My secret (not any more!) pork burger
Taking some inspiration from the German Frikadellen (which use bread in the recipe) and Italian meatballs (which use parmesan), over the years I have come up with my own favourite combination of ingredients. This burger is very different from the more dense, meaty, beef burger and is also a great way to get some vegetables into the kids. It's tasty, soft and utterly moreish. It's also very good cold in a sandwich with some relish or ketchup or on its own with a simple salad. Or you can shape the mixture into meatballs instead, cook and then add to a rich tomato sauce and serve on your choice of pasta.
Ingredients: (makes 5 generous burgers)
500g minced pork
Half a courgette grated
50g parmesan grated
1 generous tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg
1 bread roll crumbled
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Optional: Half an apple grated
1 tsp fennel seeds
Method: Mix all ingredients together. For German Frikadellen I would soak the bread roll in milk and then squeeze out and crumble into the meat mixture but because the courgette is very wet, I just use the dry bread crumbled. The mixture should be quite wet but not so wet that you find it hard to shape the burgers. Add more breadcrumbs if this happens. Shape into as many burgers as you want (5 large or more smaller). Heat a splash of oil (I use rapeseed) in a frying pan. I fry my burgers on a medium-low heat so that they cook slowly and to avoid burning and smoking. Cook for around 6-7 minutes each side. Serve in a roll with your choice of garnishes. I like to keep it simple - spread ketchup on one half of the roll and mayo on the other and top the burger with some romaine lettuce and sliced tomato. You can put slices of mature cheddar on top too or anything else that you like.