Leek Burgers, with Piccolo Tomatoes and Mayonnaise

I made half a dozen of these leek burgers from scratch, with a slightly different process from before. I added two dessert spoonfuls of spelt flour to a large glass bowl, and then added the 500g of minced beef. I had some diced leek in a pan of boiling water on the stove, with the intention of cooking the leek until soft. 

I mixed the ground beef the drizzle of olive oil, and the spelt flour together thoroughly by hand. Do this for ten minutes, and you will get a good texture, much finer than when you cook mince on the stove. I added the egg and the softened leek (after being allowed to cool) And repeated the kneading process for ten minutes. 

I decanted the mixture into a pastry cutter sitting in a glass roasting tray, and repeated the process, and  ended up with six equal-sized beef patties. No need to shape by hand. 

Cooked at 180 deg C on the middle shelf of the oven for at least twenty-five minutes (check progress by eye always!). When  browned and cooked, remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the hob or on a trivet under cover. 

Served with a couple of dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise, some halved piccolo tomatoes, all dusted with a large pinch of dried coriander leaf. 

 

Venison Burger with Potatoes and Lettuce Salad

I didn't make this burger (hard to get ground deer meat, unless you know someone who deals in this part of the business). Bought from Sainsbury's. Tasted not dissimilar to a burger made with beef, but the packaging said the burgers were 90% venison. I'm familiar with deer meat, so the fact that the burgers don't taste the way you might imagine, is puzzling. 

I also bought venison fillets on the same supermarket trip, and these clearly are deer meat. They should be fine.

The burgers were cooked on the middle shelf of an oven heated to 200 deg C for between 22 to 27 minutes, turning the burgers a couple of times.  Something to watch occasionally during the process. 

Served with salted boiled potato, and a lettuce salad. Dressed with white pepper, and a pinch of Tarragon. 

 

Burgers in a Chilli and Mushroom Sauce

Two beef burgers from Aldi, cooked in their own fat, along with two red onions and chopped tomatoes. Twenty minutes is sufficient to cook the burgers thoroughly, turning them twice. Move the onions around the pan during this time, so that they caramelise, but do not burn.

The sauce was made with finely sliced mushrooms, five finger chillies, some onion gravy powder, vegetable stock, and two squirts of tomato puree.

Stir fry the mushrooms in a separate lidded pan until they squeak. Add half a pint of water. Add the destemmed finger chillies, the gravy powder (two teaspoonfuls), the vegetable stock, and the tomato puree. Stir until the sauce thickens. Add one bay leaf.  Turn down the heat and simmer until the burgers are ready.

Once the burgers are cooked, decant to a serving plate along with the fried tomato and onions. Spoon the chilli and mushroom sauce, and serve. Delicious, simple, and warming!

Beefburger with Mayonnaise and Four Leaf Salad

A quick and easy meal to make. Shop-bought beef burgers from Sainsbury's, two sliced or shredded salad tomatoes, two dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise, and some four leaf salad from the Co-op.

The burger was cooked in a flat pan at a high heat for the first minute, then the heat was turned down. Cooked for twenty minutes at a lowish heat, and turned three times. For the last ten minutes the burger was under glass.

It took just two minutes to prepare the rest of the meal (tomatoes, mayonnaise and the four leaf salad). Plenty of time to wash the dishes and clean the worksurfaces!

Serve with black pepper.

Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers, with Chilli Sauce

Aberdeen Angus beef burgers, with a yellow pepper, spring onion, and a red chilli sauce. Bought cheap, because they were priced too expensively to sell quickly at the local co-op. A few years ago they would have shifted fairly quickly, but not any more.

Aberdeen Angus beef is one of the best brands of beef in the world. So if you use it to make beef burgers, what you are going to get is a superior product to what you will normally find in a burger restaurant, unless the manufacturer messes up. They didn't mess up with these. They were pan-fried for twenty five minutes, starting at a high heat and reducing to a low heat. No added oil. There was sufficient fat in the burgers to do the job, but the least amount I've ever seen in a burger. Not much shrinkage either. Excellent!

The burgers were turned three times, and they spent the last ten minutes at a low heat under glass.

I diced three quarters of a yellow pepper and two spring onions, and cooked them in a small lidded pan with some of the juices from a jar of marinaded red peppers (essentially vinegar), and some water. I added two and a half dessert spoonfuls of red chilli sauce, and stirred them together. Cook for 30 minutes under glass at a low heat, stirring occasionally. I added a pinch of paprika and a pinch of oregano also.

Serve with freshly ground black pepper. The sauce is a delicious compliment to the beef!

Beef Burger with Barbecue Sauce

I bought a pack of burgers from Sainsbury's at a good price. I don't do burger buns with cheese, etc., so I decided to make a barbecue sauce for them with some healthy vegetables.

The ingredients of the sauce are: two small white onions, two thirds of a red and green pepper, three cloves of garlic, two small chopped finger chillies, a teaspoonful of powdered coriander, 150g of tomato passata, and half a teaspoonful of smoked paprika.

The onion was sliced and cooked at a medium heat until it began to go golden brown. Then I added the chopped peppers and the other vegetables. Cooked for ten minutes at a low heat, then I added boiling water. Then the passata, the powdered coriander, and the smoked paprika. Cooked for twenty minutes. No cornflour thickening required.

The burger had already been pan-fried the day before, so much of the fat in it had gone. I put it in an omelette pan with a drizzle of sunflower oil from a jar of grilled peppers (imparts great flavour!), and covered it with a glass lid. Cooked thoroughly for fifteen minutes at a low heat, and turned once or twice before serving.

Served with a chopped fresh spring onion, a dusting of black pepper and shredded coriander leaf. Delicious and simple! Cajun seasoning for the barbecue sauce is an alternative option.

Beef Burger with Onion and Red Pepper Gravy

A four pack of quarter pounders required that something different be done with the burgers cooked on the hob, on the first day, for the third day. I prepared an onion and red pepper gravy, with beef stock,  paprika and cornflour, and with some coriander leaf. I  mixed the cornflour with cold water before adding it to the gravy (as you should).

The gravy was made first, and thickened with the cornflour. Then it was decked with the paprika and coriander. After the gravy was created, the burgers were added to the mix, and simmered under glass for thirty minutes. Some black pepper was added.

Served with peeled boiled potatoes.

Beef Burger with Beans and Spring Onion

A quick to make and satisfying meal, with simple ingredients. Two quarter pounder beef burgers (bought from Sainsbury's, so not wheat free), with baked beans, chopped raw spring onion, and German or American mustard. Made more interesting by the addition of paprika and basil to the baked beans while heating. 

The burgers were cooked in a saute pan for seven minutes each side at a medium heat, mostly under glass. The burgers contain enough fat to cook in their own juices (as all burgers should, as an invention for the barbecue), so it is not necessary to add oil if the pan is teflon coated. Alternatively, the burgers can be cooked in the oven for about the same time (or until browned) at 180 degrees, turning once.  

Beef Burger with Beans and Spring Onion

Beef Burger in a Beer and Shallot Gravy

Commercially bought beef burgers (from Sainsbury's), so not a wheat free dish. The gravy was made with one red onion, six shallots, a dash of  Deuchars IPA beer, a teaspoonful of black pepper, parsley, some tomato puree, and beef stock, Served with half a head of brocolli.

The beef burgers had been fried the day before, so they were reheated in a steamer,  The head of brocolli (cut into four sections) was cooked in another level of the steamer. 

The gravy was made by frying the red onion and the shallots, both chopped, until they were browned. I mixed some browned cornflour with water, and added the beef stock. Then added this to the pot and allowed to thicken over ten minutes, stirring regularly. Then the tomato puree, the parsley, and the pepper was added.  

I learned the art of cooking with beer from Pamela Vandyke Price, who wrote a whole book about cooking with wine, spirits, beer, and cider. Well worth digging out if you can. 

Beef Burger in a Beer and Shallot Gravy

Moroccan Style Chickpea Burgers

I didn't actually make these burgers (found in Sainsbury's freezer cabinets). But they are pretty easy to make. Mix  crushed chickpeas, gram flour paste, chopped peppers, cumin and coriander, and make your patties. They can also be made with finely chopped onion. Cook in the oven for about twenty minutes in a closed dish. Turned once or twice. Can also be shallow fried, as in the example illustrated.

Serve with a salad of chopped tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, red onion, and green pepper. 

Moroccan Style Chickpea Burgers

Burger Salad

Burgers made with ground beef, finely chopped iceberg lettuce, sliced vine tomatoes, served with a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Also good served with horseradish mustard.

Beefburgers are often made with a binding ingredient, such as egg and cornflour. Commercially available burgers often use wheat, which is cheaper, and therefore they should be avoided. If the burgers are to be cooked in the oven, then a mix of onion and ground beef will usually stay together.

Burger Salad