Burgers on the Barbie!

Cian and I have made friends with some Aussie’s in our apartment block, like us, they like to eat, drink and eat some more. Match made in heaven. We went halves on a barbecue  recently and have overkilled on my burger recipe the last few days! Make these burgers in bulk, because they freeze pretty well and since Ireland/Canada has such unpredictable weather, it’s good for a last minute BBQ! Check out the recipe for my Honey&Lime Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut dip too!

Makes 12 burger patties

Ingredients:

2 pounds of lean minced beef

2 cups of breadcrumbs (about 5 slices of bread)

handful of your favourite crackers (I use tuc or carr cheese crackers)

1 egg

1 tbs of olive oil

half a tomato, diced finely

1 onion, diced fnely

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp each of chilli powder,basil,thyme, fresh coriander & parsley

handful of grated parmigiana or mozzarella cheese. 

Salt & pepper 

Directions:

1) In a blender, mix your bread, crackers and fresh coriander. Pour mixture into a large bowl.

2) Add olive oil, meat, spices, cheese, tomato and diced onion and garlic. Pour the beaten egg over the mixture.

3) With clean hands, work the mixture together. This is a messy job but only way to get everything combined. If mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs, if it’s too dry, add an extra teaspoon of olive oil. 

4) Mould into patties and cover with cling-film and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes until they firm up. Put those babies on the grill and they taste so good. Serve with some cheese, whatever toppings you like and in a tasty burger bun! Summer indeed has arrived!

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Garlic and Cheese Potato Gratin

A Great side dish that goes well with pretty much everything from chicken to steak to fish. So creamy and garlicky with that nice kick of cheese in all the right places. I have to admit that Suzi has become an expert in the art of gratin making and it’s a skill I hope to master as well. The ease of this dish is topped only by it’s taste. Great served with our Panko crusted Salmon or even as a side with some pizza. We’ve done both!!!!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

5 yellow potatoes

1/2 cup of cream

1/4 cup of melted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

sea salt,black pepper, rosemary

Sprinkle of parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 400F/200C. Peel potatoes and cut into thin slices. Boil a saucepan of water and when the water reaches boiling point, place the sliced potatoes carefully into the boiling water and blanch potatoes for 4 minutes.

    

2) Using an oven proof dish, line brush the end of the dish with melted butter. Add your first layer of sliced potatoes, garnish with garlic,salt,pepper and a small bit of rosemary. Layer with more potatoes. Garnish again with butter, garlic, salt, pepper and this time a spoon of cream. Keep layering the potatoes and when you reach the top of the oven proof dish, pour all of the cream over it, add the parmesan and cover in tinfoil.

    

3) Put in the oven for 45 minutes with the foil on. After 45 minutes, remove the foil and let the top of the potatoes brown for a further 10 minutes. Great served on the side of Salmon or Steak. Enjoy!!!

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Beef Wellington

When Suzi was younger she asked her father Shamie one evening while out for dinner what beef Wellington was. When he explained that it was fillet of beef wrapped in puff pastry she gasped in amazement at the idea of such wonders. She asked could she order it and was greeted with a phrase that influenced this recipe, “The only way you’ll ever have beef Wellington is if you make it yourself”. Thank you Shamie Gubbins your words inspired probably the best meal we have created to date. The recipe that follows is a combination of many different recipes and videos, but thanks must go to Gordon Ramsey for making it look so easy!!!!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.8 lbs Beef Tenderloin (ask butcher to remove chain from tenderloin)

1 sheet puff pastry

6 slices Parma Ham (Prosciutto)

6 button mushrooms

1/2 onion

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

1 teaspoon of both thyme & Rosemary

2 twists salt & pepper

1 tablespoon Olive oil (frying of beef only)

Directions:

1) First step is to pre-heat oven to 400F/200C, then heat the olive oil in a pan until smoking and seal the beef tenderloin on all sides including both ends until slightly brown, roughly 20secs on each part. Leave to cool and brush on the mustard all over the beef.

      

2) Chop up the mushrooms, onion and garlic, place in a food processor/ blender and blitz for 30secs. Place paste in a dry frying pan no oil needed. Fry on medium heat until all the water is out of the mushrooms, press down on the paste the get as much water out as possible. Leave cool for 10mins.

      

3) Lay a layer of cling film down on your work surface, its time to assemble stage one of  the Wellington. On the cling film lay the parma ham slices so they overlap slightly. On top of the ham spread the mushroom paste to make a thin layer. Then take your sealed beef and place in the centre of the ham. Take one end of the film and slowly roll over the beef and then do the same with the other end until the ham surrounds the beef. Wrap both ends as tightly as you can to seal the Wellington package, refrigerate for 20mins to firm up.

            

4) Roll out the puff pastry sheet until its big enough to comfortably wrap the Wellington parcel but do not roll too thin. Should be approx 3mm in thickness.

5) Take the chilled wrapped beef out of the fridge and unwrap from the cling film. Egg wash the edges of the puff pastry with egg yolk. Place the beef in the centre of pastry and roll and seal both ends with a little egg wash. Wrap Wellington in cling film again and chill for another 20mins.

       

6) Egg wash entire Wellington and score the top using the back of a knife. (do whatever design takes your fancy). Place on a greased baking tray and bake in the oven for 40mins until golden brown. Allow to rest for 10-15mins before cutting to allow juices to settle within the Wellington.

  

7) Slice 1″ thick slices and the timing should have resulted in a perfectly cooked Wellington with a centre of medium/rare beef. Serve with a side of creamy Mashed potatoes and some buttery green beans. Enjoy!!!!

    

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Ri’s Shepard’s Pie

I was literally brought up on this dinner. Although Ri overkilled it in the end, It’s a classic rainy day Irish-Mammy dish. It’s also pretty economical, because it makes 6 portions and is good to freeze! I think Shepard’s Pie is technically lamb mince, but I use beef mince, suit yourself though! Enjoy! 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

500g of minced beef

1/2 an onion and 1 garlic clove

500ml of beef stock

1 tablespoon of red wine

1 carrot + a handful of peas

2 tablespoons of Worchester Sauce

2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

1 tsp each of rosemary, parsley, chilli powder & salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of flour

5 medium yellow potatoes

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of cream

Handful of grated cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes. Chop them into halves (If you chop them up too much,it makes the mash lumpy) Boil in salted water on medium-high heat, until soft. (about 13 minutes)

2. Finely chop onions and garlic. Sauté on a low heat in some olive oil. Add the mince meat. It’s important to keep this on a low heat, because the potatoes will take a while to cook anyway and there is nothing worse then overcooked minced meat! 

3. Season with all herbs, including salt and pepper. Add the first ladle of beef stock, with the red wine and turn up the heat to medium. 

4. Add peas and chopped carrots (I use a potato peel, so they are nice and thin) Add the tablespoons of soy sauce, Worcester, and tomato purée. Add the rest of the beef stock and and sieve in the flour to thicken the sauce. 

  

5. Drain potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cut the potatoes up with a sharp knife before you use a masher (prevents lumps) add butter and cream and grab your masher and start mashin’. Turn on your grill.

 

6. Spoon your meat mixture into the bottom of a lasagne dish. (We used individual pie dishes, because that’s what Ri does) Spoon the mash over,(I used a  piping bag) and if you feel like it sprinkle on some grated cheese or brush over some melted butter. Grill until golden brown, serve and Voila!

  

   

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Quick Beef Stir-fry with Noodles.

This is the ultimate recipe for students,workaholics and people who hate to cook. It’s healthy, fast and relatively economical. Our friend Irish Steve, requested a Thai stir-fry, but due to the pissing rain in Vancouver today, we did not have the energy or drive to run to the shop. Next time Steve, but this is a nice alternative!  We bought fresh coriander a few weeks ago, didn’t use it all, so popped it into the freezer! We keep a stash of frozen Chinese vegetables from Safe-way, Ireland: Dunnes Stores do a great Asian Veg mix, invest!When we made our steak sandwich, we froze the extra steak we didn’t need, which we used for this dish. It’s a recession after all, I advice you to do the same, once defrosted safely, it can save a trip to the supermarket and help for a healthy quick dinner. 

Serves 2 big portions

Ingredients:

1 large strip loin steak 

2 bundles of dried noodles

2 garlic cloves

1 green onion

3 tablespoons of ginger

tablespoon of lime juice

5 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of honey

2 teaspoons of chili powder

2 teaspoons of Chinese 5 spice

handful of freshly chopped coriander

frozen Chinese vegetables

Directions:

1. Thinely cut your steak into thin slices. If they are not thin enough, cover both sides of the steak in clingfilm and use a rolling pin to flatten.

  

2. In a freezer bag, add the honey, chilli powder, half the soy sauce, half the 5 spice, salt, black pepper, and half the ginger. Place the steak pieces into the freezer bag and shake well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cook your noodles, strain and leave aside. 

 

3. Heat a wok with a little bit of oil until it is nearly smoking. Pour the marinated steak pieces into the hot wok and sauté for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove cooked beef and place in a bowl and put to the side. Turn down the heat to medium-low, add a tiny bit more oil, the garlic and the vegetables. It is vital to take the meat out before this point, so it doesn’t over cook and lose all its good flavour from the marinade.  

 

4. Add the remaining soy sauce, ginger, salt and black pepper as the vegetables are cooking.  Add the lime juice and stir constantly.  Turn heat to medium and stir in beef, noodles and with your (clean) hand, sprinkle the coriander through the stir-fry. Serve immediately! 

 

 

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Cheese Steak Sandwich on Homemade Bread!

We made this sandwich the other day for dinner and I have to say it was probably the best dish we have made so far. The flavour in the steak is amazing and every aspect is so easy to do. We used our cheese, onion and garlic bread and it worked a dream. Serve it with homemade paprika chips like we did or a simple side salad, either is great. The important thing to remember is to get good quality steak, cut really thin and marinade it for as long as you can. Give it a try and I promise you wont be dissapointed and you’ll be super proud of yourself as well!!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large Striploin steak

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon of Rosemary

3 twists of salt and pepper

1 large garlic clove finely chopped

1/2 small Onion

2 slices of Flavoured Cheese*

To Serve:

2 tablespoons of Mayonnaise

Romaine Lettuce

Chopped Tomato

Directions:

1) If buying your steak from a butcher, ask them to thinly slice it, making four slices from the steak. We bought the steak pre-packed and so I had to slice it myself using a very sharp knife. (A good trick to tenderize your steak and make it thinner is to lace it between to sheets of cling film and roll it with a rolling pin.)

2) In a bowl mix the soy sauce, worcestershire, olive oil, salt, black pepper, rosemary and chopped garlic. Add your steak slices to the bowl and mix so all the steak is covered in the marinade ( a good tip is to place all the ingredients in a freezer bag, add steak and shake to evenly distribute flavour). Cover your steak and place in the fridge for as long as you can, I did it 2 hours prior to cooking.

3) Cut your Onion into rings for frying.

4) Take your steak out of the fridge, heat a pan over medium/high heat with tiny bit of olive oil. Warm your bread for plating.

5) Add your steak to the pan and cook 20 seconds on each side. Sounds short but the steak should be so thin that it will end up perfectly cooked.

6) Take off the heat and add cheese slices on top of steak, cover pan with the lid of a large pot to melt the cheese.

7) Remove steak and let rest, add onions and garlic from marinade and fry in butter until soft.

8) Chop up cooked garlic and add to mayonnaise to make a tasty garlic mayo and apply to one side of your bread.

9) Add your steak to the bread and top with some romaine lettuce and chopped tomato. Serve with a side of our homemade paprika fries or a green salad.

* In Ireland we made a similar dish to this and we used Dunnes Mediterranean cheddar cheese slices, while here in Vancouver we used Jalapeño flavoured monterey jack cheese slices. It’s up to you, but infused cheese slices provide some very good flavour, give it a try. Enjoy!!

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