Makes 4 burgers
One-and-a-half of your five a day
These burgers are fantastic as they deliver a good portion of vegetables before you’ve even draped a lettuce leaf over the top of them. And the vegetables are not there simply as a gimmick. The finely minced fennel and onion keep these pork burgers deliciously moist and tasty. It’s an excellent way to sneak these vegetables into children who would not otherwise eat either fennel or onion.
Ingredients
6 dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/2 a fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp pine nuts or pistachios, lightly toasted
200g (7oz) minced pork
A little finely chopped chilli (optional)
A handful of tarragon or parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
A splash of olive oil
To serve
4 burger buns
Your favourite chutney
A few crisp lettuce leaves
Avocado slices
Carrot sticks
Cherry tomatoes
Method
Preheat oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4. Place the apricots, fennel, onion, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Blend until finely minced. Combine this mixture with the minced pork, chilli (if using) and the herbs. Season well. Divide the pork mixture into four and shape into burger patties, squeezing out any excess moisture. You can either chill or freeze these in advance or cook straight away.
Place an oven-proof frying pan over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil. Carefully transfer the burger patties to the pan. Sizzle for a few minutes. Carefully flip, pressing the burgers back into shape if needed. Place the pan in the oven to finish cooking for 20–25 minutes. Roasting the burgers this way helps them to cook right through.
Serve the burgers in a bun with chutney, lettuce, avocado slices or other toppings, and carrots sticks and tomatoes on the side.
Less Meat More Veg (Kyle Cathie, £16.99).
