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Create Your Own Work Of (Burger) Art

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

A hamburger can be simple and still appreciated by many, or complex, with a lot of action and excitement.

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By TONY "FATSO" SICILIANO

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 9, 2008

A guy in his backyard with his grill and a guy in a loft painting on a canvas have a lot in common. Both men are artists. One creates a masterpiece that will hang on a wall in a home or in a museum. The other creates a work that will bring great pleasure to whoever gets to devour it.

The same way each painter has his or her own style, so does a backyard barbecuer. The same way artists look to the world for inspiration, so it is with the griller. A true artist can use anything to create "art"; a true griller can grill anything and eat it. The parallels, although on the surface a little hard to see, are really uncanny.

I look at a package of ground beef the same way an artist looks at the blank canvas. The artist sees something that can be used to express himself. So do I. The artist knows the work can transport someone to another place or another time. I have these same thoughts looking at meat packaged on a Styrofoam board and wrapped in plastic.

The blank canvas for a griller is the hamburger. You can use it to create anything you like, any flavor, from any part of the world. No other meal longs for your personal attention like the burger. Like art, it can be simple and still appreciated by many. Or it can be complex, with a lot of action and excitement, and it can stir all kinds of emotions.

What do you think Michelangelo would have liked to grill in his backyard? The guy was working all day at the Sistine Chapel, but when he came home, he had a chance to create some real art.

What about Leonardo da Vinci? I bet he would have liked to invite his most famous model to come over to his place, and he probably would have had some wine ready to go and his grill already hot.

I bet I know exactly what they would cook, too.

TONY FATSO'S PIZZA BURGERS

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup diced tomato

2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing

4 mozzarella cheese slices

1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup of tomato sauce

A loaf of sliced Italian or French bread

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Mix together the ground beef with onions, diced tomato and Italian dressing. Form t into 4 patties. In a saucepan, heat the tomato sauce. Be sure grill is clean and well-oiled. Grill each patty for about six minutes per side. Lightly brush some Italian dressing on one side of eight slices of bread and toast them on the grill. After you flip the burgers, top them with the sliced mozzarella cheese, a tablespoon of the tomato sauce and then the shredded cheese. Close the lid for the last few minutes to melt the cheese. When done, place the pizza burger on the oiled side of the bread. Sprinkle Italian seasonings on top of the burger and place the top slice of bread on, oiled side down. Use remaining tomato sauce for dipping.

Tony "Fatso" Siciliano is the host of "On the Grill Radio" from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays on WFLA, 970 AM. For information, go to www.onthegrillradio.com.

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