D'you want fries with that? A random recipe for a tasty burger

 

 

I am not a big film fan to be honest; I'd rather do the ironing. But, some things stick in my mind and Jules' "Ummmmmm, this is a tasty burger..." exclamation from Pulp Fiction is one of those sticky kinda things which sprang to my mind when eating this particular burger, 'cos a tasty burger is certainly what it was. I don't often make my own, for as a family we don't really do the burger thing (and we should - Lola and Finn loved the little 'bespoke burgers' I made for them) but a homemade burger is something to savour and far, far superior than anything you are going to get from (insert any fast food chain name here) or indeed your nearest stable, if some supermarket 'ecomomy' brands are anything to go by.

 

 

 

Anyway, I wouldn't have been thinking about burgers in any shape or form if it hadn't been for the latest random recipe challenge hosted by Dom at Belleau Kitchen which was to randomly select a recipe from those cuttings and notes, etc. that you take from magazines, or the back of packets or pick up on the way out of the supermarket and file in a Rennie Mackintosh styled biscuit tin, if you're me.

 

 

 

Now, I have two books of cuttings and what not, plus the aforementioned biscuit tin, and as my books are A4 and contain numerous recipes on each page (one summer several years ago I spent a week folding cuttings and sticking them on to the pages of these spiral bound books which such attention to folding that an origami master would be proud of the end result) and so I decided that the biscuit tin was the place to get a single recipe that was truly random.

 

 

 

And, I closed my eyes and picked out this one - a recipe card from 'Booths' (a north west supermarket in case you aren't familiar with their brilliance) for homemade burgers. Fabulous. I even had all the ingredients. So, I set to work, and what you have below is the result of my endeavours:

 

Homemade Burgers with Bacon and Cheese, adapted from the Booths Supermarket Recipe

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad

 

My adaptations in red

 

Ingredients

 

454g lean mince

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2tbsp olive oil

1tbsp parsley, chopped

1 egg, beaten

25g ready made breadcrumbs (I had panko breadcrumbs left from another recipe. I used them).

¼tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp thyme, chopped

4 rashers of streaky bacon (I used back bacon)

1 beef tomato, sliced (Didn't use - replaced it with a dollop of tomato and chilli chutney or tomato ketchup for Lola and Finn)

50g cheese (I used cheese slices for Lola and Finn. I treated myself to a bit of Gruyere)

3 or 4 burger buns

Our additions: some thinly sliced onion and for me, a bit of watercress.

 

Instructions:

 

 

 

In a frying pan, gently cook the onion in the olive oil until soft but not coloured, add the garlic and transfer to a mixing bowl and leave to cool.

 

 

 

Once cooled, add the mince, parsley, thyme, cayenne pepper, breadcrumbs, the beaten egg and season generously with salt and milled pepper and really mix all the ingredients well.

 

Then, divide the mixture into three balls or four smaller balls if you want smaller burgers, ( I did. I made little burgers for Lola and Finn and made little buns to put them on. Cute!) then pat to form a burger shape and refrigerate for 30 minutes to help hold the shape when cooking.

 

 

 

Cook the burger on your BBQ or grill for about 10 minutes turning every so often. (I just put mine in the frying pan. I was going to get the griddle pan out but, I'll be honest, I couldn't be bothered with it).

 

Place the bacon on the BBQ or grill and cook until crisp and place onto the burger.

Finally, divide your choice of cheese between the burgers and serve on toasted burger buns, once the cheese has melted slightly, with sliced tomato (or relish) and fresh salad

 

 

 

Add chips! Or fries! And enjoy!

 

Not exactly authentic, but then I am not a nonna: Beef Cheeks Braciole

 

 

...and because I'm not a nonna I have no sage like and senior reputation to maintain. I can take something and make it work with what I have, which actually is probably what great nonnas (let me move on from this Italian situation I have put myself into) and grandmas and on this occasion, mums do.

 

My last foray into Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini was what can only be described as 'spectacular' not least because my favourite food critic in the whole world, five year old Finn, ate the Lamb Ragu I made with what can only be described as gusto. So, I had to make something else, didn't I? There is a recipe named 'Short Ribs Braciole' which gives an overview of just what a braciole is and then waxes lyrical about short ribs and slow cooking and since I wouldn't know short ribs if I fell over them (and neither does most of the UK it seems; some googling revealed that the nearest thing we have are the fore ribs but they're not widely available) but I do know slow cooking, I decided to sub the ribs for beef cheek, which is dirt cheap and produces tender, soft meat when cooked long and slow, and I think it worked. I also think you can cook over braising and slow cooking cuts of meat in this way. Oxtail anyone?

 

This is a reasonably involved activity initially and towards the end of cooking, but the cooking time in between is long enough to involve yourself in something truly meaningless meaningful. I sorted out the washing, in case you're interested. The topping, which I put together towards the end of the cooking process is actually really lovely and if you didn't realise it already, the addition of this at the end of cooking makes you realise the importance of texture to the whole eating experience. I made more of the topping than I could rightly serve and so kept the remainder in the fridge. I sprinkled some over cooked pasta that I had for lunch one day and it was ridiculously good. Cucina povera isn't as poor as you might think.

 

This was well received by Lola, who is a good girl and who appreciates the food that is put in front of her. Finn ate some of it, but had been busy recreating the prehistoric world with his dinosaurs and eating a meal was an unwelcome interruption. He ate some, he made his excuses and left.  I gave the kids the option of having the topping. Finn looked at it disapprovingly and Lola said she preferred Parmesan only. Don't let their reticence put you off. Crunchy, beefy, tomatoey, yummy.

 

Beef Cheeks Braciole, adapted from 'Short Ribs Braciole' in 'Urban Italian' by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad and one other, generously.

 

Ingredients:

 

(American recipe, so uses 'cups')

 

½ cup roughly diced pancetta (about ¼ pound)

1 beef cheek, cut into chunks

1 heaping tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)

1 clove garlic, chopped thinly

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Two tins of chopped tomatoes - pick good quality ones

 

¼ cup pine nuts, chopped roughly

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (I happened to have these, but I reckon blitzing up a couple of slices of stale bread would be fine)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

a pinch each of salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 tablespoon grated Parmesan

 

 Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 375°.

 

 

 

Cook the pancetta in a large, dry, ovenproof sauce pot over medium-high heat until the fat renders, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Remove to a plate.

 

 

 

Season the pieces of beef cheeks on both sides with salt and pepper, add them to the pan, and brown the meat, about 5 minutes. (I did this in two batches and then removed them to a plate).

 

 

 

Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes, mix well, and continue cooking.

 

 

 

Add the tinned tomatoes to the pot along with their juice. Bring the mixture up to a low boil.

 

 

 

Remove the pot from the stove and place it in the oven. Check the pot every so often to make sure it's not boiling too hard. Cook until the meat is super tender and a fork can pass through it without sticking, about 2½ hours.

 

 

 

To make the topping, toast the pine nuts in a dry sauté pan over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally to avoid burning or sticking, about 8 minutes.

 

 

 

Add the olive oil and mix well. Add the panko breadcrumbs and continue cooking over low heat, mixing occasionally, until everything is toasty brown, about 2 minutes.

 

 

 

Add the oregano and parsley. Season with the salt and pepper and cook together for a few seconds, so everything is warmed but the parsley does not wilt.

 

Remove from the heat and then add the Parmesan (not before, otherwise, you'll have a melted-cheese mess).

 

 

 

When ready to serve, remove the pot from the oven and if you need to, (I didn't) remove any visible oil that may be on the surface.

 

If you want to loosen the sauce a little, add a few tablespoons of water, one at a time and stir until you are happy with the consistency.

 

 

 

Place a serving of the stew on to warmed plates and sprinkle the topping generously over each dish.

 

Serve immediately.

 

Eastern European Influence - Cherry and Pistachio Gratin

 

 

I have, officially, too many cookery books, because I have had this book for about three years and I haven't cooked a single thing from it yet. Luckily, I have now put this right and I am so pleased that I picked this recipe because it's quirky and different.

 

The book, in case you're wondering, is 'Feasts' from the East European chef Silvena Rowe who when I have seen her on the TV has intrigued me with her different flavours and influences, but even with my interest piqued, it has still taken far too much time for the cookbook to be opened and used with purpose, but I was looking for a recipe that would use up a jar of cherries that had been in the cupboard for some time, and half a packet of pistachios. Isn't it great when you find a recipe that unifies seemingly random ingredients?

 

I imagine that with good, tasty, sweet, beautiful, fresh cherries, this pudding would be just magical. Until my cherry tree (a variety named 'Stella'; not that I am overly narcissistic or self absorbed) does its thing, I will have to put up with the bottled stuff. Sad, but true.

 

Anyway, if this is an example of Eastern European cuisine, then I will be back for more. This is a very easy dish which makes a change from crumble and was beautiful warm with cream, with the leftovers equally as good with some ice cream. If I had have had a tin of custard, it wouldn't have shamed it either. A really lovely, satisfying end to a meal, Hungarian stylee.

 

Cherry and Pistachio Gratin adapted from 'Feasts' by Silvena Rowe

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad, twice

 

Ingredients:

 

100g shelled pistachios

50g brioche breadcrumbs (I used a couple of stale brioche rolls, the Paquier brand, which I buy for Lola and Finn from time to time)

50g light soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

150ml double cream

2 large eggs

a little butter for greasing the pan

500g cherries, washed and pitted (but I used a jar of cherries)

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/Gas 6

 

 

 

Blitz the pistachios, (and the brioche to create the breadcrumbs) and then add to the sugar, eggs, vanilla and cream. Stir to combine.

 

Lightly butter a suitable baking tin or dish that will hold the cherries and the batter.

 

 

Place the cherries in one layer and then pour the gratin mixture over the cherries.

 

Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden on top and firm to the touch.

 

Serve warm with something cold like cream or ice cream.

 

Disguising Broccoli so that Lola and Finn will eat it: Chicken and Broccoli Gratin

Yes, how do you get kids to eat greens? The fact is, I am mostly a failure at this, and Finn, fussy eater in particular, refuses to eat anything green with the exception of cucumber, which he eats quite happily. However he does like chicken, a lot, and I wondered whether this recipe would work. Tra la! It did. He ate quite a lot of this, and that in itself is a real vote of confidence for my cooking at least. Lola also gave the thumbs up.

This recipe is a bit faffy, and it's the kind of meal that you make when you are in for the day and can decamp to the kitchen every so often to complete the process. But you could make this the day before, ready to lash into the oven as and when. And, it is great, homely food.

The recipe is from the Irish foodie institution, Avoca Cafe cookbook. A gem of a cookbook which is full of fabulous recipes. if you happen across a copy, snap it up!

Oh, and the better the chicken, the better the dish. Whilst this recipe does suggest breasts as a possibility, I think a whole chicken is a better choice. You can buy a good quality chicken for cheaper than you can buy good chicken breasts, plus you get dark meat and white meat. Lovely!

Chicken and Broccoli Gratin, from the Avoca Cafe Cookbook

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad, twice

6 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken (I used a chicken) 1 Spanish onion, peeled and chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped A few sprigs of parsley 1 bay leaf A few black peppercorns 300ml/½ pint double cream 110g/4oz roux 1 large head of broccoli, divided into florets 15g/½ oz butter 110g/4oz breadcrumbs Grated strong cheddar cheese Prepare a roux by melting 50 grams of butter, then adding 50 grams of plain flour. Cook them over a low heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. preferably store the roux in a fridge for a few hours before use. Place the chicken in a large saucepan with the onion, carrots, celery, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and enough water to cover. Bring slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked - about an hour for a whole chicken; 20 minutes for chicken breasts . Remove the chicken from the pan and leave to cool. Strip the meat off the bones, dice and set aside . Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and boil until reduced to 600ml/1 pint. Add the cream, return to the boil and then whisk in the roux, a little at a time, to form a thick sauce. Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water until just tender, then drain and refresh under cold water. Stir the diced chicken and broccoli into the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into an ovenproof dish. Melt the butter and mix in the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Spread over the chicken mixture and bake in an oven preheated to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling