Schools out for summer! It’s time to celebrate with a good BBQ, and if you want to keep it healthy here is a great way to get children eating veggies and pulses without them even knowing!  This is truly, absolutely my favourite burger recipe; I hope you like it too!

Beef, Carrot & Chickpea Burgers
Ingredients

  • 400g lean minced beef
  • 500g carrots, peeled, finely grated and squeezed gently to dry them out a little
  • A 425g tin of chickpeas
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1” piece of fresh horseradish, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method

  1. Sweat the onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until softened.
  2. Whizz together the chickpeas, carrot and egg in a blender until a thick paste is formed.  Add the mince and mix thoroughly (preferably by hand).
  3. Add the onions and garlic to the mix along with the grated horseradish.  Use your hands to combine the mixture well.  Season carefully.
  4. Shape the mixture into 4 equal burgers, approximately 3cm thick
  5. Ideally chill for at least an hour before cooking.
  6. Fry in olive oil or brush with oil and place under the grill until golden and cooked through (10 to 12 minutes).
  7. Serve in big buns with relish and lots of salad!

Enjoy!

In Season this Month

Fruits & Nuts
Apples, Apricot, Aubergine, Blackberries, Blackcurrants, Blueberries, Loganberries, Peaches, Plums, Raspberries, Redcurrants, Strawberries, White currants, Cobnuts, Hazelnuts

Vegetables & Herbs
Artichokes, Aubergines, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbages, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chard, Courgettes, Cucumber, Fennel, French Beans, Garlic, Kohlrabi, Lamb’s Lettuce, Onions, Pak Choi, Peas (inc. Sugar Snaps) Potatoes, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Salsify, Scorzonera, Samphire, Sorrel, Spinach, Sweetcorn, Tomatoes, Watercress

Meat & Game
Lamb, Rabbit, Venison, Wood Pigeon

Fish & Shellfish
Black Bream, Crab (brown, hen & Spider), Signal Crayfish, Grey Mullet, Lobster, Mackerel, Pollack, Prawns, Scallops, Sea Bass, Squid, Trout (river – brown and rainbow)

Going out of season
Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherry, Mange tout, Peach, Redcurrant, Strawberries (many of these towards the month).

www.suzannejames.co.uk

Suzanne is a professional chef, wife and mother who has lived in South East London all her life.

This article first appeared in the August 2019 issue of SE22 magazine.