Angela Day’s gourmet burgers are packed with flavour.
On the menu:
Salmon burgers with wasabi mayo
Spicy vegetarian burgers with raita
Prosciutto lamb burgers
Asian-style pork burgers with pickled slaw
Cheese-filled beef burgers
SALMON BURGERS WITH WASABI MAYO
Makes 4
400g skinless salmon or trout fillets, coarsely chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped
125ml dill
10ml grated fresh ginger
grated lemon rind and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
250ml panko breadcrumbs
125ml creamy mayonnaise
10-15ml wasabi
olive oil, for frying
wholewheat rolls, to serve
1 avocado, sliced
pickled ginger
Place the salmon, spring onion, dill, ginger, lemon rind and juice in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture is combined but still chunky.
Transfer to a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper and mix in the breadcrumbs.
Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into patties.
Transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Combine mayo and wasabi and refrigerate until needed.
Heat some oil in a pan over high heat and fry the patties for 2 minutes a side.
Arrange on wholewheat rolls with avocado slices, wasabi mayonnaise and pickled ginger.
SPICY VEGETARIAN BURGERS WITH RAITA
Makes 8
30ml oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
10ml curry powder
10ml ground coriander
10ml ground cumin
5ml chilli powder
400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
400g can of butter beans, drained and rinsed
3 small courgettes, finely grated
1 carrot, finely grated
60ml chopped fresh parsley
60ml chopped fresh coriander
250ml fresh breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
1 egg
125ml chopped cashews
oil, for frying
large brown mushrooms
30ml olive oil
rocket, sliced tomato and sliced red onion, to serve
CUCUMBER RAITA
1 small cucumber, grated
125ml plain yoghurt
5ml chopped garlic
15ml lemon juice
125ml chopped fresh mint
salt and pepper
Heat the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft.
Add the spices and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas and butter beans until coarsely chopped.
Add to the onion and spices with the grated vegetables, chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, egg and chopped cashews.
Mix until well combined.
Divide the mixture into 8 and flatten into patties.
Transfer to a floured board and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Fry in a little oil for a few minutes a side.
Drizzle the mushrooms with a little olive oil and griddle until cooked.
Serve the burgers on a mushroom with rocket, slices of tomato and onion.
Dollop with cucumber raita.
Serve with sweet potato chips if desired.
RAITA: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Refrigerate until needed.
PROSCIUTTO LAMB BURGERS
Makes 4
500g lamb mince
125ml chopped fresh mint
1 egg
250ml breadcrumbs
125ml grated Parmesan
60ml chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 disc of feta, crumbled
salt and pepper
4 slices of prosciutto
125ml mayonnaise
60ml pesto
30ml olive oil
ciabatta rolls, toasted
rocket, sliced tomato and sliced red onion, to serve
crispy onion rings, to serve
In a large bowl, combine the mince, mint, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, salt and pepper, and mix well.
Divide the mixture into 4 and form into rectangular patties.
Wrap each in prosciutto, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise and pesto and refrigerate until needed.
Heat some oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the patties for 5 minutes a side.
Serve on toasted ciabatta rolls with rocket, slices of tomato and red onion and a dollop of pesto mayo.
Serve with crispy onion rings.
ASIAN-STYLE PORK BURGERS WITH PICKLED SLAW
Makes 4
600g pork mince
20ml grated fresh ginger
5ml chopped garlic
125ml chopped fresh coriander
45ml sweet chilli sauce
10ml sesame oil
250ml fresh breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
oil, for frying
sesame buns
lettuce and sweet chilli sauce, for serving
PICKLED SLAW
250ml white cabbage, shredded
250ml red cabbage, shredded
15ml salt
125ml rice vinegar
20-30ml castor sugar
5ml yellow mustard seeds
In a bowl, combine the mince, ginger, garlic, coriander, sweet chilli sauce, sesame oil, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture into 4 and shape into patties. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes a side. To ensure the burgers are fully cooked, place in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
Serve on sesame buns with lettuce, pickled slaw and extra sweet chilli sauce. Serve with potato wedges if desired.
SLAW: Combine the white and red cabbage in a bowl. Sprinkle the salt, and allow to stand for 20 minutes.
Rinse well and allow to drain thoroughly. Transfer to a bowl.
Mix the rice vinegar, sugar and mustard seeds and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour over the cabbage, refrigerate and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
CHEESE-FILLED BEEF BURGERS
Makes 4 large or 8 medium
15ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml chopped garlic
1kg beef mince
10ml garlic salt
2ml black pepper
10ml smoked paprika
10ml dried oregano
a pinch of chilli flakes
30ml BBQ sauce
60ml Worcestershire sauce
250ml fresh breadcrumbs
oil, for frying
hamburger buns, lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced onion and gherkins, for serving
CHEESE FILLING
250ml grated cheddar cheese
125ml grated Parmesan
125ml chopped fresh parsley
5 spring onions, finely chopped
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, then add to the mince with the garlic salt, pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, chilli flakes, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce and breadcrumbs.
If making 4 large patties, divide the mince mixture into 8 balls, then shape into flat discs. Place 4 discs on a board, fill with some cheese filling, cover with the remaining discs and shape into patties. Pinch the edges together to seal.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the patties over medium-low heat for 6-7 minutes a side.
Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, onion and gherkin. Serve with sweet potato chips if desired.
FILLING: Combine the ingredients.
* The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.
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