Best Ever Burgers and Burger Parcels

The addition of the japanese soy is a real game changer here. The rest of the recipe is my standard burger mix which I’ve always been perfectly happy with but the addition of the soy sauce takes them to another level.

500g minced beef [ I use a cheaper mince ]
1 large onion diced up fine
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried parsely
½ tsp garlic granules
½ tsp freshly grated black pepper
pinch of cayenne or chilli – more if you want them spicy.
3 tbsp of panko or other breadcrumbs
1 tbsp of japanese soy sauce.
1 egg

Mix everything up thoroughly and leave to rest for an hour.

Form into patties either using a press or, as I do, a pastry cutter and a suitably sized jar. I cut squares of parchement paper and form the patties onto those as it makes handling them a lot easier and also helps keep them separate if you are going to freeze them.

I prefer my burgers to be quite thick but not very large around but you can shape them as you like. If you do a thick burger you can add a piece of cheese in the middle which makes for a nice variation.

For me this yeilds 6 burgers. These freeze well . Layer with pieces of baking parchment to allow you to get them apart when needed.

BURGER PARCELS
The nice thing about doing burgers this way is that everything stays moist and doesn’t dry out and everything is neatly contained and you can add whatever you like to the filling.
You can omit things like the bacon, mushroom, cheese and gherkins if you prefer to. You can also add things like Jalapeno. It’s entirely your call but you do need the slices of tomato, onion and ketchup and of course the burger.
Anything that gives of liquid when cooked like mushrooms and bacon need to be cooked first to ensure that the whole thing doesn’t become too soggy.

Using the burger mix as above I would make patties that are about 150g in weight for each of the parcels.

1 or 2 packets of ready rolled puff pastry [depending on how many parcels you want to make. You can usually get just two parcels out of a single sheet]
Sliced tomato – 1 large slice per parcel or 2 if the tomatoes are smaller.
Sliced onion – 2 rounds of onion per parcel
Tomato ketchup – approx 1 tablespoon per parcel
Sliced cheese
Sliced cooked mushrooms – approx 1 tablespoon per parcel
Cooked bacon
2 or 3 slices of pickled gherkin per parcel.
1 beaten egg for glazing

Firstly you need to cook the mushrooms and bacon and then allow them to drain, You don’t want the parcels to be soggy.
Slice the tomatoes into rounds, sprinkle lightly with salt and leave on a plate to drain a little.
Slice the onions into rounds.
You can use whatever cheese you prefer or no cheese at all depending on what you like.

Lay out the pastry and cut into two halves. I usualy make the cut slanted so one end of each half is wider than the the other. This allows you to cover the filling without having a lot of extra pastry on the bottom.

Lay the pastry narrow end towards you. Spread a tablespoon of the ketchup on the lower half of the pastry, put a slice of onion on top followed by the burger patty, another slice of onion and then the mushrooms [if using] then the tomato. Follow this with the bacon, cheese, gerkin and jalapeno [again if using].

Fold the pastry over the top of this and then seal. Crimp the edges to ensure that there are no leaks.
Make a couple of small cuts in the top to allow steam to escape.

Glaze with egg [ unless you are freezing these in which case omit it as you will glaze them once you defrost them ]

Place on a shallow roasting dish and into an oven at around 200c / 400f / Gas 6 for around 40 to 45 mins.

Serve with salad, mayo, chips [fries for the americans that read this] and any other accompaniements you like.

The parcels also freeze well.

Runzas or Bierocks

These are a staple in Nebraska where they are called Runzas. They’re almost identical to the German Bierock but are usually made in a log shape rather than a roll. Filled with minced beef, onion and cabbage and sometimes cheese as well they’re very adaptable. You can experiment with your own fillings.

 

 

Makes 8

Dough
1 cup / 250ml Milk – warmed to just warm to the finger.
2 Tbsp White Sugar
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 package)
3 cup / 675g unbleached plain flour [or white bread flour]
2 Tbsp / 1oz salted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt

Filling
½ lb Minced beef
1 onion, diced
2 cups shredded cabbage
¼ tsp salt
¼ to ½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp white pepper
1 maggi beef stock cube or half an oxo cube
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp of worcestershire sauce
2 tsp balsemic vinegar

Optional extras
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 medium carrot, finely diced.
Grated cheddar cheese – about a heaped tablespoon per roll

To finish
1 Tbsp milk for glazing. Or beaten egg if you prefer.
Making the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, mix milk and sugar to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture and let stand for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam.
Whisk mixture to combine and whisk in 2 c of flour.
Add melted butter, egg and salt. Whisk to incorporate.
Stir in remaining flour ¼ c at a time until the dough comes together. Turn dough onto your counter and knead, 10-15 min, until a soft, smooth dough forms, adding flour as needed. (Your finished dough should be tacky, but not stick to your hand or your kneading surface.)
Shape dough into a round; place it in a greased bowl, turning to coat the dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Making the Filling
While the dough rises, make your filling. You can also make this ahead of time. In a large non-stick frying pan, brown meat over medium high until mostly cooked, 5-7 min.
Drain as much of the grease from the pan as you can . Return the pan to the heat and add onions [and celery and carrot if using]. Cook until they begin to soften. Add the garlic, worcestershire sauce and balsemic.
Add cabbage and stock cube and cook for about 10 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
Remove filling from heat and check seasoning.

You can also cook the filling in a slow cooker if you prefer. Remember to drain it when it is cooked as liquid won’t evaporate the same as it would on the stovetop.

Assembling them.
Knock back the risen dough and turn onto your work surface.
Divide dough into 8 balls (roughly 3 oz each). Roll out into an oval about 5 inches across by 8 long. Or a 6 inch circle depending on what shape you want.
If you are using cheese then place a couple of tablespoons onto each oval or a single tablespoon worth onto the rounds. Spoon 1 to 2 large tablespoons of filling onto the center but make sure to leave the edges clear. The exact amount will depend on how large your’ve rolled out your dough. Bring the edges together and pinch them to seal the dough. Continue until all the dough and filling has been used.
Place them seam side down on a greased baking sheet and let rise, covered 30-45 min, until roughly 1.5x their original size.
During this time preheat your oven to 190C / 375F.
Brush them lightly with milk or egg and bake for 20-25 min, until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.
Remove from oven and let cook on a wire rack.
Notes
These rolls freeze well after baking. They will take about 4 hours to defrost. Warm them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes in 30 second increments to heat through.

Variaions.
Sweet version.
You can make a sweet version of these, if you are doing so then double the amount of sugar in the dough.  I also add some vanilla bean paste.

Apple – use chopped cooked eating apples  and a little sugar and cinnamon. Eating apples don’t go as soggy as cooking apples so are better for this.
Jam. Add a tablespoon or so of whatever jam you like and then shape into balls.

The sweet versions are better made a little smaller and made as rounds rather than as longer rolls. The dough should make about a dozen of these.

You can also use this dough to make cinnamon rolls. The dough needs to be rolled out in long narrow strips then spread with a cinnamon, sugar and butter paste, then rolled up from the narrow end. Seal the ends and then stand on one end and squash into a round.

filling
100 g soft butter
100 g sugar [demerara]
2 tbsp cinnamon

No-Knead Focaccia

This can be made in the full quantity, half or a quarter. The image below is for the quarter quantity. You can add whatever you like as toppings.

The picture above has a little cheese, some parsley, onion rings and slices of olive as toppings.

Full quantity                                                                        half                 quarter
400g                    Strong white bread flour                    200g                      100g
1 tsp                    Fast-action dried yeast                        1/2 tsp                  ¼ tsp
4 tbsp                  Olive oil                                                  3 tbsp                  2tbsp
250ml                  Warm water                                          140 ml                 80ml
1 tbsp                  Flaky sea salt                                         1½ tsp                 1 tsp

Tip the flour, yeast,  and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl stir to mix . Add 250ml warm water and 1tbsp of olive and mix with a wooden spoon to make a sticky dough. [half quantity is  ¾  tsp salt and 1½ tbsp oil. 1/4 quantity is  ½tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil]   This dough should be quite wet so depending on your flour you may need to add a little more water.

Cover and leave to rise for 12 to 24 hours at room temp. If it’s particularly warm then you can also put it in the fridge overnight
The dough should double and be bubbly

Line a roasting tin with parchment – the tin size will vary depending on which quantity you use. Oil the parchment with a little of the olive oil and tip the dough in. Shape it to form a rectangle.
Scatter the remaining salt over and drizzle with 2 tbsp oil. Use your fingertips to create dimples in the dough, pressing in the toppings and spreading the dough to the corners.
If you wish to add toppings like rosemary or onion now is the time to add them.
Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 1 hr or until almost doubled in size. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 at least 20 mins before you cook the bread.

Uncover the dough, drizzle with the remaining oil and bake on the middle shelf for 30 mins until golden brown. Cool for 10 mins in the tin before transferring to a wire rack, or eat warm.

 

 

Cheddar Cheese Puffs

I got this recipe from here and added a couple of tweaks. Be warned these are both addictive and filling and you can add your own tweaks if you like.

https://skintdad.co.uk/cheddar-cheese-puffs-recipe/

Makes 6 large puffs [ roughly scone sized ]

 

1 egg
125ml milk
150g self raising flour
150-200g grated Cheddar cheese
pinch of salt
1tsp onion powder
pinch of cayenne
¼ tsp of mustard powder
2 or 3 finely sliced spring onions

The last 4 ingredients are my tweak on the original recipe, add them to the flour and stir to mix

Beat the egg into the milk .
Add salt, herbs and any other flavourings to the flour and cheese and mix together well.
Drop six to eight spoonfuls onto a baking tray, covered in baking paper. Or drop into a lightly greased muffin mould.
Bake for 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 180C.

 

If you use an Ice-Cream scoop to shape the dough you get about 12 smaller puffs which works well the cooking time remains the same.

You could make them bite sized as well but you would need to reduce the cooking time by about 5 mins.

Notes

If you don’t have Self-Raising flour then you can make your own by adding 1/2 tsp of baking powder to every 100g of plain [ all purpose in the USA ] flour.

So for this recipe you would add 3/4 teaspoon.

If you have Self Raising flour but it’s a bit elderly and you are unsure if the raising agent is still active then add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of baking powder.

Other variations

¼ tsp  of paprika or smoked paprika.

¼ tsp of garlic granules.

You can also replace some of the cheddar with other cheeses if preferred.

 

 

My Mum’s Christmas Cake

This was my Mum’s Christmas cake recipe that was used every year. She used to make a whole load at a time and give them out to family. This was usually made around the end of October to give it time to mature and absorb the extra brandy but if you’re pushed for time it can be made much nearer to whenever you want to use it.

This does a 22 cm round tin which you need to double line with silicone paper
preheat oven to 130 c – 300 f gas mark 1 – 2
I’ve translated it into american measures for ease. [grams and ounces now added in brackets ]
3 cups   [ 450g 16oz ]  sultanas
1 3/4 cups [ 265g 9 ½ oz ]  raisins
1 3/4 cups [ 300g 12oz ] chopped dates
1 cup  [150g 5 ½ oz ]  currents
2/3 cup[ 50g 2oz ]  mixed peel
1 cup [ 100g 7oz ] glace cherries, halved
1/2 cup [ 100g 7oz ] chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup [ 55g 2oz ]  chopped glace ginger
1/2 cup [ 120ml ]brandy or dark rum
250 g  [ 8oz] butter, softened
1 cup [ 200g 7oz]  firmly packed brown sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups [ 210g 7oz ] plain flour
1/3 cup [46g 1 ½ oz ] self raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp vanilla exctract
zest of an orange and a lemon plus 2 tbsp of juice
extra brandy or rum for soaking

combine the fruit, brandy, zest, juice, spices and vanilla in a large bowl, cover tightly and allow to stand for 24 hours
beat the butter and sugar together until well combined. add the eggs one at a time beating until each one is combined, add this to the fruit mixture.
Sift the flour well and mix in
spread into pan and bake for about 3 1/2 hours.
if the cake looks like burning the cover with a disc of silicone paper

once the cake is cool stab with a skewer and pour over the extra brandy [2-3 tbsps] wrap in silicone paper and foil and keep in a tin
every two to 3 weeks unwrap and add another couple of tbsps of brandy.

Mum didn’t like nuts in cake so replaced them with the apricots.

Thomas’s Banana Bread

This recipe was given to me by a friend and it’s rather super. You can leave the chocolate chips out if you prefer a healthier version.

 

 

½ cup / 4 oz / 115g – butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas [about 3 small]
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp choc extract
½ c sour milk ( add 1 Tsp vinegar or lemon to regular milk **)
1 tsp baking soda [bicarbonate of soda] in milk ( be careful, it can spill over)

1 Cup / 8oz / 225g  Sugar
2 Cup/ 9oz / 260g   Plain Flour
½ tsp Baking powder
tsp salt
½ Cup walnuts
½ Cup Choc chips

Edit – 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder. This really adds to the overall look and taste.

350f 180c Gas 4  for up to 60 minutes
In a cup mix the milk 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice and leave to stand for 5 mins. Add the baking soda just before adding to the wet ingredents. [ You can also use half and half sour cream and milk for this or use buttermilk if available]

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

In another bowl mash the bananas, or use a stick blender, add the vanilla, chocolate extract, eggs and softened butter.

Mix everything together and pour into a lined 2 lb loaf tin.

Bake for 45mins to 1 hour depending on your oven. Certainly check after 45 mins and if a knife comes out mostly clean [mostly because there is melted chocolate in there] then it’s done.

 

Variations on the theme:

Leave out the chocolate extract and chocolate chips and replace with any of the following.

Strawberry banana bread

1 cup chopped strawberries

Apple Cinnamon banana bread

1 cup chopped apples and 2 tsp cinnamon

 

 

Yorkshire Parkin

This is another autumn and winter treat with lots of warm ginger and spices.

 

8 inch / 22 cm square baking tin, greased and lined

8 oz./220 g. butter (soft)
1/2 cup/110 g. dark brown sugar (soft)
1/4 cup/55 g. black treacle (or molasses)
1 cup/200 g. golden syrup (or corn syrup)
1/2 cup/110 g. medium oatmeal
1 cup/200 g. self-raising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. mixed spice
2 large eggs (beaten)
2 tbsp. milk (if needed)
Zest of one orange

Optional : a few pieces of glace ginger chopped up

Heat the oven to 275 F/140 C/Gas 1. Grease an 8 x 8-inch square cake tin.

In a large, heavy-based saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar, treacle, and golden syrup over a gentle heat. Do not allow the mixture to boil, you simply need to melt these together.

In a large, spacious baking bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.

Gradually add the melted butter mixture, stirring to coat all the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the orange zest.

Beat the eggs then gradually add them eggs, a few tablespoons at a time.

Finally, add a tablespoon of milk at a time, if the mixture feels dry. You are looking for a soft cake batter. Stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cook for 1 1/2 hours, until firm, set, and a dark golden brown. It should spring back when pressed.

Remove the parkin from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

Once cool, store the parkin in an airtight tin for a minimum of 3 days, if you can resist eating it.

Strawberry and Summer Fruits Banana Bread

This can be made with either a mix of summer fruits or just one fruit as you choose. The Flavour of the banana and the fruits come through very well. It’s not a particularly firm bread and needs to be eaten up in a few days.

 

4 oz [½ cup (1 stick)] butter, softened
1 cup [7 oz]  granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups [8oz]  plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1  cup fresh strawberries chopped & tossed in 1 Tablespoon of flour [about 10 oz ]
200g Raspberries and or Blueberries or a mix of these
Note – the weight of the strawberries is after removing the hulls so you want 10 oz after preparation – a bit more or a bit less though won’t hurt.

 

Preheat oven to 190f / 375F degrees. Spray two 9×5 loaf pans [2 lb loaf tins]  with nonstick spray. Set aside. Alternatively use 3 x 1 lb loaf tins. If you wish you can use a paper liner instead of spray

In a large bowl,  cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
In a small bowl, beat eggs using a whisk. Add eggs to sugar mixture and beat until combined. Add mashed bananas and mix until combined. Add the vanilla.
Sift all dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add sifted dry ingredients to banana mixture and mix until flour is just combined be careful not to overmix.   Fold in floured covered strawberries and other fruit.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake at 190C / 375F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 170C / 350F and bake for an additional 30 minutes until edges are slightly brown or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from loaf pans.

 

Peanut butter banana cookies with oats and choc chips.

These are vegetarian / vegan and rather tasty.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 190 C gas 5

Line two baking sheets with parchment

3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
2 and 1/2 cups old fashioned, rolled oats
1 cup peanut butter (any type)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

 

Mash the bananas and mix with the honey, peanut butter and vanilla extract. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl until evenly combined. Combine the two and mix until the oats are coated.

 

Place heaping-Tablespoonfuls of the batter onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees F 190 C for 15 minutes or until set and golden brown around edges. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

You can use golden syrup to replace the honey if you prefer.

 

 

Banana Bread

More of a loaf than a bread this is spicy, stick and fruity and goes well buttered with a cup of tea. Makes 2 x 2 lb loaves.

6 – 8 Tbsp / 55g / 2oz SR flour  * see note below
1 Tsp baking powder
1 heaped Tbsp 15g / ½ oz butter or marg , melted
2 eggs
6 Tbsp / ¼ cup  75g 2 ½ oz  sugar – use brown, golden or whatever you have
a handful assorted fruit
a handful assorted seeds/nuts pecans for preference
bananas [about 5 ripe ones]
1  tsp each ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon

Also if available add
1 tbsp date molasses
1 tbsp malt syrup

Preheat the oven to 200 C

Mash the bananas – if they’re a bit firm then use a barmix. Add the eggs, melted butter, spices, molasses, syrup, vanilla and chopped up peel and ginger. Stir well to combine.

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, fruits and nuts together and stir into the wet ingredients.

You may need to add more flour. The batter should be sloppy but not too runny.

Pour into the prepared loaf tins and bake at 200. 1 lb loaf tins will need 35 – 45 mins . 2lb tins will take 45 mins to an hour.

Remove from oven and cool.

Notes

*  If you don’t have self raising flour you can use plain, in which case you need to double the amount of bicarbonate to 2 tsps.

This should make 2x 2lb loaves or 4 x 1 lb. It’s hard to be exact as the size of the bananas is variable.

I use loaf tin liners which makes it easy to add another loaf if required. Do not fill to the very top – leave about an inch clear .

You can make this with  no weighing, just bodge it all together and make sure that it’s a good sloppy mess- if you don’t have quite enough bananas to make it really sloppy then add a spot of milk.

I also add a couple of tbsps of candied orange peel and a couple of lumps of candied ginger which I wizz up in a mini processor and add to the mix. You can omit this if you prefer.

Variations

Add half a cup of chopped apple dusted with a half a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Add half a cup of chopped apricots and the zest of an orange. Omit the cinnamon and allspice.

You could add half a cup any fruit you like and adjust the spices accordingly – chopped glace cherries, chopped fresh pineapple and blueberries would also work well.