Lamb Burger with Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and Pickled Root Veggies
My great grandparents were Croatian, so I was very excited to embark on developing a Montenegro recipe. Grammy was an amazing cook, so the food of the region holds a special place in my heart. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Montenegro is a small country on the Balkan Peninsula.
It is bordered by Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Croatia, and the Adriatic Sea. The coastline of Montenegro was ranked by the National Graphic Traveler among “one of the 50 Places of a Lifetime”. It is a popular tourist destination for people from the region and from Russia. If you like gorgeous beaches and historic sites, add Montenegro to your list for vacation getaways.
The name Montenegro dates back to the 13th century – Crna Gora in Montenegrin, it literally means “Black Mountain” (after the evergreen covered Mount Lovcen). There’s a rich history of kingdoms and warlords, but I’ll save the details of ancient history and skip forward to the 20th century. In 1929 Montenegro was absorbed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. We’ve covered the dissolution of the Kingdom in previous posts, so fast forward again to 2006 when Montenegro achieved full independence. A candidate for EU membership since 2010 and a member of NATO since 2017, Montenegro is an upper middle income country with a service based economy and concentration of population near the coast.
What does one eat as you’re sitting sea side and enjoy the gorgeous Mediterranean air? Montenegrins love fresh salads made from fresh vegetables that are easily grown in the region, but what they really love is meat. There’s a Montenegrin saying that I came across several times in my research, “meat is the best salad”. Beef, lamb, chicken, pork, prosciutto, and seafood near the coast – dinner is a time for meat – perfect for a burger blog!
Brav u Mlijeku (Lamb in Milk), is a classic dish that I decided to use as my inspiration for this burger. It’s basically lamb and root vegetables braised in milk until you get a fabulous stew. A perfect dish for a cool autumn evening (those are coming soon!).
With a love of meat comes a love of cheese and Montenegrins are no exception. Kolansinski sir is one of the more popular cheeses, it’s similar to fresh mozzarella. So great, we have a lamb burger with fresh mozzarella, add an Ajvar sauce (roasted eggplant and red pepper base), some pickled fresh root veggies, a bit of prosciutto and life is good!
The smokiness of the Ajvar sauce compliments the gaminess of the lamb and the creamy cheese pulls it all together. Pickled veggies provide a little crunch and range that breaks up the richness of the burger and keeps it from being too heavy. If I weren’t allergic to beer, I’d serve this with a nice hefeweizen, but since I am allergic to beer, we had the burger with a crisp Pinot Gris from Alsace. Because it’s summer and the tomatoes are in season, I recommend throwing some tomatoes and cucumbers in a bowl with fresh herbs, a vinaigrette and perhaps a little feta as a side dish.
If you like this burger, try the Bosnia Herzegovina sliders. They are delicious too!
©Copyright 2024 Linda Monach
Montenegro Burger
Ingredients
Pickled Root Vegetables
- 1/3 Fennel Bulb Sliced Thin (I use a mandoline)
- 1/2 Carrot Sliced Thing (I use a mandoline)
- 1 Small Sprig Fresh Rosemary
- 3/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
Ajvar Sauce
- 1 Small Eggplant
- 1 Red Pepper
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1/2 teas Fresh Rosemary (chopped)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Montenegro Burger
- 4 Hamburger Buns
- 1 lb Ground Lamb
- 1 teas Kosher Salt
- 1 teas Smoked Paprika
- Olive Oil
- 4 ounces Fresh Mozzarella (sliced)
Instructions
Pickled Root Vegetables
- Place the sliced vegetable and rosemary in a glass bowl and cover with white wine vinegar. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the burger.
- Drain excess vinegar and discard rosemary sprig.
Ajvar Sauce
- Wrap whole eggplant in aluminum foil. Place directly on hot coals of a BBQ and add wood for extra smokiness. Alternatively, you can place in 425 degrees oven and roast that way. Roast the eggplant until it is soft and collapses.
- Roast the red pepper over the open flame of gas stove. The skin will blister and turn black. Make sure all of the skin is blistered. Place warm pepper in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the pepper sit for about 10 minutes, then use a sharp knife and peel the skin off of the pepper. Scoop out the seeds and cut off the stem and discard.
- Place eggplant, garlic, and rosemary in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Chop the pepper into chunks then add those to food processor and pulse until peppers are mixed in (small chunks are fine).
- Salt & pepper to taste.
Montenegro Burger
- Grill buns in oil or butter until lightly golden.
- Divide the ground lamb into four portions and form patties. Combine the salt and smoked paprika and sprinkle evenly on all four patties.
- Cook the lamb patties in olive oil over medium high heat until desired temperature. Add mozzarella slices to the burgers and cover the pan for a minute or so until cheese is melted. Place the patties on the grilled buns and top with Ajvar and Pickled Root Vegetables.
