Malta Buger – Bragioli Beef Burger with Tomato Sauce and Sheep’s Milk Cheese
And now, we’re off to Malta. Malta is an archipelago in the Mediterranean off the coast of Italy and South of Sicily.
It’s another one of those countries that makes me long for vacation time and loads of extra cash. Only the three largest islands are inhabited and there are less than 450k people living full time in Malta. It’s, of course, a tourist destination, but also a financial center and global freight transshipment point.
By Juliana da Costa José – (selbst fotografiert), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=798204
By Frank Vincentz – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33096159
Malta is also the sight of some of the oldest megalithic sites in the world. Some date from before the Egyptian pyramids and several are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Megalithic Temples of Malta, Hagar Qin © Sacred Sites
Because of the strategically important location of the Islands, they have been occupied by various governments over time – the Phonecians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of Saint John, French and most recently the British. In 1964 Malta achieved independence and ten years later declared itself a republic.
The Maltese people are lively people who love to debate, especially about politics. They are known for speaking in loud voices, vociferously debating politics with friends. For social gatherings, Maltese people join Band Clubs and throw festival celebrations in summer.
But what about the food? I expected a lot of fish for an island nation, and while fish is definitely part of the cuisine, there are also plenty of meat eaters on the archipelago. Many of the flavors (not surprisingly) are very Italian inspired.
One of the classic dishes of Malta is Bragioli. Bragioli is traditionally a minced veal mixed with bacon, garlic herbs, onions, cheese, hard boiled eggs and bread crumbs. This mixture is wrapped in thinly sliced beef and cooked in a tomato and herb sauce. the perfect beginning to a burger recipe.
There’s also a broad bean paste that is a favorite snack in Malta with beans, garlic, herbs and oil.
I tried making the paste but we didn’t feel like it added anything to the recipe. The tomato sauce is so rich, the bean paste just disappears. I’m into simplicity these days, so no need to add steps that don’t contribute to the flavor.
There also a traditional Maltese bread that is a favorite (called Flobz tal-Malti). It is apparently similar to sour dough, so I took the shortcut of just using sourdough (since baking is one of my least favorite things to do).
In the end, I took the Bragioli filling and made it into a burger on it’s own. Then I made a rich and flavorful tomato sauce to top it. Add a little sheep’s milk cheese and grilled sourdough bread and we were in burger heaven. Because it has been so long since we first tasted this, I made it again two weeks ago. The magic here is in the sauce. The pictures don’t do it justice, you want to cook down the sauce until it turns into a deep purply red. The sweet and acidic flavor of the tomatoes along with the rich sharpness of the cheese balance out the smokey meatiness of the patty. I was worried about mixing the bacon with ground beef – but its a great way to bacon flavor throughout.
If you like the Maltese burger, you might want to try the Hungarian burger – it has similar rich meatiness.
Maltese Burger (print friendly version, click here)
8 slices of Sourdough Bread
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1.2 teaspoon kosher salt
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 cup bold red wine
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooked Bragoli Patties (recipe below)
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in medium non-stick pan. Brush evenly across bottom of pan. Grill the sourdough slices on both sides until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside. Add remainder of olive oil and heat to shimmering over medium heat. Add the onions , garlic and salt and cook until onions are soft. Add tomatoes, parsley, marjoram, bay leaf, wine and tomato paste. Raise heat until sauce begins to boil, then reduce to a high simmer. Keep lid off and simmer, stirring regularly, until most of the liquid in the sauce has evaporated (about 1 hour). When Sauce has been cooking for about forty minutes, start making the bragioli patties.
When patties are done, place them on the grilled sourdough and add a scoop of tomato sauce, then top with second slice of grilled bread.
Bragioli Patties
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
2 hard boiled eggs chopped
¼ pound bacon chopped
1 egg
3 Tablespoons panko
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Sheep’s milk cheese sliced
Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with hands until the ingredients are evenly combined. Do not over mix as over mixing will cause the protein to seize up and be too chewy. Form four patties.
Heat the olive oil in a non stick pan then cook the patties over med-high heat turning regularly until cooked through. Top with the cheese and let it melt, then serve on grilled sourdough with tomato sauce.
©Copyright 2019 Linda Monach
