Beef Burgers
By Diana Earnshaw, Volunteer Contributor
The barbecue season is upon us – at last! May has seen people scrubbing barbecues up and down the country in preparation for summer. The smell of flame cooked food fills the air and families country-wide take to their gardens.
Store bought barbecue food leaves a lot to be desired nutritionally and almost always contains ingredients we would prefer to avoid – preservatives, flavourings and sometimes even sugar (look for “..ose” at the end of a word in the list of ingredients), for example. With children and teenagers in mind, a beef burger recipe seems appropriate and won’t break the bank. The Rhug Estate Organic Farm beef mince (True Food!) is superb for the recipe below. It’s a great source of relatively inexpensive animal protein which is good for B vitamins, iron and the fat soluble vitamin D3 (Rhug’s lean mince is not ultra-lean so it contains some fat.)
Thanks to BBC Good Food for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 500g lean minced beef
- 1 red onion, diced finely
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Method
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the diced onions.
- Reduce the heat and let the onions sweat slowly, adding in the garlic to ensure it doesn’t burn and become bitter.
- Add the beef to a mixing bowl and break up with your fingers.
- Tip in the onions and garlic, once cooled slightly and mix together thoroughly.
- Add salt and pepper and the Dijon mustard.
- Pour in the egg and ensure that it has been mixed right the way through the beef and onions.
- Separate the mixture into 4 portions and start moulding using your hands into burgers. Create a depression in the centre, this will ensure the burgers cook evenly and flat. Place in the fridge to chill and stiffen.
- Once chilled and with the barbecue lit and the coals simmered down, place the burgers on the BBQ.
- Ensure that each side has sealed, if not they’ll fall apart when you lift them off. Turn them over until cooked through or to the desired pinkness in the centre.
- Serve on crusty rolls with fresh watercress or leafy salad and enjoy.