Home Made Beef Burgers

I love a beef burger. A decent home made beef burger that is. I'm afraid I wouldn't give the mass produced ones house room. I prefer to know what is in my food. These are delicious and very easy. Much tastier than the junk you buy in supermarkets. Really thick and juicy. Lovely grub.
The history of hamburgers is somewhat hazy and debatable since there is no clear documentation to chronicle its origin. However, many claim that the first hamburger 'patty' was born in medieval times when the Tartars (a band of Mongolian and Turkish warriors) placed pieces of beef under their saddles [This also happens to be the origin for the modern dish, beef tartare. ] . The meat, tenderised when the warriors rode, would then be eaten raw, oblivious of the dangers of food poisoning. The ancestor of the modern hamburger arrived at American shores in the 19th Century when German immigrants brought with them a dish called Hamburg style beef, which, in turn, had been brought to Hamburg from Russia some time around the 14th Century. It was in America that this raw, chopped piece of beef would evolve over time to become the succulent patty sandwiched in a bun that we call a hamburger.

This Recipe comes from Jamie's Dinners (Jamie Oliver). The only adjustment I made was to add a little chilli sauce to the mixture which gives a lovely flavour.

• 1kg/2lb 3oz chuck steak, or good minced steak
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• olive oil
• a pinch of cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• sea salt and freshly ground
• black pepper
• a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 heaped tablespoon
• English mustard
• 1 large free-range egg
• 115g/4oz breadcrumbs

If you're using chuck steak to make your burgers, slice it up and pulse it in a food processor. Transfer the meat to a bowl. In a big frying pan, slowly cook the onion in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the onion to the meat - it will give sweetness to the burger. Using a pestle and mortar, bash up the cumin and coriander seeds with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper until fine and add to the meat. Then add the Parmesan, mustard, egg and half the breadcrumbs and mix well. If the mixture is too sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs.

Lay some greaseproof paper on a tray or large plate and sprinkle over some of the remaining breadcrumbs. Shape the meat into 8 fat burgers and place these on top of the crumbs on the tray. Sprinkle more crumbs on top and press down gently. The burgers are better if they are chilled before cooking, so put them in the fridge for an hour or so. Take your burgers out of the fridge and fry them in a little oil on a medium to high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes.