Midweek Meals: five new delicious family dinners with a packet of minced beef 

Taking inspiration from Korea, Eastern Europe and South Africa, these easy recipes are sure to be a hit with even the most fussy eaters

Versatile and cheap, minced beef is a fantastic ingredient to include in your weekly shop.

Cheesy mince parcels

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Store-bought puff pastry is one of my favourite things to have in the fridge or freezer for making something into a quick meal.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 25 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 400g savoury mince

• 100g Cheddar, grated

• 320g sheet of good quality puff pastry

• 1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Cut the sheet of puff pastry into 6 squares. Place a good dollop of mince in the middle. It doesn’t matter too much if a little filling leaks out when you close them over. Place a little cheese on top of the mince and then brush the edges of the pastry with your egg wash. Fold the pastry over on the diagonal creating triangular pockets. Press the pastry edges close with your fingers or a fork. Brush the tops of your turnovers with egg wash.

3. Place the 6 turnovers on a large baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for around 15 minutes until golden and crispy. These should be enjoyed hot from the oven when the cheese is nice and melted.

Basic beef burgers

recipe by:Darina Allen

The secret of really good beef burgers is the quality of the mince, it doesn't need to be an expensive cut but it is essential to use freshly minced beef. A small percentage of fat in the mince will make the burgers sweet and juicy – between 20-25%

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 15g (½ oz) butter or extra virgin olive oil

• 75g (3oz) onion, finely chopped (optional)

• 450g (1lb) freshly minced beef — flank, chump, or shin would be perfect

• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• ½ teaspoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• olive oil

• To serve (optional):

• burger or brioche buns

• lettuce

• sliced ripe tomatoes

• sliced red onion

• crispy bacon

• avocado slices or a dollop of guacamole

• fried onions

• roast or piquillo peppers

• kimchi, pickled slaw or pickles

• spicy mayo, spicy tomato sauce,

• barbecue sauce, hot sauce, bacon jam or relish of your choice

Method

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, toss in the onions, if using, cover and sweat over a low heat for 5-6 minutes until soft but not coloured. Set aside to get cold.

2. Meanwhile, mix the beef mince with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Then add the cooled onions and mix well. Fry off a tiny bit of the mixture in the pan to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

3. With wet hands, shape the mixture into four burgers, or more depending on the size you require. Chill until needed.

4. Cook to your taste in a little oil in a medium-hot frying or barbecue, turning once. For rare, cook for 2 minutes on each side; for medium, 3 minutes; and for well done, 4 minutes. If you’re cooking the burgers in batches, make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches. Burgers can plump up in the centre while being cooked; to avoid this, make an indentation in the centre of each raw burger with your thumb. Serve with any of the serving suggestions above, or try one of the variations.
   
   Extracted from How to Cook: The 100 Essential Recipes Everyone Should Know by Darina Allen (Kyle)

Korean spicy beef rice bowl

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

This is one of my favourite midweek meals. It is ready in twenty minutes and satisfies any craving I have for a takeaway

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Korean

Ingredients

• 500g minced beef

• 1 onion

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp grated ginger

• 45ml honey

• 60ml soy sauce

• 1 ½ tsp Korean red pepper flake powder or chilli flakes

• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 red pepper

• 1 corn on the cob

• 200g tender stem broccoli

• 200g sugar snap peas

• A handful of cashew nuts

• 450g brown rice

• 2 spring onions

• Sliced fresh red chilli

• Some fresh chopped coriander

Method

1. Rinse the rice well. Put into a saucepan with 900ml cold water and some salt. Cover, bring to the boil, and then simmer until the water is absorbed about ten to twelve minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid and let it stand for five minutes to allow any excess moisture to evaporate away.

2. While the rice is cooking, get on with the stir-fry. First, make your sauce. In a bowl, combine the soya sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper powder or chilli flakes, black pepper, honey, and half of the toasted sesame oil.

3. Peel, halve and slice the onion. Wash and prepare the rest of the vegetables. Remove the stalk and seeds from the red pepper, then slice it. Cut the kernels away from the cob of corn. Chop the tender stem broccoli into pieces about three centimetres long. Keep the sugar snap peas whole.

4. Heat a wok over a high flame. Add the rest of the sesame oil. Reduce to a medium/high heat and toss in the sliced onion. Stir fry it for a few minutes until it starts to soften and brown a little. Now add the beef and keep stir-frying until it is well browned. Add the broccoli, stir fry for a minute or two, before adding the sugar snap peas and corn, again, stir-frying all the time. 

5. Add the red pepper and stir fry for another two minutes. Finally, add the sauce and a handful of cashew nuts. Coat everything well in the sauce, stir-frying for another two to three minutes to cook the ginger and garlic and develop all those gorgeous flavours.

6. Now plate up. This recipe makes four generous portions. Put a quarter of the rice into each bowl. Add the spicy beef, and then finish with the spring onion, chopped coriander and some sliced fresh red chilli. 

Rich savoury mince with sundried tomatoes

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

What could be more useful, reassuring, reliable and comforting than a good savoury mince?

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 5 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 4 medium onions, finely diced

• 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

• 2 sticks of celery, finely diced

• 4-6 cloves of garlic, finely diced

• 1kg good beef mince

• 125g chorizo, finely chopped

• 100ml of red wine

• 10 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp of tomato purée

• 2 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

• 500ml of beef stock

• 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

• Sea salt and black pepper

• Rapeseed or extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. In a large casserole (Dutch oven) heat the oil over medium high heat and add the onions, garlic and celery, seasoning lightly with sea salt. Move around the pan, until the onion starts to soften a little and become translucent.

2. Add the carrot and chorizo and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so, turning the heat down to medium if you need. Add the mince, sundried tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Move the mince around the casserole, breaking it up with the wooden spoon and letting it brown for around 5 to 6 minutes before adding the tomato purée, red wine and mixed herbs. Cook for a further 5 minutes and add the tinned tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock.

3. Season lightly and turn the heat down low, letting it simmer gently, uncovered for 40 minutes to an hour, stirring from time to time. The final consistency should be a nice thick sauce, not too liquid and rich in colour and flavour.

Stuffed pancakes with spiced mince

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

These Eastern European-style savoury pancakes are absolutely delicious

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 150g flour

• 3 eggs

• 400ml milk

• 1½ tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1 red chilli, finely chopped

• 500g mince

• 4 tbsp tomato purée

• 1 tbsp honey

• 3 tsp mixed spiced

• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

• handful of chives, finely chopped

• handful of coriander, finely chopped

• 200g Cheddar, grated

Method

1. Stir the salt and flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Lightly beat the egg, milk and oil in a jug.

2. Pour a third of the egg mixture into the well and start to draw the flour into the egg mixture with a large spoon. Continue with the other two thirds until the mixture in completely combined. Put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest.

3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion until it is completely translucent. Stir through the chilli and the mince until the mince is browned all over.

4. Stir in the tomato purée, honey, mixed spice and the vinegar. Add a cup of water and put a lid on the saucepan, allow to simmer over a low heat until the mince is cooked. Taste and season.

5. Stir the chopped herbs into the batter then rub a flat pan with some oil, coating it completely. Heat until the pan is very hot and pour a ladleful of the batter into the pan. Swirl it around so that the pan gets a light coating. Cook until the underside is golden use a flat fish-slice to turn your pancake and cook until that side is also golden.

6. I usually keep two large dinners plate in the oven and use them to keep the pancake warm as I am cooking the next one. Make eight altogether.

7. Put a line of mince along each pancake and roll up. Sprinkle the cheese over each one and pop them into an oven proof dish then under a medium grill for 10 minutes to melt it.