Homemade Hamburgers

It's just about barbeque season again, and what better thing to throw on the grill than a big juicy burger?

Ingredients:
1 pound groud beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs (use fresh if you can - throw a chunk of bread in a food processor and pulse until crummy)
1 egg
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 clove grated garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, or 1/2 Tbsp deydrated onion flakes

Mix spices and crumbs together in a big bowl.  Add egg and beef, mix with your hands until just combined.  Shape into four patties and cook on your preheated barbeque grill on medium-low heat until just cooked through.  Slap on some old cheddar and serve on split crusty buns with your favorite toppings.

Lasagne Casserole

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
2 peppers, (green, red, yellow, whatever) diced
1 small zucchini, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (or 1 227 gram package, sliced)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 jar or can of pureed tomatoes or tomato sauce
1 tub ricotta cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, or half of a container fresh baby spinach, chopped and steamed
oven-ready lasagne
oregeno
basil
salt and pepper
250 grams shredded mozzarella cheese (half of a large bar)

Directions

In a large pot, brown ground beef. Add onion and garlic and sautee until softened. Add peppers and mushrooms and sautee for a few more minutes. Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add enough pureed tomatoes or tomato sauce to thin it out. Season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese and spinach in a seperate bowl. Season with a dash of pepper and a pinch of salt. Sometimes I put a pinch of ground nutmeg in it, when I think of it, or add some parmesan if I have it. Put a little tomato sauce in the bottom of casserole dish so the noodles don't stick. Put one layer of noodles down, scoop half of the sauce on top. Add another layer of noodles. Spread the ricotta mixture onto the noodles. Add another noodle layer, then the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Broil for a few minutes to get the cheese on top melty and bubbly.
I sometimes do a vegetarian version. Just add a diced eggplant and an extra zucchini.

Simmered Steak

Simmered Steak

One 2 to 2.5 pound simmering steak
A couple of tablespoons of flour
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp canola or olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups puréed tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 teaspoons each of fresh thyme, sage, marjoram, or 1/2 teaspoon each of dried

1 Rub flour into both sides of the steak. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a wide, shallow (3 inches), covered pan to medium high heat. Add 2 Tbsp of oil to coat the pan. Place the steak in the pan, and cook for a few minutes on each side, enough to brown the steak.
2 Remove the steak from the pan and set aside. Add onions and garlic to the pan and another tablespoon of oil. Cook the onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes, using a metal spatula to scrape up any steak drippings, mixing them in with the onions. Add half of the herbs to the onions. Return the steak to the pan, placing it on top of the onions. Crowd the onions around and on top of the steak. Sprinkle the rest of the herbs on top of the steak. Add the 2 cups of puréed tomatoes to the pan.

3 Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Use a high lid if available. A high lid will help circulate the steam and moisture from the cooking juices and keep the steak moist. Bring the steak in the tomato purée to a simmer and then lower the heat to the lowest heat possible to maintain a low simmer.

4 Cook for about an hour, turning the steak every so often. To check it, you can poke it with a fork. The meat should be quite tender. To serve, remove the steak and slice it on a carving board, or shred with two forks and serve on rice with the sauce. Serves 4-6.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

1 – 2 lb top sirloin
½ lb mushrooms, sliced
½ cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 sprig rosemary
1 cup sour cream

Slice sirloin into strips ½” thick and brown it in a frying pan in small batches. Set meat aside, and drain excess fat from pan. Add wine and stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Add rosemary and reserved beef. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Warm through and serve with noodles.