Come Dine With Me

Last year sometime my friendship Katelgo, whom I have posted about in an earlier edition encouraged me to enter for Come Dine With Me South Africa. Laugh Out Loud. I entered knowing full well that my skills in the kitchen where not up to scratch, naturally the panellist could sense this from my answers, but I have been a fan ever since.

I now live vicariously through this programme; I can just picture me being host to our friends or me preparing Christmas lunch this festive instead of my aunts and mother.

One thing that watching Come Dine With me, and subsequently most of the food programmes on BBC Lifestyle and the Food Network is that it has given me a new lease on my own abilities to cook and bake for that matter.

I have discovered that I can do it; I just need to experiment and try the recipes. More so, there is a selection of dishes that can give me a totally different experience to the usual chicken curry and rice within an ordinary man’s budget.  Here’s one I am thinking to try soon courtesy of:

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/homemadebeefburger

 (hence all the lingo i.e. “the grill”)

Ingredients

For the burger

540g/1lb 3oz minced beef chuck steak

25g/1oz chopped coriander

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 free-range egg yolk

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

4 slices mature Cheddar

4 tbsp mayonnaise

½ iceberg lettuce, shredded

4 ciabatta rolls

1 red onion, sliced

1 beef tomato, sliced

Preparation method

1.Place all the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Using your hands, shape into four equal-sized patties.

2.Preheat the grill to hot. Cook the burgers under the grill for 15 minutes, or until cooked through, turning once.

3.Top each burger with a slice of cheese towards the end of the cooking time.

4.Before serving, mix together the mayonnaise and lettuce. Cut the ciabatta rolls in half and toast under the grill on both sides.

5.Top the bottom halves of the ciabatta rolls with the lettuce and mayonnaise, followed by a slice of tomato.

6.Arrange the burger and cheese on top of the ciabatta, followed by a slice of red onion. Top each burger with the other halves of the ciabatta rolls and serve