Fernando's Ciabatta Pesto Burger

After going to Granato's today and buying some amazing bread, I felt inspired. Granato's is an awesome Italian food store here in SLC on 1300 South, right across the street from Walmart. It was about 95 degrees outside today, so although I wanted to cook, I didn't want to do too much using the stove or oven. So I decided to fire up the grill and make a burger. I just wanted to create a burger that I would enjoy cooking as much as I would enjoy eating. So here's my contribution to the culinary world:

Meal: Fernando's Ciabatta Pesto Burger

Drink: Passion Fruit Juice

Playlist: Rufus Wainwright - Release the stars

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: A lot

Pesto

- 25 to 30 large basil leaves

- Mint leaves (about 1/4 cup)

- Parsley leaves (about 1/4 cup)

- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

- Pine nuts

- 1 clove garlic (minced)

- 2 tbsp. lemon juice

- Salt and pepper

- Roast pine nuts with some butter on skillet until golden brown

- Mix basil, mint, parsley, roasted nuts, cheese, lemon juice and garlic in the food processor until pasty.

- Slowly add olive oil until completely mixed in

- Add salt and pepper to taste

Burger

- 1 lb. ground beef

- 1 egg

- 1 slice of white bread

- 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

- Mix all ingredients in bowl and make flat and large patties

- Grill burger on low until cooked perfectly

Extras

- Ciabatta bread (Brown it on top rack of grill for about 5 minutes)

- Grilled onions (Add some Balsamic vinegar to give it a little more taste)

- Grilled mushrooms (Unless you hate it)

- Tomato slices

- Feta Cheese

- Lettuce or Spinach

Assembly

- Spread Pesto on bread

- Add burger

- Add Feta cheese

- Add grilled onions and mushrooms

- Add greens

- Add tomatoes

- Eat like crazy