My version of "Russian" burgers, I like mine with cheese, lots of it

I love cheeseburgers.  I hate making last minute cheeseburgers.  This poses a serious problem in the life and times of me.

I read lots of posts about cheeseburgers. Russian, German and Polish specifically and have developed this version of a combination of all of them.  Don't yell at me about authenticity, this is simply my version of a morph of many ideas and many methods, the final result of which is the recipe I share with you below that quite simply makes me a happy burger eating soul.

Seriously, make these.  Make a ton and freeze them, make a ton and serve a crowd.  They are absolutely worth the try.....

Tracy's "Russian" Burgers

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs Ground meat, beef/pork combo, or all of whatever meat floats your boat.
3 thick slices of white bread, broken up
1/4 cup milk
1 grated onion
salt, pepper
Fresh breadcrumbs to coat the meat
Beef stock cut with water, enough to generously cover the pan you'll hold your burgers in
plain oil

COMBINE the bread milk and onion in a large bowl, leave them to soak up together for about 10 minutes or so,

ADD the meat, salt, pepper

MIX well and divide into whatever size meatballs you like.  Use the bun you're going to contain them with and make them the size to fit inside.

ROLL the balls in breadcrumbs and leave them set and dry, on the counter for about 15 mins.

HEAT some oil in a shallow pan.  Use enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan.

FRY the meatballs, pressing them down slightly to look more like a burger and less like a meatball before you drop them into the fat.  Fry them until they are dark brown and lovely.

Don't worry about trying to cook them through, this is the makeup portion of cooking.  We just want them pretty.

Heat stock and water (1/2 1/2) in a pan large enough to hold the burger.

As the burgers cook, place them in the warmed stock, single layer please!

Cover the pan when they're all done and pop them into a 350 oven for about 30 minutes.

DONE

When you want to eat, take out however many burgers you want, cover them with cheese and pop them into an oven till the cheese melts, put in fresh buns with whatever toppings makes you happy and eat and eat and eat.

These freeze beautifully, hold for days and heat up in the microwave if you have to on a whim.

Here's the play by play beauty shots:

Here's the meatballs, slightly squashed and coated in breadcrumbs, just hanging out.

drop a few breadcrumbs in the oil to be sure it's hot.  Add the burgers gently and cook them till they're beautiful 

  

Do this in batches and transfer them to the warm stock as they're done 

  

oh, look at the action shot...  yes, i crowded the pan, it works anyway :)  

  

Covered and into the oven, 350 for about half an hour.  This is what they look like after 1/2hour, they actually plump up.  Leave them covered in the broth at room temperature until you need them.....

SO, when you want to eat, grab a couple of the burgers and put them on a sheetpan, cover them with Gouda cheese, seriously, it has to be Gouda. 

HEAT the burgers till the cheese melts.  WHILE they warm up, toast your buns and slather a little homemade aioli on them or whatever toppings make you deliriously happy.

SERVE up the hot melty burgers on the toasty soft yummy rolls and devour with abandon and joy in your soul. 

      
look at these beauties.  I love how the cheese oozes down the sides and makes a round burger coat of melty cheese for our soft, juicy delicious burgers.
  

Tell me how much you love these!! 

/tracy

Chicken, Stock, Rice and Ground Beef, Cooking for the week

I'm cooking for the week, not because I have to (I homeschool now *feel free to go see what we're up to*  http://tracyhomeschooling.blogspot.com/    so there's gobs of time to cook) but because I WANT to!

In the fridge is some cooked chicken, a couple of lbs of ground beef and some left over mashed potatoes.  I need a weeks worth of food, part fun, part necessity, part challenge!

SUNDAY WEEK COOKING: 

STOCK: 

In the pressure cooker, the backs, bones, skin and any 'other' bits from the roasted chicken pieces in the week.  I have a giant container of beautifully cooked chicken and now, the otherworldly parts will do my bidding.

I added a couple of small carrots, a large celery stick, some herbs duProvence and some thyme, a bayleaf and I covered it all with water, time 15 minutes pressure. We will have chicken stock.

MEXICAN STYLE BEEF

In the dutch oven while the stock does it's stocky thing.

Sweat a couple of onions, some carrot, celery, garlic in some bacon fat (oh yes)

When the veggies are soft and lightly colored, add the 2 lbs of ground beef you got on sale for $1.00 and brown it dark.

Add a little flour to seize the fat and tighten the meat up and then throw in a can of tomatoes with chili and a small can of tomato sauce. I added some of the chicken stock to make it soupier, after all, it is going to cook a while.

Season with salt, pepper, cumin, taco seasoning, chili powder, a tablespoon of cocoa powder and some Worcestershire sauce.

Throw a lid on it and put it in a low oven, 275, for a while, maybe a couple of hours hour or so then we'll look.

I keep this concoction on hand for the week.  It will be put in soft tacos one night.  It will be combined with nibblets, put in a casserole dish and covered with cornbread batter and baked then served upside down with dollops of sour cream and gratings of cheese.  It will be added to some additional meat and made into mini meatloaf (baked in a muffin tin) and served with mashed potatoes and and a tomato based 'gravy'.  It will be rolled in tortillas with some cheese and refried beans and baked with plain tomato sauce on it. It will be mixed with rice and eaten in a big bowl.

I like my mystery Mexican style meat mixture :)

RICE

Stock is strained, drained and separated.

In the pressure cooker, I tossed a little bit of bacon fat, and 2 cups of rice.  I fried it around a bit until the ends looks a little translucent.  It truly keeps the grains separate and this is 'in the week' rice so I need it separate.

To the 2 cups of rice I add 2 cups of the stock and 2 1/4 cups of water, lock and load, 8 minutes.

DING!  8 minutes later, release pressure and spread it out on a sheet pan to dry, then bag it.

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY

In the pot;  large pieces of 3 onions, garlic, ginger.  Fry until they look delicious in a little, um, bacon fat?  No, I use peanut oil for this.

Toss in some pre-made curry paste or powder and fry fry fry.  IF you don't have any prepared paste or powder then add cumin, tumeric, fennel seed, corriander seed, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar.  I always add a little of the fresh spices to my powder anyway to fry around.  It matters.

Pour in some coconut milk or cream (I just found coconut cream sold in mini tetra packs!) Then add more of that chicken stock.  Shred in some of the cooked chicken and a few large potato chunks.  Be sure the liquid covers all the good stuff by at least an inch.  Adjust the stock/coconut milk ratio to your own liking, I like it heavily coco-nutty (yes, that is a word!).

Simmer until it all thickens and the potatoes cook.  I toss frozen peas in during the last 5 minutes but you can keep it green free if you like.  A little chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon freshens it up nicely too at the end.

Serve over...RICE!

CHICKEN SALAD


Shred some of the leftover cooked chicken.  Add a blob of mayonnaise, a little dijon, a little tarragon and a little tyme.  Sprinkle a little curry powder in.  Add one rib of celery chopped fine and one shallot, also chopped fine.

It's going to make a fine chicken wrap/sandwich in the week with crispy romaine.  I'm making ciabatta tomorrow so it'll be a hearty sandwich for sure!  I may add tomato and bacon and make it a club!

SALMON CAKES

In a bowl, throw in the left over mashed potatoes, there's about 2 cups, a drained can of salmon, bones and skin removed, liquid reserved.  Add some chopped scallion, salt, pepper, some sauteed shallot and an egg.  Mix it all in and then add fresh bread crumbs as needed to make it just combine and stick together.

Form into 2-3 inch sized balls and throw it into the fridge to set up.

Dip the balls into a couple of beaten eggs then into panko bread crumbs and flatten into patties at this point.  Put them on a tray and throw them into the fridge or freezer.  Ready to fry up, in a little peanut oil butter combo.  You can bake them too. Whenever the mood hits I am fishcake ready, I like Heinz beans in tomato sauce with them and buttered, thinly sliced, homemade white bread.

QUICKIE CHICKEN FRIED RICE

I'll beat 2 eggs with a pinch of salt a drizzle of soy and a splash of water and throw it into a hot hot wok and fry it fast then remove it.

Add fresh peanut oil in the hot wok then add grated ginger and garlic and shush it around.  Add some cole slaw mix (I have some in the fridge), and fry it around then add a couple handfuls of cooked rice.  Season with oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy, pepper, chili garlic paste and toss/fry until it's beautiful. Taste taste taste. Add shredded cooked chicken, see how that's being stretched out?!?!  and the scrambled eggs and some frozen peas..  Fry Fry Fry quickly for a moment or two, drizzle a few drops of sesame oil over it, toss about and tip into bowls.  Eat greedily with Rooster sauce on the table.

DONE!

Everything holds well, saves well and freezes well so I'm good.

I have a few things to do to each meal to get it ready, make a salad, add a veg, make some bread or naan or  tortillas but really, we'll be laughing this week.  It's noon on Sunday and I am done, I think I'll have my husband take me to the movies.  That way we spend time together but really, don't have to say a thing...  perfect.

/go cook!

Tracy