TEDx Burger

The name for this burger came from Harry preparing for his TEDx Talk and looking for inspiration as to what to use as props on stage. The core concept of wholefoods is that many of our traditional dishes are perfectly healthy – if done well. There’s nothing wrong with a burger if you’re using good ingredients. Makes 2

Burger patties

300 g (14 oz) pasture-raised and finished beef, minced ½ onion, finely diced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 organic egg

To cook and serve

1 tablespoon olive oil

100 grams unpasteurised-milk

cheddar, sliced

2 wholemeal sourdough rolls,

cut in half fermented mustard, see recipe

below, to serve

2 handfuls wild leaves, rocket or

cos leaves

1 heirloom tomato, sliced 25 grams pickled cucumbers, storebought, or see book page 245, sliced mayonnaise, see recipe below,

to serve

BBQ sauce, see recipe below, to

serve sauerkraut, storebought, or see

book page 238, to serve

Burger patties: Mix all the ingredients with your hands in a bowl with 1 teaspoon salt, combining well. Divide the mix in two and shape each portion into a large, flat patty.

To cook and serve: Preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue grill to medium-high. Brush the grill with the oil, then fry the patties on one side for 4 minutes, or until nicely charred. Flip, then top with the cheddar and grill for another 4 minutes, or until nicely caramelised and the cheese is melted. You still want the patties to be rare inside. Transfer the patties to a plate and rest until ready to serve.

Grill the bread rolls, cut-side down, for 2 minutes until toasted. Build your burger by smearing mustard on the bottom bread roll halves, followed by leaves, tomato and then the patty. Top with pickled cucumber, mayo, BBQ sauce and sauerkraut. Finish with the lids and attack immediately.

Fermented mustard

This is our chef Gabe’s recipe; it’s the best we’ve ever tasted, with all the nutritional benefits of being homemade and naturally fermented. Makes 500 grams

⅔ cup each yellow and black

mustard seeds 300ml “vintage” kombucha (liquid from a jar with a SCOBY)

20 grams nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 3 teaspoons sea salt 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Grind the mustard seeds to a coarse powder in a spice grinder, food processor or high-speed blender. Transfer to a bowl, add everything else except the vinegar and stir to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a large jar or container, place a piece of muslin over the top and seal with a rubber band, then leave at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 5 days to ferment.

Add the vinegar, stir to combine, then transfer the mustard to jars and store in the refrigerator. The mustard will keep for 3 months.

Mayonnaise: the traditional way

Any budding cook needs to learn to make mayonnaise by hand; it’s a rite of passage into a higher level of culinary expertise! This is our signature mayo containing a kick of garlic. Makes 2½ cups

2 organic egg yolks splash of apple cider vinegar 1 garlic clove, finely grated or

minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or

fermented mustard, see recipe below left)

2 cups light olive oil lemon juice, to taste

Place the yolks in a clean bowl that will happily sit on your kitchen counter while you whisk. It’s often useful to roll up a tea towel and circle it around the base of the bowl so it doesn’t flip all over the place. You are going to need both hands free.

Add vinegar, garlic, mustard and a pinch of salt to the yolks and whisk to combine. Continue whisking steadily as you very slowly drizzle the oil into your egg mixture. The mixture should remain shiny and smooth at all times. If you see any graininess, stop adding the oil and whisk vigorously.

Once you’ve added about 100ml oil, if the mixture is looking smooth and is thickening nicely, you can progress to adding the oil in a steady stream. If your mixture becomes so thick that whisking is tricky, add a splash of water to loosen before continuing. When you’ve reached your desired consistency, season to taste with salt and lemon juice or vinegar.

Ultimate BBQ sauce

The original recipe for this came from Ferran Adria’s The Family Meal, but we’ve modified it to contain only unrefined sugars. Makes 6 cups

2½ tablespoons olive oil 1 kilogram red onions, diced 5 garlic cloves, crushed 65 grams ginger, grated 1 lemongrass stalk (white part

only), finely chopped 1¼ cups rapadura sugar 100ml molasses

75ml maple syrup

1 cup freshly squeezed orange

juice

100ml apple cider vinegar ¼ cup Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon Worcestershire

sauce

1.5 kilograms tomatoes, diced 2 cups tomato passata (puréed

tomatoes)

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, until soft. Add the sugar, molasses and maple syrup and cook gently for another 3-5 minutes, then add the orange juice, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, then add the tomatoes and passata. Bring back to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Season to taste, then leave to cool briefly. Blitz the cooled sauce in a food processor or blender until smooth, then store in sterilised glass jars or bottles. BBQ sauce will keep for about 10 days in the fridge or up to a few months in the freezer.