A tasty burger dish with guacamole - great to get the kids eating something green
Ingredients
- for the cucumber relish:
- 300 g unpeeled cucumber (thinly sliced)
- 1 small onion (peeled and thinly sliced-optional)
- 100 g sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 75 ml cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- for the avocado guacamole:
- 2 ripe avocadoes (peeled and stone removed)
- 2 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
- 2 tblsp olive oil (optional)
- 2 tblsp chopped fresh coriander or parsley
- sea salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
- ½ juice of lime or lemon
- for the burgers:
- 2 tblsp olive oil
- 2 small onions (peeled and chopped)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 800 g minced beef
- 4 tblsp chopped fresh herbs (such as tarragon, chives, thyme and parsley)
- 4 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed or grated)
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- to serve:
- toasted burger buns
- 2 rashers of crispy bacon per person
Method
- First make the relish, an hour ahead if possible.
- These ingredients make about a 400g jar's worth. Mix the cucumber and onion in a large bowl, add the sugar, salt and vinegar and mix well to combine. Store in a jar or a bowl in the fridge.
- To make the guacamole, mash the avocado flesh, add all the other ingredients and lime or lemon juice to taste.
- Put the guacamole into a bowl and place a sheet of cling film on the surface to prevent it going brown. Keep until needed.
- Now for the burgers. Place the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion, season with salt and pepper, cover and sweat over a low heat for 10 minutes until completely cooked.
- Allow to cool. Then mix with the remaining ingredients and season to taste by tossing a tiny bit of the mixture in a hot pan so that it cooks before you try it for flavour.
- Shape into burgers and freeze or cook by placing on a pan on a medium heat and cooking on both sides for 6–8 minutes until cooked through.
- Serve on toasted burger buns with guacamole and crispy bacon on top. Sometimes our children put little cubes of cheese (1cm/1/2in dice) into the centre of the burgers when they are shaping them, which melt all the way through as the burgers cook.
- Rachel’s tip: If you prefer, you can start cooking the burgers in a pan for 1 or 2 minutes on each side until deep golden then pop in a hot oven on a baking tray for another 10 minutes until cooked through. Else, pop them on the barbeque for a great summer family dinner.
Notes
This recipe and many more are available from Rachel's book Rachel's Food for Living, published by Harper Collins.
