Everyday is Burger Day.

The Classic Burger

INGREDIENTS

• Burger patty
• 200g pork mince
• 200g lamb mince
• 200g beef mince
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 45ml (3 tbsp) fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 100g Parmesan, freshly grated
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 45ml (3 tbsp) olive/avocado oil
• Dressing
• 150ml good-quality mayonnaise
• 5ml (1 tsp) ground paprika
• Roast peppers
• 4 red peppers
• 125ml (½ cup) olive/avocado oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5ml (1 tsp) red wine vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Caramelised onions
• 2 red onions, finely sliced
• 100g sugar
• 6 large sesame burger buns, halved
• fresh wild rocket
• 150g provolone, sliced
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the patties, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Wet your hands and divide the mince meat mixture into 6 balls. Flatten the balls slightly and place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Leave to rest for about 20 minutes.

2

For the dressing, mix the mayonnaise and paprika together and set aside.

3

Preheat the oven grill.

4

For the roast peppers, prick each pepper all over with a needle and place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with 45ml (3 tbsp) of the oil. Place the tray on the middle shelf of the oven and grill the peppers until the skin is charred, about 30 minutes. Place in a plastic bag and leave to sweat for a few minutes. Peel and seed under cold running water and drain well. Slice the peppers thinly, place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

5

For the caramelised onions, heat a pan and fry the onions and sugar, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the onions are caramelised, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

6

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

7

Heat a griddle pan to hot and grill the patties until just browned on the outside. Transfer to a baking tray and finish them in the oven until cooked through, about a further 20 minutes.

8

To serve, spread half of each bun with the dressing and top with a few rocket leaves. Place a burger patty on top, then a slice of provolone, a spoonful of roast peppers, a pile of caramelised onionsand finally a few slices of avocado. Place the other half of the bun on top and eat with your hands.

---

The ultimate cheese-stuffed burger

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices white bread
• 1/4 cup warm milk or water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 230 grams beef mince
• 230 grams pork sausage, meat removed from casing
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 6 blocks white Cheddar
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 6 burger buns, toasted
• 300 grams tomato jam
• 1/2 cup watercress

INSTRUCTIONS

1

BREAK the bread into small pieces. Place in a small bowl and pour over milk/water. Soak for 1–2 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid and set aside.

2

HEAT 1 tbsp of oil and butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

3

COMBINE beef, pork, parsely and spices in a bowl; add the onion mixture and soaked bread. Mix well until combined. Divide the mixture into 6 balls, and stuff a block of cheese inside each.  Flatten to form a patty.

4

HEAT remaining oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Fry the frikkadel patties for a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Lower the heat to medium and fry until cooked to desired doneness.

5

SPREAD mayo on toasted buns and top with patties, jam and watercress.

---

Chicken burgers with hummus and a fennel, celery and orange slaw

INGREDIENTS

• 240g tinned butter beans, drained
• 2,5ml (½ tsp) crushed garlic
• 5ml (1 tsp) lemon juice
• 1,25ml (¼ tsp) ground cumin
• 1,25ml (¼ tsp) ground coriander
• 30ml (2 tbsp) olive or avocado oil
• 5ml (1 tsp) fresh coriander, chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 celery stalk
• ice water
• 1 fennel bulb (white part only), sliced paper-thin with a mandoline
• 170ml ( cup) grated carrot
• juice of 2 oranges
• 1 orange, peeled, segmented and chopped
• 4 deboned and skinless chicken breasts
• oil, for frying
• 4 burger rolls
• salad leaves, to serve
• chips or salad, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the hummus, place the butter beans, garlic, lemon juice, cumin and ground coriander in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the oil and blend to combine. Stir in the fresh coriander and season.

2

Use a vegetable peeler to slice ribbons off the celery stalk. Place the ribbons in ice water for 10 minutes. This causes them to curl up and form celery curls.

3

Combine the celery curls, fennel, carrot, orange juice and chopped orange, and season with a little black pepper. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

4

Heat a griddle pan until hot. Brush the chicken breasts with oil and season lightly. Fry until cooked, 8 – 10 minutes.

While the burger patties chill, make the pickled beetroot by adding the beetroots to a pot of water. Bring to a boil, about 20 minutes, until the beetroots are tender. Remove from boiling water and rinse under cold water, before scraping off the skins. Slice the beetroots into thin discs.

5

Make the burgers by slicing the rolls in half and spreading with hummus. Add salad leaves, chicken breast and slaw.

6

Serve with chips or salad on the side.

NOTES

Toast the buns in a dry pan on the sliced sides. This adds a layer of texture and flavour, and makes the burger less soggy from the filling.

---

Cannellini bean and courgette burgers with roasted cashew mayo, pickled beetroot and shaved carrot

INGREDIENTS

• Burger patties
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 15ml (1 tbsp) vegan green pesto
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 50g panko breadcrumbs
• 500g courgettes, finely grated and squeezed to remove excess water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to fry
• 1 lemon, halved
• Pickled beetroot
• 3 beetroots
• 80ml white malt vinegar
• 50g sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1,25ml (¼ tsp) salt
• 2,5ml (½ tsp) cumin seeds
• 2,5ml (½ tsp) coriander seeds
• 2,5ml (½ tsp) fennel seeds
• Cashew mayo
• 100g roasted and salted cashews, soaked for 10 minutes in boiling water and water discarded
• 90ml water
• 80ml olive oil
• 15ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 10ml (2 tsp) white vinegar
• To serve
• 3 vegan burger buns, sliced in half and toasted
• lettuce leaves
• carrot ribbons, tossed in a little olive oil
• micro basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the burger patties, add all of the ingredients, except the courgettes, seasoning, olive oil and lemon, to a blender. Blitz until smooth, then stir through the grated courgettes. Taste the mixture and season, if needed.

2

Carefully shape the mixture into 3 large patties the size of your vegan burger buns, compacting the mixture as you go. Place on a lined tray and refrigerate to firm up, at least 30 minutes.

3

While the burger patties chill, make the pickled beetroot by adding the beetroots to a pot of water. Bring to a boil, about 20 minutes, until the beetroots are tender. Remove from boiling water and rinse under cold water, before scraping off the skins. Slice the beetroots into thin discs.

4

Combine the remaining pickling ingredients in a small pot and bring the pickling mixture to a boil. Add the beetroot discs and simmer, 5 minutes, before removing from heat. Chill the beetroot discs in the pickling liquid until needed.

5

For the vegan cashew mayo, combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blitz until a mayonnaise consistency remains. Season to taste and set aside until needed.

6

Just before serving, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the burger patties in batches (handle them gently as they are fairly fragile), 5 minutes per side. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to each vegan burger patty.

7

To assemble the burgers, spread a generous dollop of cashew mayo over the base of each burger bun. Top with lettuce, a burger patty, pickled beetroot discs, carrot ribbons and micro basil leaves before popping the “lid” on the burger and enjoying.

---

Mushroom burgers with haloumi and hemp pesto

INGREDIENTS

• PESTO
• 160g fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
• 20g hemp hearts/seeds
• 20g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 3 tbsp hemp-seed oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• fresh lemon juice, to taste
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground
• black pepper, to taste
• BURGERS
• 8 large brown mushrooms
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• hemp-seed oil, to fry
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 12 slices haloumi cheese
• 1 baby gem lettuce, leaves separated
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 12 Peppadews
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• sweet potato fries, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the pesto, place the basil leaves, hemp hearts/seeds, Parmesan, 3 tbsp hemp-seed oil and the garlic clove in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until smooth. Taste the mixture and add lemon juice and seasoning, as desired. Blitz to combine and set aside.

2

For the “burgers”, heat a griddle pan over high heat. Rub the mushrooms with the olive oil and fry, top sides down, until griddle marks form.

3

Flip and repeat until the mushrooms are cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.

4

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add a splash of hempseed oil and fry the sliced fennel until caramelised, about 5 minutes. Remove the fennel from the pan, set aside and keep warm.

5

Using the same pan over high heat, add a splash of hemp-seed oil and fry the haloumi slices until golden on each side, about 2 minutes per side.

6

Place 4 mushrooms, cap sides up, on serving plates and assemble the burgers layer by layer, with the lettuce, tomatoes, haloumi, fennel, pesto (reserving some for dipping) and Peppadews.

7

Top with the remaining mushrooms and serve with sweet potato fries and the reserved pesto alongside, for dipping.

---

Veggie burgers with Sriracha mayo & slaw

Don’t have time to make patties, sauces and garnishes from scratch? Then these quick veggie burgers with Sriracha mayo are for you. This recipe uses store-bought patties and comes together in only 35 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS

• 1          large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½         cup vinegar
• ½         cup water
• 2          Tbsp. sugar

RED CABBAGE SLAW

• 2          tsp honey
• 2          Tbsp. olive oil
• ½         red cabbage, finely sliced

TO SERVE

• 4          white hamburger rolls
• 4          store-bought vegetarian burger patties
• ⅓         cup barbecue sauce
• 2          cups store-bought Sriracha mayo
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
• 4          gherkins, thinly sliced lengthways

METHOD

Quick pickled red onions

Place the onion slices in a heatproof bowl. In a small pot, heat the vinegar, water and sugar until simmering. Remove from the heat and pour over the onions. Set aside for 10 minutes to pickle.

Red cabbage slaw

Drain a quarter-cup of the pickling juice from the onions into a large bowl. Whisk in the honey and oil and toss in the cabbage. Season to taste.

To serve

CUT the rolls in half and, in a hot dry frying pan, toast them cut-side down until golden and crisp.

COOK the veggie burger patties according to package directions, basting them with barbecue sauce as you go.

LAYER each element onto the burger buns, starting with a generous dollop of mayo, followed by the veggie patty, some pickled onions, parsley, slaw and gherkin slices. Finish with another spoonful of mayo and seal with the bun.

SERVE your veggie burgers with extra Sriracha mayo and a side salad.

* TIP Make your own Sriracha mayo by mixing together ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 ½ tablespoon Sriracha sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Use store-bought pickled onions for your veggie burgers if you are short on time.

---

Mini burgers, done three ways

Not that anyone could ever get bored of burgers, but mini burgers done three ways are a delicious way to step up your game. Each one is more delicious than the last!

Mini Mexican beef burgers

INGREDIENTS

Marinade

• 200ml water
• juice of 1 lemon
• small handful fresh coriander, chopped
• 15ml (1 tbsp) ground cumin
• 2,5ml (½ tsp) sea salt

Beef patties

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 250g lean beef mince
• 3ml jalapeño chillies, chopped
• ½ green pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50ml fresh ciabatta breadcrumbs
• 60ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil

To serve

• 6 mini bread rolls
• 100g guacamole
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 jalapeño chillies, sliced
• 5 Rosa tomatoes, sliced

METHOD

1. For the marinade, whisk all the ingredients together and set aside in a flat storage container.
2. For the patties, mix all the ingredients together, except the oil, and shape into six 8cm round, flat patties. Carefully place in the marinade and refrigerate to rest, 2 hours. Remove patties from the marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the patties, 10 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
3. To serve, cut the bread rolls in half and toast the open side on a non-stick pan over high heat, 2 minutes. Place a dollop of guacamole on each bread roll, position your patties and top with slices of avocado, chilli and tomato.

---

Mini chakalaka burgers

INGREDIENTS

Bread rolls

• 400 g stone-ground flour, sifted + extra, to dust
• 7 g yeast
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 100 ml lukewarm water
• 5 ml (1 tsp) olive oil
• 16 g butter, softened

Chakalaka patties

• olive or avocado oil, to fry
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 5 ml (1 tsp) mild curry powder
• 2 carrots, grated
• 50 ml water
• 100 g baked beans
• 50 ml hot vegetable achar
• 5 ml (1 tsp) mayonnaise
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) cake flour

METHOD

1. For the bread rolls, mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the water. Stir to mix and then knead the dough, 10 minutes. Coat the dough with the oil and place in a large bowl. Cover and rest in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Knead the butter into the dough and roll into 6 small balls in the palms of your hands. Shape the balls into squares (about 10cm thick) and leave to rest, 15 minutes. Bake on a greased baking tray, 20 minutes.
3. For the patties, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion, green pepper and garlic, 10 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and carrots and cook, 10 minutes. Add the water and cook until the carrots are soft, 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, achar and mayonnaise. Set aside to cool, 15 minutes.
4. Keep 45ml (3 tbsp) mixture aside and stir the eggs and flour into the remaining mixture. Shape into 6 patties and fry in oil in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat, 3 – 5 minutes on each side.
5. To serve, cut the bread rolls in half, assemble the patties on them and top with the remaining chakalaka sauce.

---

Greek chicken pita rolls

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small cucumber
• 125 g full-cream Greek yoghurt
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 200 g free-range chicken breasts, cut into thick strips
• 3 fresh oregano sprigs
• juice of 1 lemon
• 6 mini pita breads
• small handful cucumber slices, to serve

METHOD

1. Grate the cucumber and place in a muslin cloth to drain the water, 1 hour. Place the cucumber in a bowl and mix with the yoghurt. Season to taste.
2. Place the oil in a saucepan over high heat and fry the chicken strips and oregano until the chicken is cooked, 10 – 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook for a further 3 minutes. Season to taste. Warm the pita according to packaging instructions and cut in half.
3. Place the chicken in the pita together with the cucumber mixture. Serve topped with cucumber slices.