Beef Dairy Casserole

The family loved this one!  From Company's Coming.

500 g Ground Beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 cup milk
250 g cream cheese, softened
284 ml condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups kernel corn
1/4 cup chopped pimiento
2 cups cooked noodles
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine beef, onion and cooking oil in frying pan.  Scramble fry until meat is browned.  Drain off any fat.  Spoon meat into 2.5 litre casserole.  Set aside.

Combine milk with cheese in medium size bowl.  Blend on low until smooth with hand mixer.

Add soup, corn, pimiento, nootles salt and pepper to milk and cheese mixture.  Stir.  Pour all into casserole, stirring to distribute through meat.  Bake in 350 F oven for 40 minutes.

Serves 4

Umami Burger

This is a great burger to try, I don't know about you but I love the BBQ!

1 onion, finely diced
500 g Ground Beef - lean
2 slices thick sliced bacon - preferably maple
1/4 cup quick oats
3 tbsp Umami paste

1. Preheat barbecue to medium high heat.  Cook onions in frying pan over grill with a small amount of oil until soft and golden, stirring often, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
2. In large bowl, combine onions, beef, bacon, oats and paste.  Form into four equal patties.
3. Place patties on greased grill.  Cook with lid up for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Serve with your favourite toppings.  Try the following Sundried Tomato Mayo for a change.

SUNDRIED TOMATO MAYO

Combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp Umami Paste and 2 tbsp finely chopped dry pack sundried tomatoes.  Spread over cooked Umami burgers.

The Ooh-La-La Burger

This is fantastic, anytime you add sauteed onions and mushrooms to a hamburger you make magic.  But add some red wine to the onions and ooh-la-la!  The French Bread is fun...but experiment with what you like.  I would stay away from an Onion Bun though - I think it would overpower the onions and mushrooms.

RED WINE CARMELIZED ONIONS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp packed brown sugar

SAUTEED MUSHROOMS
2 tbsp olive
250 g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

BURGERS
750g medium ground beef (I used lean)
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
2 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper
125 g brie cheese, thinly sliced
8 slices French Bread (not baguette)
Grainy Dijon mustard to taste
2 cups lightly packed washed and dried mache (lambs lettuce) (or baby spinach if you prefer)

The Ole Burger

Who doesn't like burgers!!!  A meal that adults and kids will enjoy.  I barbecue as long as I can (I have been known to shovel out the BBQ in the winter).  Here is a recipe I got out of Food and Drink 2011 that has a nice twist on the usual burger.  I almost always make my own patties and this one spices it up with Chorizo Sausage - use Italian if you can't find uncured Chorizo.

4 thin slices serrano ham

SAFFRON MAYO (I didn't do this - just used regular Mayo)
1/4 tsp crumbled saffron threads
1 tbsp warm water
1/2 cup mayonnaise

BURGERS
3/4 lb (375 g) uncured (raw) chorizo sausage (use Italian if you don't have this available)
3/4 lb (375 g) ground pork (ground chicken works well too)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/4 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper
90 g Manchego cheese, thinly sliced (I couldn't find this so I used Havarti)
4 onion buns
washed and dried boston lettuce leaves
2/3 cup drained sliced roasted peppers

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Lay ham slices in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Place a second piece of parchment paper over ham and top with a second baking sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until ham is crisp.  Let cool on a wire rack set over a plate.  (this is fussy, but totally worth doing)
3. In a medium bowl, sprinkle saffron over warm water.  Let stand 15 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise until well combined.
4. Slit sausage skins and crumble sausage meat into a large bowl.   Add ground pork, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper, and mix gently but thoroughly until well combined.  Form sausage mixture into 4 even size patties about 1/2 inch thick.  With the heel of your hand make an indentation in centre of each patty.  This helps burgers cook more evenly.
5. Preheat barbecue to medium.
6. Cook patties on well oiled grill for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until a meat thermometer inserted horizontally in centre of burgers registers 170F.  Just before burgers are ready, top each burger with one quarter of the cheese.  Split onion buns in half horizontally and toast, cut side down, until golden.
7. Spread bottom halves of buns with saffron mayo.  Top with Boston lettuce leaves.  Add a burger to each bun, along with roasted peppers and a slice of serrano ham.  Replace tops of buns.

Burgers!

How about a nice change from turkey?  Brush the leaves off the BBQ, don a raincoat and get grilling!  I usually BBQ until the snow is so high outside that I just can't get to it anymore - so here is a great, simple burger recipe. This recipe came out of Todays Parent July 2008

1 1/2 lb (750 g) Lean ground beef
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper

In a bowl, stir together the ground beef, water, soy sauce and pepper.  By hand, very gently form into 4 to 6 patties, handling the meat as lightly as possible.  Arrange on a waxed paper lined platter and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the meat to firm up.  Cold meat will hold together better on the grill.

At grilling time, preheat the barbecue on high for 5 minutes.  Place the burgers on the grill, turn the heat down to medium and grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side (flipping once) or until the meat is no longer pink inside.

Remove from the grill and serve on buns with the usual accompaniments.

** Goat cheese or feta makes for a wonderful adult hamburger accompaniment.