Spanish Burger

Spanish burger is the general term that refers to all types of burgers of Spanish origin made with the use of certain native Spanish ingredients, following Spanish culinary practices. These are an all time classic favourite snack food or meal on the move and consist of a patty made of either meat or other processed food flattened into a round shape and served usually in the middle of two halves of a bun. Burger is called ‘Hamburguesa’ in the local Spanish parlance whereas a chicken burger is called “hamburguesa de pollo”.  Some of the famous Spanish burgers include-

Spanish Pork Burgers

This Spanish burger has bold flavours with sautéed onions, garlic, paprika and green olives. A creamy mayonnaise spread for the bun is made tangy with a dash of lemon and a hint of rich earthy saffron. Spain is recognized for its outstanding paprika called Pimentón de la Vera, which has a distinctive smoky lavour, and for certain intensely flavoured peppers known as ‘Piquillos’, both of which feature in this burger.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil
• thinly sliced Spanish onion
• freshly ground pepper
• salt
• lean ground pork
• finely chopped Spanish green olives, such as Manzanilla
• minced garlic
• Pimentón de la Vera, or Hungarian paprika
• reduced-fat mayonnaise
• freshly grated lemon zest
• lemon juice
• Pinch of saffron
• shredded Manchego or Monterey Jack cheese
• toasted whole-wheat burger buns,
• whole jarred Piquillo peppers, or jarred pimientos, halved lengthwise

Method

1.      Onion is sautéed in oil heated in a skillet. It is placed in a large bowl to which pork, olives, garlic, paprika, pepper and salt are added and gently combined, until evenly incorporated. This mixture is formed into equal-sized patties.

2.      Mayonnaise is combined with lemon juice, lemon zest, and saffron in a bowl.

3.      The patties are grilled on an oiled and pre-heated grill, turning over in between and topping with cheese and grilling until cheese has melted.

4.      Finally, the burgers are assembled on toasted buns spread with the lemon-saffron mayonnaise, along with some reserved onions and about half a Piquillo (or pimiento) pepper.

Nutritional Value

A serving size of ~250 g provides-

·        364 calories with 144 calories from fat

·        16  g total fat with 5 g saturated fat; 71 mg cholesterol

·        30 g total carbohydrates with 5 g dietary fiber

·        659 mg sodium; 209 mg potassium

·        29 g protein

Other recipes include-

Spanish Burgers with Chorizo, Manchego and Hash Browns

This burger uses typically Spanish ingredients like Manchego cheese, Spanish Chorizo, piquillo peppers and smoked sweet paprika among others to give it a distinctively Spanish touch.

Nutritional Improvement

·        Roasted sesame seeds as topping and in the patty, enhance Vitamin E, B-vitamins, folate, unsaturated fat content along with phenolic antioxidants and minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, selenium, and copper.