Pork burgers

Right before the Midtown Farmers Market opened up for the season, I used up the last of the meat we filled the freezer crevices with last fall from Hilltop Pastures. I thought of that final package of ground pork when I saw this recipe.

Pork burgers

Adapted from "Food52 Genius Recipes," ambitiously subtitled 100 recipes that will change the way you cook. This particular recipe is adapted from Suzanne Goin. The full recipe calls for making your own aioli and Romesco sauce. I cheated with purchased aioli and used my hot tomato chutney in place of the sauce.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ cup diced shallots

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon ground cumin

3/8 teaspoon ancho chili powder

2 pounds ground pork

4 ounces fresh chorizo

3 ounces diced bacon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1¼ teaspoon salt

6 slices Manchego cheese

6 hamburger buns

2 ounces arugula

Aioli

Romesco, chutney or other tomatoey condiment

Method

In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until nearly softened. Add garlic, thyme leaves, cumin and ancho chili powder and cook a minute more. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Mix shallot mixture with pork, chorizo, bacon, parsley and salt. Form into 6 patties. Chill patties for an hour. (This is a pretty crumbly mixture, and refrigerating it helps it hang together.)

If grilling, preheat grill. Brush patties with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Cook 3 to 4 minutes a side until desired degree of doneness. (You may want to use a grill pan, depending on how wide your grill rack grates are.) Or cook in a skillet until done. Top with a cheese slice, cover and cook briefly until melted.

Spread buns with aioli and top with burgers. Top with Romesco or chutney, then arugula.

Rating: Tasty, and not at all dry like some pork burgers can be. I'm sure homemade aioli and Romesco sauce would have been even tastier, but I won't quibble with tasty.