Hot Mama Burger

Holé Molé

I know. I need to get to know the fonts in Photoshop Elements… I did see the error before I posted but my evil twin forced me to keep it as it is… so ladies and  gentlemen, whet your appetites for… Mole burgers! I caught them and skinned them myself! Squirmy little buggers…

What is Molé anyway and why do you want me to eat it?

Well young grasshopper…it is a vital ingredient on your pathway to peace and enlightenment. This journey to tasty bud nirvana begins with one succulent, juicy, explosive bite of the best damn burger you ever dropped  your pearlies into!

More?

All right. Molé is the name for the sauces used in Mexican cuisine, differing greatly from each other but all usually containing chillies. It is a thick sauce made up of many ingredients such as roasted chillies and can be broken down into the following factors: chili, sour, sweet, spices and thickeners. These sauces date back to pre-Hispanic Mexico but the original sauces never contained chocolate, which was only used as a beverage at that time. Recipes began to circulate after Mexico's War of Independence in 1810 but before that we can only speculate how the original recipe came about. Chili sauces have over the years been re-invented with numerous ingredients added to them including nuts, seeds and chocolate.

While I have never had the privilege to have an authentic Molé sauce tickle my tongue, I have always loved the combination of chocolate and chillies (you should taste my triple chocolate cherry chili cheesecake - just don't try saying it without paramedics standing by).

This recipe is a marriage of Molé Oaxaca and San Pedro Atocpan, which was purely accidental and wasn't discovered until the writing of this article. I haven't come across a recipe like this anywhere before in cookbooks, restaurants or cooking shows but I am sure they're out there. I was operating on instinct, developing this recipe so it is unique and not authentic at all. It will however be reminiscent of those sauces and that is good enough for me - until I get the chance to taste the real thing!

What you need to know

This burger is made like any other so there is nothing special you need to pull off for this meal to be a success. I would like to remind you of two things -

1) if it ain't dark chocolate, it  
    ain't chocolate 
2) treat your meat gently.

The first point is rather self-explanatory but the second may need further words. The little imp in my head wants to be very naughty right now but I will refrain from indulging. It is very important to handle your meat gently by squeezing it lightly between your fingers and "massage" the meat into a patty. At no time do you want to handle your meat roughly or for longer than necessary.

See how restrained I was?

Putting it all together

 A word about spice blends:
Blends are easy to personalize to your taste as long as you stay with the same flavour profile. I personally don't like either cilantro or rosemary so I substitute with similar herbs such as parsley and thyme in recipes that call for those. They won't taste identical but there are enough similarities in flavour as well as cultural use, to carry off the substitution. As I have mentioned before, I make my own spice blends rather than use store bought. Feel free to use your own favourite blend if what I use here is not to your taste. As this recipe is Mexican based, stay with that flavour profile when you make your own substitutions.
I make the two amounts of blend separately to ensure equal measures of all the flavours. The amounts used will make more than the recipe calls for but I use it in many dishes and it won't be wasted. Don't add the chocolate if you are to store the leftover blend.

Blend
Each 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
         1/2 tsp dried garlic powder
         1 tsp dried chipotle powder
         1/2 tsp salt
         1 tsp dried thyme
         1 tsp dried oregano
         1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
         3 crushed dried d'arbo chillies
1 oz dark chocolate shaved divided unevenly between the burger and the sauce, with more going into the sauce. Precise measurements aren't necessary.

Burger
2 lbs medium ground beef - don't go lean here
1 egg
2 tbsp ground almonds
2 tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup
the one half of the spice blend, with chocolate
2 medium onions, caramelized
flatbread buns or whatever buns you prefer

Mix into the meat gently and let sit covered in the fridge for one hour. Gently shape into patties, remembering the meat will shrink upon cooking when you decide upon the size of your burger. Place onto a plate or waxed paper.


BBQ sauce
While the meat is resting in the fridge for the hour, make up your BBQ sauce in a small saucepan.

the other half of the spice blend
1/4 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
rest of the chocolate

Heat gently all the ingredients except the chocolate. Add the chocolate at the end of the cooking time, as the burgers have begun cooking. Remove from heat but keep warm.

Before the hour is up, caramelize your onions, if you haven't already done so.

Grill or pan fry your burgers until done - done I say, none of this medium rare business. That's raw meat and raw eggs you're messing with. Cook it. Baste liberally with the sauce. Place cooked patty on your bun and top with onions and a bit of yellow mustard.

Take a bite and say good bye to your loved ones for a few minutes. This kind of loving is private.

Those of you who have to overload your burgers with condiments…just back away slowly… put down the burger and back away.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014