Recipe (Experiment): Half Pound Smoked Paprika Beef Burger

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

It’s not often I have a burger for dinner. I think it’s because I associate them with Elvis and toilets. My weight’s always been a bit, well . . .  all over the place really so they’re in the guilty pleasure category!!! Anyway I put this one together after spending most of the day in ‘the zone’ writing. I’d not really got around to eating and I’d decided to crack open a bottle of wine around 9PM by the time I’d finished the first glass, I decided to hit the kitchen!! I’d heard rumours of a 4 layer burger that had been made the night before by one of the housemates. So when I hit the kitchen, I did so possessed by raging burger envy!! 

This was the result . . . 

On the drawing board!

ingredients (serves 2 animals or makes 4 1/4 pounders)

for the burger (makes 2 half pounders)

500g of minced beef (20% fat)

10g / 2 tsp smoked paprika salt (50/50 salt/smoked paprika)

2 brown cap / shiitake mushroom (fine dice)

1 medium onion (fine dice)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

25g butter

50ml oil

2 tsp porridge oats

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 egg (optional - see notes)

for the bun, extras & garnish

2 large soft burger buns (brioche with sesame if you can get them!!!)

2 large gherkins

1 really ripe beef tomato (sliced)

150g brie (skin off)

4 slices thick cut smoked bacon (streaky if you prefer)

100g mayonaise

20g coriander (fine chop)

30g fried shallots (thai style)

apparatus / equipment

Steamer with a plate on top (optional - keep things warm before assembly)

method

Add the butter and oil to a pan on a medium heat, once the butter has melted and started to brown slightly add the onions and cook until translucent. Then add the mushroom and garlic and cook until the onions are caramelised and the mushroom is reduced. It’ll look similar to a duxelles. That it the most complicated step done!

Mix the rest of the burger ingredients together and check the seasoning by frying a tiny piece of the mix, once your happy with it

put the mix aside for 20 mins, while you collect the other ingredients together.

Mix the mayo and coriander, and set aside. Then prep the rest of the ingredients, the tomato and gherkins should be at room temperature, as should the burger mix!

For the best results it’s important to keep all your ingredients warm once they’re cooked so your burger is hot and juicy when it’s assembled! I use a plate sat on top of a steamer, specially if I’m making a lot of these for friends!

Shape burgers and cook those first on a medium high heat. These are BIG ***king BURGERS *** so slowly does it!

Once ready pop them onto the steamer plate to keep warm.

Then the bacon. Add the cheese on top of the bacon after it’s been turned. Put it with the burgers once ready.

Deglaze the pan with a touch of white wine (about 75ml) and add a knob of butter (25g) reduce this and dip the top of each bun in the sauce, then add the bottoms and toast insides of the buns in the pan until brown.

Time to assemble, quickly and accurately . . .  err . . . .sorta!

what could go wrong? (notes) 

You could get caught eating it, and get a right *ollocking from the other half for not sharing! ; )

You eat more than one of these during any 6 month period and put on 40lbs!! Yikes.

to serve

Assemble and serve on hot plates. (with napkins it’s messy)

variations

A touch of sriracha chilli sauce mixed with the coriander mayo layer is pretty good!

Next time I make this I think I’ll try it without the egg mixed in. 

Better with shitake mushrooms, but they were out at the store.

Brie is an unusual choice for a burger but it worked really well, nothing to stop you from using the cheese of your choice. It’s got to be one that melts nicely!!

Beetroot & horseradish sauce goes really well with beef, switching the coriander mayo for it makes for such a good burger.

Experiment - Recipe: Pearl Barley with Mushrooms & Aubergine (Vegetarian)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

I tried this with and without mint and coriander as an experiment. Wow, the fresh herbs add a light and fragrant touch to the dish and balance it nicely - they make such a difference!!

I love this dish. The barley gives it bite. It’s packed with earthy goodness from the mushrooms, nuts and aubergine, and balanced with apricot, mint and coriander! A cracking flavour profile.

ingredients (serves 4)

for the pearl barley

250g pearl barley (+500ml water / veg stock)

250g chestnut mushrooms (cut into 1/4’s)

200g onion (1 large, sliced)

6 dried apricots (medium dice)

3 sprigs thyme (picked)

200ml apple juice

1 large aubergine (large dice)

couple pinches paprika salt (50/50 smoked paprika / salt)

olive oil

25g toasted sunflower & pumpkin seeds (you’ll need some butter for toasting) (link 720)

5g coriander (chopped)

5g mint (chopped)

2 spring onion (sliced into rings)

1 tbsp apple chutney (optional)

for the garnish

1 spring onion (sliced into rings)

5g chives (chopped)

method

Cook pearl barley 2:1 by weight - up to 3:1 if you like it softer and with residue liquid. I use a rice cooker for this. If you’re doing it in a sauce pan, use a nonstick pan, bring to the boil then reduce to simmer with a lid on the pan, cook until all the water is absorbed and the grain is soft but still has bite.

Cook each of the ingredients separately, putting them aside until needed. (I use takeaway boxes, they stack well and take up very little space when stored!)

Put the dried apricots and apple juice into a small saucepan and bring to the boil then set to simmer for 10mins until they’ve softened. 

Turn off the heat and add the fresh thyme leaves, put aside to infuse until needed.

Brush the mushrooms to remove any soil, then take the stalks off, and quarter them lengthways.

Cook the mushroom stalks w/ the onions in a little oil until the onions have started to brown. Don’t forget to season them. 

Combine all the ingredients except the nuts, spring onions, chives, mint and coriander and heat up in a large pan.

Then add the nuts, spring onions, chives, mint and coriander and mix through.

to serve

Serve in a serving bowl or in the pan, dressed with the spring onion, chives and a sprig of thyme.

variations

It’s quite nice with a poached egg and garlic bread!

If you like things spicy, add a finely chopped scotch bonnet and serve with coriander and mint greek yoghurt. (season the yoghurt with salt and lime juice) 

I had it with a pork shoulder chop done in a pimientos de padron and white wine sauce with garlic bread. That, methinks, will be another post!! : )

Or use it as the stuffing for a deboned leg of lamb!! Think I'd probably replace the mint and coriander for 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg, coriander, garam masala, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. And bump up (as in double or triple) the amount of dried fruit and nuts. And add cranberries for a touch of acidity!

Comfort Recipe: Smokey Linguini - Vegetarian (works w/ Spaghetti, why not add Chorizo!)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

When I’m feeling like something that’s going to satisfy me, and not be a giant pain in the arse to make this really hits the spot!!

It does have one shortcut which is the garlic and onion reduction, I usually make a batch and store it in the fridge in an old mayo jar - one of the big ones!! Then I don’t have to chop onions or garlic or mess about at all!! Recipe for the garlic onion reduction is here (it’s basically lob ingredients into a pot and reduce it for a couple of hours).

This one’s just as simple!!

ingredients (serves 2-4)

for the linguini

200g linguini 

1 tsp salt

1.5L water

for the smokey flavour

2 tbsp garlic onion reduction (recipe)

1 tsp smoked paprika

10g picked thyme (optional but really nice)

slug of olive oil

for the garnish

chives or spring onions (chopped)

apparatus / equipment

colander

boiling pot

method

for the linguini

Bring 1.5L water to the boil (use kettle for high speed results!) 

Add the water to a boiling pot with the salt, dissolve the salt and add the pasta.

Cook for ~9-11mins depending how you like it. (9min al dente - 11min sooooft)

Then strain it, keeping the water to add a little to the sauce.

smokey flavour

First make sure you get hold of some decent smoked paprika: I use La Chinata - it has a great smokey flavour much better than most of the generic ‘smoked’ paprika you get in a lot of places. (you can get it at the supermarket too!!)

OK that said, dust a healthy tsp of smoked paprika over a medium hot dry frying pan. As soon as it starts to change colour and start giving off a smokey aroma (which will be 5-10seconds) add 2 tbsp of garlic reduction, a slug of olive oil and the thyme and mix well! Add the pasta and a 1/2 ladle of pasta water and toss the pasta with a couple of wooden forks. 

to serve

Serve on hot plates dusting with chives or spring onion.

thinking ahead

Now the pasta purists out there would probably have me shot, but this is just as good the next day and microwaves pretty well so it’s great to load up a takeaway box and have it for lunch the next day!

variations

Make it meaty!! Dice 100g chorizo and cook until browned on the outside, add the picked thyme, cook for 2 more minutes then put aside. Use the same pan for more flavour and add the paprika etc and follow recipe above, adding the cooked chorizo just before the pasta!Makes for a nice meaty variant!! 

Experiment Recipe: Shin of Veal

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

After 6 months being bounced around from one place to another, I've finally found somewhere I can cook!! You have no idea how much that means to me!! I didn't until this week! To be able to cook in a kitchen without being frowned at for one reason or another, gorgeous aromas emanating form my sauce pan or stock pot . . . hmmmmm; I have to say, it's nice to be able to get back to experimenting in the kitchen, vey nice indeed!! 

On that note here's and experiment I did the other day, with what looked like a rather large lamb shank, actually veal.

As you can see from the components (carrots, cabbage, potatoes), there's lots of very standard things in this experiment. It's is really about the veal shin, and how is comes out after braising. I've treated the rest of the accompaniments very simply. So if worst come to the worst, we've got some nice veggies and things to eat, think I might make a giant yorkshire pudding too, you know, just in case!! He he . . . 

Now that's a yorkshire pudding!! (The pyrex dish is 12" long)

ingredients (serves 4) 

for the veal & gravy

2 shin of veal (seasoned and seared brown)

3 onions (charred)

1 leek (cleaned and cut unto 2cm lengths)

2 star anise

2 chicken stock cubes

2L water

4g flavoured salt

for the carrots

4 carrots (pealed, and cut into 1/3's)

50g butter

1 tsp flavoured salt 

2 star anise

flavoured salt

300g salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

for the savoy cabbage

1 savoy cabbage (outer leaves off, but into 1/4's)

for the potatoes

8 medium desiree potatoes (cleaned, 1/4's skin on)

or jersey royals at this time of year

apparatus / equipment

Frying pan.

Large braising pot.

method

veal

Coat the meat in a thin film of oil - so the salt sticks - then sear it in a pan to brown the outside.

Once browned put it in the pot where it will be braised.

Peal and halve the onions, then add a little olive oil to the same pan and put the onions in flat side down, cook on a medium high heat until the flat sides are charred, then add them to the pot.

Add 2L water, bring to the boil and set to simmer 3hrs

carrots

Put all the ingredients in to a small pan, bring to the boil then set to simmer for 30-40mins

flavoured salt

Measure the ingredients and then mix well until a evenly distributed seasoning is created! Job done!

savoy cabbage

Boil in salted water, drain, leaving it as dry as possible, allow it to let off steam on a tea towel. The leaves of  a savoy cabbage will are all crinkly and will carry a lot of water, you want that to be lovely gravy instead of water, so get them as dry as possible.

You don't want lots of water diluting the gravy . . . . eeeeuuuwh!!

potatoes

Boil them in salted water, a 1.5inch diced potatoes take approx. 6-8mins (after the water starts boiling) to cook. Depending on the size of course!

thinking ahead

Put it on at lunch time, it'll be ready for tea time with very little effort!

to serve

Put each thing into serving trays and let people help themselves!!

verdict - ahem I mean conclusion:

Gorgeous!! The the meat falling off the bone and the tendon was super soft and unctuous! I bought 1 shin to experiment with, but 2 would be better for 4 people. 

RECOMMENDED!!