RECIPE

© Tina Rupp

Skirt Steak Burgers with Tomatillo-Corn Relish

• Recipe by Guillermo Pernot

Guillermo Pernot of ¡Pasión! in Philadelphia (an F&W Best New Chef 1998) learned the best way to cook beef burgers in his native Argentina. He uses freshly ground meat and grills it only until it is cooked to medium rare.

Ingredients

1. 3 cups fresh corn kernels (from 5 ears)
2. 5 tomatillos (3/4 pound), husked and finely chopped
3. 3 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
4. 2 cups apple cider vinegar
5. 1 large onion, finely chopped
6. 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
7. 1/2 cup sugar
8. 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
9. 1 teaspoon celery seeds
10. 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
11. Salt
12. 3 pounds skirt steak, cut into 1/4-inch dice and chilled
13. Freshly ground pepper
14. 3 ounces creamy blue cheese, such as Cabrales
15. 6 sourdough rolls, split and lightly toasted

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the corn, tomatillos, jalapeños, vinegar, onion, bell pepper, sugar and the mustard, celery and coriander seeds. Bring to a boil; simmer over moderate heat until thickened, 40 minutes. Let cool and season with salt.
2. Light a grill. Working in small batches, put a handful of diced skirt steak in a food processor and pulse about 4 times, until very finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remaining skirt steak. Pat the mixture into 6 burgers.
3. Season the burgers with salt and pepper and grill over a hot fire until medium rare, 3 minutes per side. About 1 minute before the burgers are done, place the blue cheese neatly on top of them. Set a burger on the bottom half of each roll, spoon some relish onto each, close the sandwiches and serve.

Make Ahead

The cooked and cooled tomatillo-corn relish can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.