted garlic, zest and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
2. Crumble veal into a mixing bowl. Measure milk; beat in egg until combined. Pour over veal. Sprinkle shallot, tomatoes, parsley and rosemary over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; top with bread crumbs. Using hands, work all the ingredients until uniformly mixed. Form veal into 6 patties about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Cover and refrigerate until ready to fry, up to a day.
3. To make polenta, dice pancetta. Place in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Slowly fry 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel; set aside.
4. Pour broth into a large measure; add water to bring to 4-cup (1-L) level. Bring liquid to a boil over medium heat. While briskly whisking, shake cornmeal slowly into liquid; work out any lumps. Reduce heat to low so mixture barely simmers, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes with wooden spoon, scraping bottom of pan. Then stir in butter, parsley and season with several grindings of black pepper. Do not add any salt, as pancetta garnish is quite salty. Keep warm.
5. Fry burgers in batches or in 2 pans as needed. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) each of butter and olive oil, in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add burgers without crowding. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes on the first side. Turn; fry for another 8 to 10 minutes or until crusty.
6 Slice focaccia horizontally; place cheese on bottom halves on large warm serving plates. Add burger and a dollop of sauce; perch buns on top at an angle. Spoon polenta on one side; garnish with crispy pancetta and Parmesan. Pass remaining sauce.
Tip: To roast garlic, preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F (180°C). Loosen garlic into individual cloves, but do not peel.Wrap flat into a sealed foil package. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until softened; cool in foil. Squeeze garlic from skins onto a plate; use a fork to mash. Since unpeeled roasted garlic can be tightly sealed in a small canning jar and frozen for months, roast a whole head’s worth of cloves at once.
Makes 6 servings
