Santa Fe Burger with Grilled Pineapple and Chilies
Here are a couple of hearty old favorite wintry food ideas to enjoy while you are sitting in front of your TV watching all the ongoing 2018 Winter Olympic competitions taking place in PyeongChang, South Korea.
I’ve been a real fan of winter sports ever since I was a kid and have followed my two favorite winter sports, figure skating and downhill skiing, ever since. There is something about the physical freedom of gliding over the ice or snow that defies description other than to say it is as close to an out of body experience you will ever have. When you stand on top of a snow covered mountain there is a crisp silence that sets you free just before you push away for your downhill run through the snow covered forest. I lived in Santa Fe for several years and there was Ski Santa Fe just a short drive outside of town, so skiing became a regular weekend activity. After several runs it was always great to ski up to the mountainside outdoor bar and grill to refuel and catch up with friends. The grill cooks were at their stations turning out these amazing, I’m going to call them, Santa Fe burgers topped with Grilled New Mexico green and red chilies and grilled pineapple. I guess it could be called a Hawaiian burger as well. In any case the heat of the chilies paired with the caramelized pineapple really hit the spot! You felt re energized and ready to hit the mountain for a couple more late afternoon runs before the sun sets over the northern New Mexican mountain scape.
Another hearty favorite ski season meal is a New Mexican cassoulet like bean stew laced, of course, with wonderfully hot and flavorsome roasted red and green chilies. This is food for any season, but especially perfect served in front of a fire, or in this case in front of your TV, watching the Winter Olympics.
Santa Fe Burger with Grilled Pineapple and chilies  1 burger
Best to gather all your ingredients together grill side and ready to go once the grill is fired up and red hot!
The green and red chile rajas should be made in advance. See the recipe below.
- 1 burger roll of choice
- olive oil for brushing
- 1 small peeled garlic clove
- 5 oz/ 142 g best quality ground beef, formed into thick patty
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
- sea salt
- 1 slice yellow or red onion, grilled
- 1 pineapple round, grilled
- green and red chile rajas (strips)
- 2 thin slices Manchego or Gouda cheese
- mayonnaise
- firm green lettuce leaf
- tomato ketchup (optional)
Preheat the grill until the coals are red hot.
Slice the burger bun in half and lightly brush the interior surfaces with olive oil. Place the halves on the grill and toast, turning the bun a quarter turn after a minute to mark the surface with a cross hatch pattern. Remove from the grill and rub the grilled surface with a small garlic clove and set aside.
In a small bowl combine the olive oil, fish sauce, and light soy sauce and set aside.
Pat the burger dry with a paper towel and place on a small plate. Brush the surface with the olive oil mixture and season with sea salt. Place brushed side down on the hottest part of the grill. Lightly brush the top surface with olive oil mixture and season with salt. let the burger grill until it is deeply marked before giving a quarter turn to mark with a cross hatch pattern. Then flip the burger over and grill as before until marked with a cross hatch pattern. At this point the burger should be done with a pink center. If you want a medium well done burger continue grilling another minute on each side.
Top the burger with the cheese and allow the cheese to soften before removing the burger from the grill.
While the burger is grilling brush both sides of the onion and pineapple slices and place them on the grill. After a minute or so give the slices a quarter turn to mark with a cross hatch pattern. Then flip them over and repeat to mark with the cross-hatch pattern as before.
Assembling the burger:
Place the bottom half of the bun on a plate. Lightly spread mayonnaise over the surface and top with a leaf of lettuce.
Place the grilled burger on the lettuce. Add the grilled onion on top and top the onion with the grilled pineapple round. Place some green and red chile rajas over the pineapple and add ketchup if using.
Place the top of the burger bun over the burger and serve!
Green and Red Chile Rajas   Makes 1 pint
Chile rajas are useful as an addiction to so many dishes! There is some preparation involved but well worth the effort. The whole process does become second nature once you have made them a few times, and, as pictured above, are a spicy garnish for a New Mexican bean stew/cassoulet
Flame Roasted Green and Red chile Rajas
- 6 whole fresh green chilies
- 3 whole fresh red chilies
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crumbled
Place the whole green and red chilies on the hot grill, or over an open flame on the stove top, and grill until the skin is blistered and charred on all sides. Place the charred chilies in a bowl and tightly cover the bowl with cling film and set aside to sweat until cool enough to handle.
At this point the charred skin will slip off the chiles quite easily. If there are scorched flesh or stubborn bits of blackened skin left attached don’t worry about it. This will add a smoky flavor to the chilies.
Slit the chilies in half lengthwise and scrape out all the seeds and membranes and discard them. Slice the chilies into thin strips (rajas) lengthwise and halve the strips crosswise.
In a skillet heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the sliced onions and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Then add the chile rajas and season with salt and dried sage. Saute for several minutes until the mixture is well combined and fragrant. Transfer the rajas, including the oil, to a bowl and set aside to cool. Then cover with cling film and refrigerate if not using right away. The rajas will keep well for about 5 days when refrigerated.
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