BATBOUT WITH MINI HAMBURGERS, RED ONION JAM AND TUSCAN KALE PESTO are an original and delicious gourmet twist on the more famous — and often mass-produced — fast food sandwiches. This dish, which can be the main star of a quick lunch or a very tasty appetizer, perhaps for an original happy hour with cheerful cocktails, blends Moroccan tradition with Western finger food, originality and reinterpreted history.
Batbout are, in fact, very soft pan-cooked rolls of North African origin that pair wonderfully with small, flavorful veal burgers. Two original sauces accompany everything: a sweet-and-sour, fragrant red onion jam and a Tuscan kale pesto, creamy and savory with an intense taste.
Making this dish doesn’t require effort and, believe me, it gives great satisfaction because your guests will understand from the first bite that this is not a dull commercial dish, but a true delight made of quality and harmony. Try them and tell me…
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 5/8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup re-milled durum semolina (semola rimacinata)
- 1 1/4 tsp fresh compressed yeast
- 2/3 cup water (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lb 2 oz red onions
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- to taste salt
- 2 1/2 oz Tuscan kale (cavolo nero)
- 1/4 cup walnut halves
- 1 oz Pecorino cheese, grated
- 3 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 3/4 tbsp water (espresso cup)
- to taste salt
Steps
Wash and trim the onions, then slice them very thinly.
Place them in a large bowl, add the sugar and bay leaves, mix well and let macerate for at least 4 hours.
Transfer the flavored onions to a nonstick saucepan, remove the bay leaves, add the vinegar and wine, season lightly with salt and place over low heat. Let cook for at least 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The mixture should become dark and thick when ready, so cooking times may vary.
Put the red onion jam, still hot but not boiling, into previously sterilized jars, close with airtight lids and let cool completely.Put the flours into a bowl, make a well in the center and add the crumbled yeast, the sugar and the water. Mix everything with a fork.
Continue working the dough for 5 minutes and only add the salt toward the end.
Shape into a ball and place in a clean bowl dusted with flour, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour in a dry place. The oven turned off with the light on works well.
Once the dough has doubled in size, take it back and roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3/16 inch (5 mm).Using a round cutter about 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) in diameter, cut out many discs. Place them well spaced on a floured tray or a clean towel, cover with another towel and let them rise again for 1 hour.
After the second rise, heat a nonstick skillet well. Place the discs in the skillet over low heat as soon as they begin to puff on the surface, flip them and cook the other side as well. In total they should cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.Clean the Tuscan kale by removing the central ribs of the leaves and wash under running water. Dry thoroughly and blanch in plenty of boiling salted water for 8 minutes.
Drain and let it cool slightly.
In a food processor put the well-wrung kale, the walnuts and the Pecorino and pulse to chop.
Add salt, the water and enough olive oil to obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet. Add the mini veal hamburgers, cook 1 minute per side and season lightly with salt.
Slice the batbout in half, spread them with the Tuscan kale pesto, place a mini hamburger on top and finish with the red onion jam.
Follow me on social media
