Homemade Beef Burgers

Enough of the fancy food, let's get back to the good old basics, and what could be more basic than the humble REAL homemade hamburger!

What makes this a REAL homemade burger you ask?
I don't use bought beef mince or store-bought ready-made patties, as I have no idea what has been added to the mix.  I literally make my own from a solid piece of sirloin, and add a little bacon for the fatty portion.

It sounds complicated but it is so easy as I whizz everything up in a food processor - no fuss, no mess!  Two important points to remember when making the BEST homemade burgers:

1. You need to season well - think of it as an input, output system. If you don't put it in, you aren't gonna get that burst of flavour out.
2. Do not over process the meat and handle it as little as possible.  You don't want the proteins to start breaking down as they will become tough.

What you place on the buns is up to you.  I like to keep it simple.  Lettuce, onion and of course cheese (life is not life without cheese) with a little red onion chutney. 

This is suitable for 2 very hungry foodie lovers (go big or go home)

500g sirloin steak
100g bacon bits
1 egg
3 Tbsp steak sauce or HP or brown sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 big burger buns

Add everything - apart from the buns - in a food processor
PULSE 5 times, give or take until the meat is just cut up.  Do not make porridge ...
Divide mix into 2 portions and lightly tap into 2 burger rounds
Remember, don't squeeze or squash them - work lightly like you are handling cracked eggs!
Grill, BBQ or dry-fry to your liking to a medium state
Remove and wrap in foil and stand for 5 min before dressing the buns

Yum .. enjoy and remember to eatloveplaywithfood
          ~Michelle ~

Hearty 'French Onion' Meat Soup

Hearty 'French Onion' Meat Soup
Eatloveplaywithfood.blogspot.com

Julia Child would be horrified with what I did with her classic recipe of French Onion Soup in Mastering The Art Of French Cooking.  

My efforts started out rather classical, but I felt more like a thick and hearty, tummy warming soup with some meat, risotto a few other things along with the onions, which made 'classical' go pear-shaped from there.




In order to cut down on the cooking time by almost 2 hours and still to get the onions to develop a deep, rich flavour, I added a tablespoon of sugar allowing them to caramelise.  The more traditional way would be to cook the onions slow firstly in butter and oil and then on a slow simmer in some stock. Sorry, didn't do this one either ... definitely pear-shaped!

I have used Shiitake mushrooms, cause I love them, but you can really use any flavoursome mushroom you like - that does not include a button mushroom which really offers little flavour all the way round!

RECIPE 
This is suitable for 4 - 6-foodie lovers  

Olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup shallots, small dice
2 tsp fresh ginger, medium dice
4 cloves garlic, small dice
1 Tbsp flour
2 cups Shiitake/Chestnut mushrooms, large dice
1 tsp brown sugar
500g sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked risotto
1/4 cup sherry
3 tbsp soy sauce
300ml beef stock
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

Heat a generous glug of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat
Add onions, shallots, ginger, garlic and flour and sauté for 10 min on medium
Add mushrooms, sugar and beef and sauté on high for 7 min
Add water, risotto, sherry, soy sauce and stock and bring to the boil
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 50 min until meat is tender and liquid is thick
Stir in worcestershire sauce at the end and serve