Burger

Bacon or salmon

Posted by Gary

Well it’s not really a question of bacon or salmon. Occasionally it can be bacon and salmon.

***Please note the medical disclaimer****

I came home early today with ManFlu which gave me an opportunity to focus on work e-mail and do some reading. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on the potential causal relationship between the consumption of red meat and processed meat with neoplastic diseases. The paper in Lancet Oncology is available for free. The IARC paper’s authors reported that processed meat can cause bowel carcinoma and red meat probably causes bowel carcinoma. This doesn’t mean if you eat a tin of spam or eat a sausage you’ll develop bowel carcinoma nor does it mean you cannot enjoy a good steak or pork chop occasionally. In my mind if these are occasional treats I’m going to make sure I focus on quality rather than quantity.

What it does mean, and none of this is new information, is you shouldn’t eat bacon everyday but one or two rashers a week is probably okay. A small steak once a week is probably okay too. It also means we need to eat more fruit and vegetables.

What does it mean for me as a lover of red meat and SPAM? Well as I’ve written recently I’m taking my health a little more seriously especially after the faecal occult blood test gift from the government and my first colonoscopy which thankfully didn’t find a bowel carcinoma (yet). With an eye on blood biochemistry and bowel health I’ll still occasionally indulge in bacon and SPAM. After all Canberra boasts Australia’s best artisan bacon and my shelf of shame has three tins of SPAM after so much fun on the Hawaiian holiday adventure.

So tonight I just had salmon mainly because I felt unwell and just wanted something simple. Click on the photograph and you’ll see a short time-lapse video of me eating this bad boy.

Salmon cheeseburger with wasabi aioli
Salmon cheeseburger with wasabi aioli

How do you feel about bacon or salmon?

Double salmon burger

Posted by Gary

So what is a double salmon burger? I had some smoked salmon in the refrigerator which I was meant to eat for breakfast but forgot. It was at its use by date and I’m not keen on testing the dates given food safety is something I feel strongly about. I also had a fillet of Atlantic salmon ready to cook. If a little bit of salmon is good, more must be better.

I made a salmon mousse with the smoked salmon by combining it with avocado, fennel, red capsicum, red onion, salt and olive oil.

I then put it together to make a quick and easy meal for one burger.

Double salmon burger
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: [url href=”https://about.me/garydlum” target=”_blank”]Gary Lum[/url]
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Smoked salmon (3 slices from a 4 slice packets from [url href=”http://coles.com.au” target=”_blank”]Coles[/url])
  • Avocado (1 whole avocado)
  • Fennel (peel off a layer and cut roughly)
  • Red onion (I used about 1 quarter of a small onion)
  • Red capsicum (I used about 1 quarter of a medium sized capsicum)
  • Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
  • Salt (a generous pinch)
  • Atlantic salmon fillet (1 fillet from the middle of the fish from the deli section at Coles)
  • Bread roll
  • Basil (a few leaves)
  • Dill (a stem or two)
  • Aioli (about 2 tablespoons)
  • Wasabi (about 3 cm out of a tube)
Instructions
  1. In a food processor add the Smoked salmon, Avocado, Fennel, Red onion, Red capsicum, Olive oil,
  2. and Salt
  3. Whizz for a few minutes and scoop the mousse out into a bowl
  4. Bake the salmon at 220 °C for 12 minutes
  5. Plate up with wasabi aioli and garnish with basil and dill

 

Wednesday dinner. Double salmon burger.
Wednesday dinner. Double salmon burger.

For breakfast today I had melted cheese on a bread roll with a Chinese gooseberry drink.

Melted cheese on toasted bread roll
Melted cheese on toasted bread roll

For lunch I had a gluten free steak sandwich at The Tradies Woden.

Gluten free steak sandwich
Gluten free steak sandwich

I’m grateful I’m do not have coeliac disease. Gluten free bread is okay but not as nice as bread with gluten.

If you want to see the photographs as a gallery click here. Click on one image to see it full size. To see the EXIF data (including a map if the photograph was geotagged) click on the information (i) icon in the top right corner. You can navigate through the gallery using the arrow keys or by swiping if you’re using a tablet or smartphone.

 

 

 

 

The Courtney burger

Posted by Gary

Last week I posted about The Courtney, aka a chicken schnitzel with Hollandaise sauce. Tonight I made The Courtney burger! This delicious burger is simply a chicken thigh schnitzel fried in butter and served with Hollandaise sauce on a hamburger bread roll. I’ve added some raw onion and iceberg lettuce for crunch. The bread roll has also been lightly toasted to add a crunchy mouth feel.

The Courtney burger
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Chicken thigh schnitzel
  • Hollandaise sauce
  • Burger bread roll
  • Tasty Coon cheese slices
  • Iceberg lettuce
  • White onion
  • Pepper
  • Butter
  • Tomato
Instructions
  1. Cook the chicken thigh schnitzel in grapeseed oil and butter
  2. Toast the bread roll
  3. Slice the tomato
  4. Slice a white onion
  5. Break off some iceberg lettuce leaves
  6. Build the burger
  7. Some butter
  8. Some cheese
  9. Some onion
  10. Some lettuce
  11. Tomato
  12. The schnitzel
  13. The Hollandaise sauce
  14. Shoot some photographs
  15. Eat The Courtney Burger
  16. Wash the dishes
  17. Write the recipes
  18. Blog (verb)

2015-05-16_16.46.32_001_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.47.34_002_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.48.10_003_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.48.49_004_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.49.51_005_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.52.51_006_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.54.46_007_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.57.21_008_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-05-16_16.59.24_009_GARY_LUM_FB

Earlier in the day I enjoyed a smoked salmon and cream cheese poppy seed bagel.

Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch
Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch
Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch
Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch

Would you make a Courtney burger?

Delicious Angus beef and bacon cheeseburger

Posted by Gary

Tonight I felt like making a burger for dinner. If only I had some tinned beetroot and pineapple. Oh well, this cheeseburger was pretty good just the same.

I’ve often avoided making my own and going to McDonald’s or Hungry Jacks for a cheeseburger but really they are so easy to make at home and much more enjoyable to eat.

Delicious Angus beef and bacon cheeseburger
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • Angus beef burger
  • Bacon
  • Tasty Coon cheese
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Bread roll
  • Egg
Instructions
  1. Toast the bread roll
  2. Cook the bacon and burger in a frying pan
  3. Fry an egg slowly on low heat
  4. Slice a tomato
  5. Prepare some iceberg lettuce
  6. Butter the bread roll
  7. Layer some lettuce
  8. Add the burger with cheese on top
  9. Layer the bacon on top
  10. Add the slice of tomato
  11. Add the fried egg
  12. Shoot the photograph
  13. Eat the cheeseburger
  14. Wash the dishes
  15. Watch MasterChefAU
  16. Write the recipe
  17. Blog (verb)
Angus beef and bacon cheeseburger with tasty Coon cheese, lettuce and tomato
Angus beef and bacon cheeseburger with tasty Coon cheese, lettuce and tomato

In most hamburger joints the egg would not have a soft runny yolk and would probably be cooked easy over. I can’t help myself though, I love a soft runny sunny side up fried egg.

Angus beef and bacon cheeseburger with tasty Coon cheese, lettuce and tomato
Angus beef and bacon cheeseburger with tasty Coon cheese, lettuce and tomato

This morning I had avocado on toast for breakfast. I smash the avocado with a little olive oil and and some lime juice.

Avocado with a little oil and lime juice on a toasted bread roll
Avocado with a little oil and lime juice on a toasted bread roll

I had some salad for lunch. I like some light leaves, stuffed peppers, olives and smoked salmon.

Monday lunch. Smoked salmon, feta stuffed peppers, olives and spinach leaves and chard
Monday lunch. Smoked salmon, feta stuffed peppers, olives and spinach leaves and chard

Do you like making your own cheeseburger or do you buy them?

Healthy Angus beef burger

Posted by Gary

Can a beef burger be healthy? Many would argue no. I’d probably agree when I analyse what goes into a burger, but with a little tongue in cheek and just because I like to be contrary, I’ve added quinoa and kale to my burger to make it healthful. Given hipsters like quinoa and kale, it must be healthful (or at least cool).

The secret to making this healthful burger extra tasty is cooking the quinoa in chicken fat and having the kale as part of coleslaw that is mixed with the chicken fat coated quinoa. In previous posts you will have seen how I like to add quinoa to the baking tray while roasting animal flesh so the oily fatty juices add rich flavour to the quinoa.

Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese
Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese
Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese plus some chicken fat cooked quinoa and kale coleslaw
Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese plus some chicken fat cooked quinoa and kale coleslaw
Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese plus some chicken fat cooked quinoa and kale coleslaw plus an Angus beef burger, some cheese, tomato and mustard
Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese plus some chicken fat cooked quinoa and kale coleslaw plus an Angus beef burger, some cheese, tomato and mustard
The completed burger. Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese plus some chicken fat cooked quinoa and kale coleslaw plus an Angus beef burger, some cheese, tomato and mustard.
The completed burger. Toasted and buttered soft bread roll with a mighty big dollop of cream cheese plus some chicken fat cooked quinoa and kale coleslaw plus an Angus beef burger, some cheese, tomato and mustard.
A DipTic of my burger
A DipTic of my burger

How would you make a beef burger healthy?