Minced meat and bread, worldwide.

I want to dedicate this post to a dear friend, who since young age, 

expressed his appreciation to good food, good drinks, and good life. 

Can you imagine three friends aged 14-15yo, eating dinner at a fancy

 restaurant, ordering foie gras, soup a'l oignon, lobster, wine and champagne?

 Yes, that was me and my friends. 

RIP Juan Carlos H.M 1989 - 2012

Most Chefs, and connoisseurs, foodies and, in general meat lovers will appreciate a 800 grs. sirloin steak, a rib eye, new york..or what about a filet mignon, and if you could choose between minced beef or a steak, you would choose the steak, right?

But what would some delicious food would be without the minced meat?

But what would the italian spaghetti bolognaise would be without meatballs? 

Swedish köttbullar?

British sheperd's pie? 

French hachis parmentier?

 Norwegian kjøttkaker? 

Mexican chiles en nogada? 

Heck,  even the american hamburgers would be simply nothing without the minced beef, however let's understand a little bit more about minced beef and the do's and don't's.

What would all of them be without minced meat?

First of all, lets point out something most of you might know and not like:

What's on the mince?

Unless you ask for a mince from a Prime grade beef, -and pay for it- you will get an average to lower grade mince (Commercial, Utility or Cutter grades), and your mince will be composed by

-water 49%

-solid meat 12%

-skeletal tissue

-connective tissue

-blood vessels

-nerve tissue

-fat

-and yes, sometimes bones and cartilages.

Ground beef is usually subdivided based on the cut and fat percentage:
Chuck: 78-84% lean
Round: 85-89% lean
Sirloin: 90-95% lean

How do I recognize a good quality mince?

Use the general rule for fresh meat: 

-bright red, with regular marbling

-odorless

-soft to touch, not dehydrated

-long, clean strips

I's better to go to your local butcher rather than Walmart or other grandes surfaces.

 What are some good ways to use the mince?
 -Meatballs
-Burger patties
-Picadillo
-Sheperd's pie
-Bolognaise sauce

Do's and Don't' s 
-Don't overcook; like any other meat, it will get dry and though. You want soft, juicy meatballs, right?
-Season correctly, pepper, rosemary, fennel, cilantro. Just make sure the spices match the dish you are preparing.
-In some preparations you may add tons of red wine (like the bolognaise sauce)

Continuing with the topic, I introduce you some of my favourite burgers, to finish with one I'm in love with. Let's go!

Despite you may only know la Bretagne as a region where Crêpes come from, 

there was this particular burger with really tender pulled meat, 

not really with ground  beef, but oh well. 

And with the obligatory frites, comme il faut.

 In Stavanger, Norway, I tried the elgkjøtt, med tyttbær og

 sopp Burger. (Moose patty, lingonberries and mushrooms)

I must say it was delicious, but maybe thats why Santa didn't show up last Christmas.

Elgkjøtt Burgers / Moose burgers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500 grs   - moose mince

200 grs   - pork mince

1 tbsp     - thyme, chopped

1 tsp       - juniper berries, chopped

100 ml    - sour cream

50 gr      - lingonberries (Can be replaced for fresh cranberries)

100 gr    - oyster or shitake mushrooms

Salt and pepper

4            - burger buns (better if its rye bread)

Procedure:

1.- Mix the beef with thyme and the juniper berries, season. 

2.- Form burger patties and cook over high heat. Don't overcook!

3.- Add the lingonberries or cranberries to the sour cream and mix gently. Let the crushed berries color the cream.

4.- Slice the mushrooms and sautee over high heat, season to taste.

5.- Cut the buns and toast lightly, adding butter to the pan. 

6.- Serve the beef patty over the bun, add the mushrooms and finish with a spoon or too of the cream.

And least, but not last, since my photo on Facebook created so much interest, I'll post the recipe and procedure here. 

Beef sandwich with cranberry jelly and spinach

Individual serving

Ingredients:

1 piece    - 200 gr Prime burger patty (best if homemade, oval shaped to fit the bread)

30 gr.      - sliced onion

1 tsp        - rosemary  

2 pieces   - 1.5 - 2 cm slice of bread loaf (rye, multigrain, not brioche, its too fragile)

30 gr.      - fresh clean spinach

2 tbsp.     - homemade cranberry jelly (preferably not too sweet)

Salt and pepper.

Procedure:

 Cook the meat on a skillet over high heat to sear the patty, and add rosemary and the onions.

 Butter the pan and toast the bread slices both sides, you can add some chopped garlic for extra flavor

Its better to make a homemade jelly. If the cranberries are dehydrated, 

boil them with a cup of water, strain, blend and cook again with sugar 

and pectin or 2 drops of lemon juice.

 Be generous with the spinach, it will give a great taste to your sandwich

 Cook the patty as desired, I recommend a point or medium rare. 

This one is medium well for photo purposes. 

And I added some parmesan cheese on top.

 Add the cranberry jelly and spread 

 Add the beef, and the onions on top, of course eat it while its still hot!

 Enjoy!

Chilaquiles time!

Some people  asked me  why if this is a blog about food, I have no recipes in here.
Well, I'm a Chef, yes, but so far I tried to share experiences, thoughts and ideas. And of course I'm very visual so I love posting pictures. However tonight is a good time to post one of the most traditional recipes regarding the mexican cuisine.
A recipe that its so simple anyone can do it; you just need to know how to.


I'm not going to write you 45 ingredients, with complex procedures, bogus pictures and  leave you with NO idea of what you are doing (Like most recipe websites do) I will make this -Simple -Organized -Visual.

Green Chilaquiles
Serves 5-6 PAX

As you can see in the picture; you will need:
1 kg              - Green tomatoes or Tomatillos (If you can't find fresh ones, use canned ones) 
1piece           - White onion, peeled.
1-3 pieces     - Serrano chiles (Depending on how spicy you want the sauce)
1 piece          - Garlic clove, peeled.
1 piece          - Fresh cilantro, washed. 
1 cup            - Chicken stock (You can also use Knorr, but I recommend fresh homemade stock.
1/2 kg           - Fried corn tortilla chips. (You can either fry them or buy them already fried)
1/2 cup         - Sour cream (crema acida, rømme, creme fraîche)
250 grs         - Grated fresh cheese (you can replace it for cured goat cheese or grated emmental)


Optional: Eggs, or pulled chicken breast.


Procedure:

 Peel and wash the green tomatoes, boil them 5 min or until they get a dark

 military-green color. If they're canned, skip this step. 

 Add the garlic, onion and cilantro to the blender. Add one half of serrano chili.

Add the strained green tomatoes and blend. Add the chicken stock too, 

to get a sauce consistence. Not too thick, but not too thin either. If desired, 

add the chili halves one by one, stopping when you reach the desired level of spicyness

Almost done; in a heavy pot, add a dash of oil and leave it on high heat. 

Once hot, pour the sauce quickly but carefully. Let it boil and add salt and pepper to taste.

 If its too thick, add more chicken stock. If its too thin, let it reduce uncovered. 

 If you want crispy chilaquiles, put the desired amount of tortilla chips.

 And pour the green, hot sauce generously. If you want them softer; serve the desired amount of chips on the plate, and then pour them into the sauce pot. removing for 1-2 minutes (without breaking the chips) Then use a spider to take them out and place back into the plate. 

Add the cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro and serve immediately. Feel free to add the pulled chicken or the eggs before adding these toppings. Enjoy!

Note: If you want red chilaquiles, replace the green tomatoes for red tomatoes. 

If the sauce is too acid, a tbsp or two of sugar can be added to balance the taste. 

What do you think now? Easy, right?