Scott Callahan of Reynolds Winery also had one of his colleagues in Australia, Justin Cooper, who Scott says is "quite the chef," email us a slew of authentic Australian recipes for everything from hamburgers to lamb shanks! After much interpretation (for instance, does anyone know what dried Quandong or a fillet of Barramundi are?), we choose these two to try.
Aussie Burgers
makes 10 patties
1 Kg. Mince (about 2.2 pounds of ground beef — we used ground chuck)
2 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
2 tsps French Mustard (We used Dijon)
2 tsps cream horseradish sauce
1 large onion chopped
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
10 Hamburger buns
For Garnish
pineapple rings
lettuce
tomato slices
beetroot (since we were not sure what this was, and it didn't sound very good anyway, we left it out)
Mix all ingredients well. Shape into 10 equal burgers. Cook in a heavy fry pan or on the grill for 10 minutes then turn and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve on buns with pineapple ring, tomato slices, lettuce and beet root slices. Serve this with a big Aussie Shiraz or Merlot — preferably Scott's brand, Reynolds.
April 2, 2003
Corrections
April 9, 2003
Reader Tavia P. sheds some light on beets on burgers and the lack of ketchup and tomatoes in Australia. And, actually, the original recipe did specify tomato sauce with (ketchup) in parentheses, so I made that change....
While on sabbatical with my husband in Australia I spent time collecting recipes of "authentic" regional foods. Unfortunately, there aren't many recipes that are specifically Australian, but we did learn very quickly (with the help of our typically American, fast-food eating 4 year old at the time) that the Australians didn't have ketchup. I noticed in your burger recipe that it calls for ketchup. Their version of ketchup is, in fact, tomato sauce. If you ask for ketchup for your burger, you received a cup of straight-up tomato sauce! Our other discovery was the severe lack of tomatoes (we lived on the west coast in Perth — very dry, rugged climate). Instead of tomatoes on a burger or sandwich, we received beets! At home, I usually pickle my beets and have enjoyed a pickled beet on my burger ever since.
By the way, I really enjoy reading your newsletter — it's informative, humorous and a respite from my usual reading at work! (Thanks Tavia, it's always nice to know that someone actually reads this thing!)
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