Where you will want to throw the whole spice cupboard at a lamb burger, those made with minced pork need nothing more than rosemary, oregano or thyme, and a smidgen of garlic in the way of seasoning. Serves 4. I will often cook a burger without any seasoning other than salt and pepper. Trickle some of the fennel’s buttery pan juices over the cut sides of the bread, place some of the fennel on 4 of the pieces, lay a burger on each, a little more fennel, the reserved fronds, then top with the rest of the focaccia. Good though a beef burger can be, my heart lies with patties, meatballs and burgers made from pork. Add the radish sprouts, then serve with the burgers, tucking the salad on top of the patty or sandwiching it all together in a bun. The slightly uneven texture you end up with gives a looser, less tight texture. Cut the meat into fine dice, as small as you can, removing any bits of fat or sinew, before chopping it to a coarse mince. Shape the mixture into thick patties about the size of a digestive biscuit, then leave to rest and firm up a little in the fridge. Grind in plenty of black pepper and sea salt. This often makes the most interesting mince of all, using cuts we rarely see on display. Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk, Few things are better suited to a hot summer's night than grilling a burger – and it's always worth making your own, Burning desire: Nigel Slater's chilli and sun-dried tomato burger. Once they are sizzling, sticky and sweet, they should be cooked. For the salad, slice the tomatoes thickly, then as soon as you have removed the burgers, add them to the pan and toss in the hot juices. Although I have tried everything from rump to topside in a burger, I prefer chuck or skirt. You can mince pretty much any cut of meat you like for a patty. Let them cook for 4 or 5 minutes on each side, turning until they are fully browned on both sides. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin for the Observer Many burger recipes use raw onion, but I prefer to cook the onions a little first. Grate the lime zest in with the pork then add the mint leaves, finely chopped. Pork loves a generous hand with the salt. Grate the lemon and add the zest to the pork, then halve and squeeze the lemon. Mix together the pork mince and breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl with the lemon zest and parmesan. Put the breadcrumbs and pork into a mixing bowl. Easy though it is to buy the meat ready minced, I prefer to choose a whole piece and prepare it myself. (You will get more juice from the lime if you warm it a little first, then roll it hard on the table with the palm of your hand.) https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ricotta_beefburger_25500 Usual flavourings are grated ginger, ground coriander or lemon, but this time I introduced the sweet-sharpness of quince paste. Any cut will do for the mince, and a little fat is no bad thing, but again I like to keep the minced meat coarse. Add the herbs and … (The only true way to check that they are cooked through to the middle is to break one in half.). Share the remaining mixture into four thick patties. Keep the heat low and turn the slices regularly until they are soft and sweet. Main course. For the burger:red onion 1quince paste (membrillo) 2 heaped tbspminced pork 400goil a little, For the salad:tomatoes 4radish sprouts a handful. Put 450g of coarsely minced pork in a mixing bowl. Add to the pork. Taste the patty, then alter the seasoning of the remaining mixture to taste. Main course. If I am making a burger, a meat loaf or patties, a plate of meatballs or lamb kofta, I like to start from scratch. Finely slice 1 large, unblemished bulb of fennel, putting any fluffy green fronds to one side, then cook in 2-3 tbsp of olive oil and a large knob of butter in a shallow pan. I prefer a mince that is rough and open in texture, despite the fact that my burger will probably crumble a little on the grill, or my meat loaf will fall apart. Some dried oregano, in place of the rosemary, will please the little burgers’ Italian hearts. Cheeseburger and fries by James Martin. Keep them succulent by using a good fatty cut of meat or by adding a handful of minced streaky bacon or pancetta. Peel and finely chop the red onion, then cook it for 10 minutes in a shallow pan in a little oil until soft and pale gold. Halve the chilli lengthways, discard the seeds, and chop the flesh very finely. Method Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. But the beef burgers I grilled one blistering evening last week got a spike of extra heat from a shredded ripe chilli and some deep, smoky notes from sun-dried tomatoes, an ingredient I will rarely admit to using. f I am making a burger, a meat loaf or patties, a plate of meatballs or lamb kofta, I like to start from scratch. In place of the focaccia, wrap the sizzling patties up in large curls of crisp, iceberg lettuce and sprigs of mint. Tear or finely shred the basil leaves and stir into the juice of the lime. A meaty midweek treat with a herby, citrus twist. Peel and crush (or mince or finely chop) 2 juicy cloves of garlic. This can be hard work, but worth it. Dress the avocado with the lime and basil. Keep them succulent by using a good fatty cut of meat or by adding a handful of minced streaky bacon or pancetta. Oh, and salt. Halve the avocados, remove and discard the stone, remove the skin then slice the flesh. To get a burger with a nice open texture it is probably best to chop the meat rather than mince it. Of all the burgers I make, those made with pork give me the most pleasure. Main course. Burgermeister: Nigel Slater's quince pork burger. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, chop them almost to a pulp, then toss them with the steak mince, chillies and a generous seasoning of salt. That’s a good 20-25 minutes over a moderate heat. Main course. Butcher's mince is economical and will vary according to what they have around to use up. Stir regularly, making sure the onion doesn't brown, then mix in the quince paste and set aside. It made for a ravishingly good little burger. ‘Little burgers with Italian hearts’: pork burgers with orange and fennel. The point of making your own mince is not only knowing exactly what it is made from, but taking the chance to make it as coarse or as fine as you wish. Grate the zest from 1 blood orange on the finest teeth of a grater. Cook the burgers on a hot griddle pan or in a shallow layer of oil in a frying pan.