… and one of my oldest recipes that has stood the test of time and been tweaked along the way into Indian and Italian – whatever takes your fancy, its versatility knows no bounds!
Its first version is that old favourite – Burgers – who doesn't love a burger?
Burgers
Makes 5 x 100g/4oz burgers
500g minced beef
or Quorn mince
*salt and black pepper
*garlic – either 2 tsps of paste or 2 cloves, crushed
*mixed herbs or garlic italian seasoning – a generous sprinkle
*half a tsp of chilli or smoked paprika
*heaped tbsp of tomato paste
*1 egg
sprinkle of plain flour plus extra to flour
a tray for shaping the burgers
gloves or damp hands!
Rapeseed or vegetable oil for shallow frying
Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the remaining ingredients marked *, mix well. At this point your mixture may be too wet. If it is, sprinkle a little plain flour over the mixture and fold in gently.
The easiest way of making uniform burgers is to weigh whatever amount you wish – in this case 100g/4 oz and then shape using gloves or damp hands. The least messy way is to place an amount of minced beef onto a sheet of cling film and add or subtract to the correct weight required. You can then use the cling film to bring the burger into a ball and then transfer to the floured tray, pat it down and form into a circle. Heat the oil gently and seal the burgers on both sides.
At this point you have a choice, you can continue to cook the burgers in the pan on a low heat turning regularly for 15 minutes and then serve or if you're cooking ahead, cool, cover and fridge in an oven-proof dish and pop into a pre-heated oven on 170fan/190c/Gas 5 for 15/20 minutes when required.
Next … it's up to you
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