Italian Beef & Prosciutto Burger

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Fry the streaky bacon in olive oil in a pan until crispy. Remove the bacon from the oil and place in a large bowl. In the same oil, sauté the onion, garlic, parsley, carrot and celery until translucent. Season with salt and some sugar.

2. Step 2

   Put the fried vegetables in the bowl with the bacon and mix well with your hands, then add the beef and mix everything together, still using your hands. Squeeze the water from the torn bread roll and add to the mixture along with the egg, mix until well incorporated. Season with salt.

3. Step 3

   Let the mixture soak for an hour.

4. Step 4

   Form round patties from the meat mixture, approx 2cm thick, dust with flour. To sauté, add olive oil to a heavy based frying pan, then gently heat a whole clove of garlic and some thyme, turn the heat to medium-high and add the patties. Cook for around 3-4 minutes per side (for medium rare). Season with black pepper after frying.

5. Step 5

   Put the egg, salt, pepper, mustard, lemon in bowl.

6. Step 6

   Slowly pour the oil over the egg, beating the whole time with a hand blender, whisk or spatula until the mixture begins to emulsify and a creamy mayonnaise is formed.

7. Step 7

   The mayonnaise can be stored in the refrigerator for four days.

8. Step 8

   Remove the stalk of each tomato with a small knife and score a small cross on the underside of the tomato. Briefly blanch the tomatoes in boiling water until the skin begins to loosen, rinse in ice water. Peel the tomatoes, cut in half and remove all the seeds.

9. Step 9

   Do not peel the garlic, poke several holes in the clove with a sharp knife.

10. Step 10

    Place the blanched tomatoes in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil and thyme. Season with salt and a little sugar, leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

11. Step 11

    Then carefully place the tomatoes next to each other on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently crush the garlic cloves by hand, leaving the cloves whole. Scatter the garlic cloves and thyme over the tomatoes.

12. Step 12

    Dry the tomatoes in the oven at 90°C hot air for 2 1/2 hours.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Then arrange the tomatoes in a storage box, separate the layers with baking paper and baste with enough olive oil.

13. Step 13

    Keeps for many weeks in the refrigerator.

14. Step 14

    Halve the burger bun and cover the bottom half with mozzarella. Lightly brown both halves in the oven at 180°C for several minutes until the cheese starts to melt.

15. Step 15

    Spread the top half of the burger bun with mayonnaise, wrap the minced patty in prosciutto, add to the burger with the tomato confit, rocket and mozzarella and serve.