Gourmet Beefburger recipe

Feeds six hungry mouths!

675g or 1+1/2 pounds of coarse minced steak mince (I prefer chuck steak) not too lean.
1 small onion finely chopped or grated
1/2 tsp Cajun spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp good quality olive oil
1 clove of garlic smashed & scraped on chopping board with a pinch of salt, using the back of a knife.
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp of dried Italian herbs
1 tsp of Worcester sauce
100g of fresh breadcrumbs
A handful of finely chopped flat parsley

Combine all of the ingredients & mix together well, It’s best to get your sleeves rolled up & get stuck in with your hands to distribute the ingredients evenly. If your squeamish you can use rubber gloves!

Shape into even size pats, not to thick as they dome up whilst cooking, with this in mind It’s best to push in the burgers in the center on one side.

When making burgers in work I always retain the lids off old jars or containers which I can then press the meat into for perfect evenly shaped burgers.

There is alot going on in this recipe but it is a tried & tested winner, if your looking to impress then this recipe is for you.

Use good quality steak mince coarsely ground, from a high street butcher if you can.

The only thing missing now is top notch “kick ass” burger relish. I will post that recipe soon, watch this space.

“Feeling a bit Horse”

 

I sat back and listened, pondered and read a little, chuckled to myself and read some more about the various accounts regarding the fiasco over finding horse DNA in supermarket burgers. Okay so I do feel quite smug that only days before I blogged on the importance of trusting your butcher and was forthright with my views on supermarket meat. After all what do people expect, seriously if your willing to part with so little cash for your food you are hardly to expect a great deal in return, I was actually suprised there was meat at all in these products. Almost 29% meat in one batch of burgers albeit horse not beef!

So after listening to and reading all the gags over the last week we have to read between the lines and look at the seriousness of whats happened (it would be easy here to harp on about the virtues of pedigree, dry aged, organic meat and such but not appropriate) for the real issue is money or lack of it.

We should be looking at the demographic of the people who buy such products are they large familys with six or more mouths to feed on a tight budget trying to stretch every penny or is it solitary individuals blighted with drink or drug problems who spend more on scratch cards than on food, searching for the next hit?
Then we realise the purpose of supermarket budget brands, the clues are there, next time your picking up your half price red wine down from £9.99 look out for the ghastly budget brands you may be suprised, cans of beer/lager at 43p. Spirits for less than a fiver.
It’s a sub culture that our supermarkets are very happy to subsidise and if there is money to be made & short cuts to be taken then as they frequently tell us “Every Little Helps”

“pleased to meet you, meat to please you”

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“A Game Plan”

“A Game plan”

The last few weeks of the game season are upon us, for those of us lucky enough to have a glut of spoils feathered or furred stacking up in the freezer. It is an ideal time to have a clear out. A good casserole or pie is an ideal dish for a sumptuous supper to ward off the winter & warm the soul.
There is something very satisfying about making a casserole or pie (I’m a pie man myself) you can make it very simple or put the radio on & spend all afternoon on it. I prefer the latter getting lost in the classic basic technique of distilling flavour, chopping my vegetables & cooking them up with some lardons of slightly smoked bacon adding my bouquet of aromats & herbs. Browning my meat meticulously insuring every edge is coloured evenly…..
On with the stock & a light deglazing of pans with fortified wine (my favourite is Madeira) & then on with the lid & in the oven for a slow braise.
Then the pastry, I love pastry I never measure or weigh It’s all done by look & feel (although I do speak with over 20 years of experience), there is nothing wrong with weights & measures of course but I like the slight variation you get by flying by the seat of your pants so to speak. I find it gives a dish character & individuality. So find the time, throw caution to the wind & enjoy yourself.