Spicy guacamole and kale burger

I get these occasional cravings for sauces like salsa, guacamole, sour cream... and when those cravings set in, it's impossible not to satisfy them..! I made this burger when one of those cravings got particularly bad, who says you can only have salsa and guacamole with Tacos?? Probably no one, but especially not me. Put it on a burger and call it fusion! There's nothing better. Like that Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown episode where he visits Korea Town in L.A, goes to Sizzler and has Italian meatball tacos that made my mouth water! I made them immediately and they tasted as amazing as they sounded. Don't underestimate the power of random fusion! Like he says "No one judges at Sizzler". Will have to get that recipe down in the blog as well! I'll save it for a later date. Here's the video of it from the show, for those who are too curious to wait for my version of it: 

Whats not to like?? Meatballs, good! Tacos, good! Guacamole, good!! (A Joey reference for all those of you who aren't as die hard Friends fans as I am). Anyway, here's what you need to make my Spicy Guacamole and Kale burger: 

The Burger:

ca 500 g minced meat

2-3 eggs depending on how fatty the minced meat is

ca 125 g breadcrumbs

salt and pepper, and some water if needed

The Guacamole:

2 avocados

chili

lemon

grarlic

salt and pepper

The Tomato Salsa:

Tomatoes

Red onion

Chili

balsamic vinegar, to taste

coriander

salt and pepper

Sriracha HOT chili sauce

green kale

chèvre cheese

The How: 

Mix the minced meat with breadcrumbs, eggs and a bit of water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. 

Make into patties, make sure they're even and not too thick as the cooking time will then vary too much and the burger will end up burnt on the outside and raw on the inside (you learn from your mistakes..!).

Finely chop garlic and chili, squeeze the lemon juice and mix together with the avocado for the guacamole. If you want a smoother guacamole use a hand mixer, otherwise just use a spoon or a fork for a chunky version (I love the chunks!).

Finely chop the red onion, chili, tomatoes and coriander. Mix together and add balsamic vinegar if you like, salt and pepper. Let stand in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so that all the flavors are drawn out. 

Wash and chop the kale, heat the burger bun or bread quickly in the oven or in a pan.  

Now the order: 

Bread, Sriracha HOT chili sauce, green kale, burger, chèvre cheese, salsa, guacamole, bread. 

DONE.

Tagliatelle Naepolitan with Pan Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Feta Cheese

Sometimes, less is more. 

When the current food trends seem just a tad too pretentious, it´s nice to go back to the basics. This classic tomato based sauce is so simple, yet so good, and can be varied indefinitely. Make your own version and change it depending on your mood; spicy, extra garlic, with Parmesan, with pecorino, with basil, with thyme... the combinations are many and all are good. I made mine a bit more basic and added my standard feta cheese and some quick pan roasted cherry tomatoes. 

The What: 

2 cans of crushed tomatoes, I recommend Mutti if you don't want to make it all yourself from scratch, tastes a lot better than many other brands!

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Piri piri chili, to taste

1 cube of vegetable stock

½ cup of water

feta cheese

fresh basil

cherry tomatoes still on the vine

olive oil

a pinch of sugar, if you want

salt, pepper

The How: 

Carefully roast the cherry tomatoes in olive oil on low heat in a pan, until softened. Put to the side.

Gently fry the garlic and chili in olive oil in a pan, be careful not to burn the garlic. 

Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock and the ½ cup of water and bring to the boil. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as a pinch of sugar if you want. Let simmer until the tagliatelle is ready.

Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. 

Add the tagliatelle to the Napoletana sauce and make sure the sauce covers all of the pasta. 

Add basil to taste, arrange on a plate, crumble the feta over the pasta and top with the pan roasted cherry tomatoes. 

Serve while hot!