Week 14 - Burgers and Sliders

Well I had a craving for burgers that cheap take away was just not going to cut it.  After realising I had no mince in the freezer I decided to give a go at grinding my own in my Jamie Oliver food processor. I actually cannot believe how easy it was and how delicious it was using better quality meat in my burgers.

These turned out great and are an easy midweek meal to try.

Freshly ground meat

Caramelising the onion

Only the best mayo!

Extras

Book: http://www.jamieoliver.com

Recipe: Burgers and Sliders

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

For the burger mix

olive oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped
6 Jacob's crackers, or 4 slices of bread, crusts removed
500 g quality lean minced beef
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large free-range egg
1 handful Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

For the spicy mayo

2 teaspoons low-fat mayonnaise, made with free-range eggs
2 teaspoons fat-free natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
1 good pinch smoked paprika or cayenne pepper
juice of ½ lemon

To serve

6 rashers higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
6 large burger buns, or 18 small burger buns
1 soft round lettuce, leaves washed and spun dry
4 tomatoes, sliced
6 gherkins, sliced
a few pickled chillies

Method: 

You can make these burgers or sliders in an oven at full whack, on the barbecue or in a hot pan. If you're using the oven or barbecue, preheat it now.

Put a splash of olive oil into a large frying pan on a low heat and add your chopped onions. Fry for 10 minutes or until the onions have softened, then put to one side to cool completely. Blitz your crackers or bread in a food processor until you get a fine consistency. Oil a clean baking tray and put aside. Put the cooled onions into a large bowl with the rest of the burger ingredients. Use clean hands to scrunch the mixture together really well, then divide into 6 equal balls for burgers and 18 equal balls for sliders.

Wet your hands and roll the balls into burger-shaped patties about 2cm thick. Place your burgers or sliders on the oiled baking tray and pat with a little olive oil. Cover them with cling film and put the tray into the fridge for at least an hour, or until the patties firm up. This is a good time to make your spicy mayo, so put all the ingredients into a bowl, mix well and put to one side.

If using a frying pan or griddle pan, put it on a high heat now and let it get really hot. However you decide to cook your burgers, they'll want around 3 or 4 minutes per side – you may have to cook them in batches if your pan isn't big enough. When your burgers or sliders are nearly cooked on one side, add the rashers of bacon – whichever way you're cooking them – then flip the burgers and cook the bacon until golden and crisp. When the burgers are cooked to your liking and it's all looking really good, halve your burger buns and warm them through. Put the bacon on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.

When everything comes together pop your burgers or sliders on to their buns, add all your lovely toppings and your spicy mayo (you know how to put a burger together!), then tuck in with a lovely fresh salad, baked potato or potato wedges.

Changes Made: I decided to caramelise my onions - I used brown onions and popped them on the stove top for around 40minutes to reduce. I also ran out of mince so just made my own in the food processor. 

Results: Yum! They were just what I felt like, and mincing my own steak made these extra special. I also loved the kick that they cayenne pepper gave to the mayo.

Next Time: If mincing steak make sure that it is a bit fattier as this one was pretty lean and dried out a little. 

Week 12 - Fish Baps with Mushy Peas

This was a fantastic weeknight meal, pretty much no prep, quick and full of flavour. Remember to get all of your ingredients if you want a truly 15 (or 20) minute meal. I nailed this one in 20 but oh my gosh you should have seen the state of the kitchen! Poor OH with the clean up.

Watch out for cayenne pepper.. much hotter than chilli powder!!! I used quite a lot so the fish had a definite kick! I loved the yoghurt tartare though, very different and helped balance the heat.

Coating the fish

Browning it off

Yum!

Book: 15 Minute Meals

Recipe: The Best Fish Baps with Mushy Peas and Tartare Sauce

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

Baps

4 nice wholewheat gaps (any roll will do really!)
4 large (halved) or 8 small flat-fish fillets (around 480g) - I used Perch - skin off and pin boned
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
½ a mug of plain flour
olive oil
25g parmesan cheese
1 punnet of cress - I used pea sprouts
1 lemon

Peas

1 medium potato
500g frozen peas
½ a bunch of fresh mint

Sauce

6 cornichons
1 tablespoon capers
1 little gem lettuce
250g natural yoghurt
¼ of a bunch of flat leaf parsley
1 lemon

Method: 

Ingredients out, Kettle boiled, Oven at 130°c, small lidded pan high heat, large fry pan high heat, food processor (bowl blades)

Put the baps into the oven, slice the potato 0.5cm think, put it into the small pan, cover with boiling water and the lit and bring to the boil. On a sheet of greaseproof paper, season the fish with salt, pepper and cayenne, then sprinkle over flour to coat.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the frying pan and add the fish. Cook until golden, finely grating the Parmesan over the top when you flip it over. Top the frozen peas into the pan with the potato then rip in the leafy top half of the mint and replace the lid.

Put the cornichons, capers, lettuce and yoghurt into the processor. Tear in the top leafy half of the parsley, squeeze in the lemon juice, then whiz up, season to taste and pour into a bowl. Drain the peas and potatoes, puree in the processor and season to taste. When the fish is perfect, get the baps out of the oven and serve with the peas, tartare sauce, punches of cress and lemon wedges.


Changes Made: Regular multi-grain rolls

Results: Great! Nice and light meal, pretty healthy and so tasty! The peas were fantastic and will be something to incorporate a lot more in dinners, very quick. Fish was delish although I underestimated the potency of cayenne pepper.. lucky I can handle the heat!

Next Time: Nothing :)

Week 6 - Mixed Fish Grill

My sister came to visit and in traditional Adelaide weather it was a weekend of high thirties days and hot nights.. not very nice! This week was a sister pick and we thought we would enjoy the day with some seafood. This recipe had it all, easy to make, healthy, tasty and so quick!

There was more to this recipe, but due to the weather we felt we did not need he fennel and couscous sides.

Sorry for the lack of photos, I was too excited about eating I forgot to take a "finished" shot.

The base of champions!

Just about to pop in the oven

Book: 15 minute meals

Recipe: Mixed Fish Grill

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 fresh red chilli
12 ripe mixed colour cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1/2 a lemon
400g mixed fish fillets, scaled and pin boned (we used snapper and tuna)
4 large raw shell on prawns
500g clams and mussels, scrubbed, cleaned and debearded

Method: 

Roughly chop the parsley leaves and chilli and out into a large high sided roasting tray with the tomatoes. Squash in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher and mix with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, pepper, and the juice of half a lemon. Half the fish fillets, then add to the tray with the shellfish (throw away any mussels or clams that wont close when tapped), and toss together. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes or until the clams and mussels have opened (throw away any that remain closed).

Serve with lemon wedges.

Changes Made: More prawns, as we love them! Not much else changed as its such a simple and easy one. 

Results: Delish! Loved the addition of the cherry tomatoes as they just pop in your mouth with sweet goodness. This was so easy, although it all ended up a little salty from the mussels opening (I assume that was why) and tasted a little sea watery. 

Next Time: Maybe cook the mussels separate, and turn the oven up more!!

Week 2 - Cajun Steak

This week's recipe was picked by my lovely OH (Other Half) who naturally, like many men out there love's his meat! I just knew flicking through my Jamie books that this was one he would go for pretty quickly and low and behold it's week 2!

Baked beans are one of those things that sit in your cupboard for months or even years and while we don't mind eating they are just a little... boring. I love the idea of taking this family staple and turning it into something special and cannot wait to see how it turns out. 

This will also be my first 15 minute meal since buying the book so I am really interested in how long it takes to cook and will be timing myself.

Note: due to oncoming headache this weeks photo's are not so good.. my bad!

mmm.. Beans

Fresh from the oven all cheesy and gooey

Seasoned sirloin

Frying off the steak

The finished dish

Book: Jamie's 15 Minute Meals

Recipe: Cajun Steak with Smoky Baked Beans & Collard Greens


Ingredients: 

Serves 4

Greens
2 rashers pancetta
olive oil
1 big bunch of mixed fresh herbs, such as bay, thyme and rosemary
1 carrot
4 spring onion
½ bunch of radishes
1 chicken stock cube

Beans
2 x 400g tins of mixed beans
350g passata
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco
2 tablespoon Tomato sauce
2 tablespoon HP sauce
1 teaspoon runny honey
1 heaped teaspoon english mustard
40g cheddar cheese

Steak
2 x 250g sirloin steaks, fat removed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tsp dried thyme

Chilli Vinegar
1 fresh chilli
1 bottle white wine vinegar


Method:

Before you start it is recommended (in order to complete in 15 minutes) that the ingredients are out, kettle boiled, oven at full whack 240°C, large lidded pan at medium-hgh heat, medium ovenproof fry pan medium heat, large fry pan high heat.

Start the pancetta, out it into the lidded pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, then pick in the herb leaves. Trim, finely slice and add the carrot, spring onions and radishes, stirring regularly. Drain and rinse the bans and put into the medium frying pan with 2 tablespoons of oil to fry and crisp up. 

Slice the kale (if needed) and add to the lidded pan, crumble in the stock cube and pour over 300ml of boiling water, then put the lid on. Stir the remaining bean ingredients (except the cheese) into the beans pan and bring to the boil. Grate over cheddar then place into the oven until golden and sizzling. 

Rub the steaks with salt, pepper, paprika and thyme. Put them into the really hot large fry pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, turning every minute until cooked to your liking. Slice the chilli and add to the bottle of vinegar with a couple of bay leaves then add a drizzle to the greens before serving. Carve the steaks on a board at the table and serve with the beans, greens and a splurge of mustard. 

Changes Made: Could not find kale, not even sure if we can get it here is Australia and after some research found pak choy to be an adequate substitute, not really in the cajun theme but oh well! Also BBQ sauce in place of HP.

Results: Delish! This dish worked really well and just goes to show how good baked beans can be! The collard greens ended up a bit soupy but the flavour was really good. 

Unfortunately a head ache made me forget to time myself but I think it would have been close to 25min. Jamie recommended to have all ingredients out and ready to go, which I did not, and wanted you to have 3 separate pans on the go to begin with which I don't even own. Overall I think this is a totally doable weeknight dinner and one the men will love. 

Next Time: Use mustard, not hot english mustard as my baked beans had quite a kick! Also less water for the greens. Not much to change on a simply good meal.