What to Cook with Beef Mince

1 The Chef's Mince Base

My go-to mince base: onion, garlic, a splash of wine and tomato, simmered until thick. Cook the base, then decide what it becomes tonight.

Make it your way:

• Spaghetti bolognese: Red wine; 125 ml (½ cup) milk at the end MILK
• Cottage pie: Mash on top; 25 min at 200 °C / 400 °F MILK
• Chilli con carne: Chilli powder, cumin, a can of kidney beans
• Taco & nacho mince: Smoked paprika, cumin, dried oregano; cook until dry
• Picadillo: Cumin, raisins, toasted almonds ALMOND; pitted green olives if you like them
• Lentil “mince”: 2 cans of lentils instead of the meat

2 Meatballs, the Master Mix

Bread soaked in milk, the French panade, keeps meatballs soft and juicy instead of rubbery. Roll them once, then pick the sauce and the country.

Make it your way:

• Albóndigas: Beef and pork; ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Greek keftedes: Lamb; mint, oregano, lemon zest
• Swedish-style: Beef and pork; allspice, nutmeg
• Meatball sub: The classic mix
• Asian pork: Pork, ginger; soy instead of cheese SOY
• Meatball soup: Tiny meatballs, 1 tsp each

Full recipe in Book 2

3 Rissoles & Patties

Rissoles in Australia, steak haché in France, “burger night” on the camp crib menu. Shape them, chill them, sear them, and turn them only once.

Make it your way:

• Cheeseburger: Mince and salt only; 4 patties; cheese on for the last minute MILK
• Beef & bacon: 100 g chopped bacon in the mix
• Steak haché à cheval: Mince and salt only; 4 thick patties
• Lamb koftas: Lamb; cumin, coriander, mint; shaped on skewers
• Chicken, spinach & feta: Chicken mince, chopped spinach, 50 g feta MILK

Full recipe in Book 2

4 15-Minute Stir-Fried Mince

The fastest dinner in this book: mince fried hard and fast with garlic, ginger and soy until crispy at the edges. Start the rice first.

Make it your way:

• Garlic-chilli beef noodles: Beef; double the chilli; 400 g Hokkien noodles at step 5
• Thai basil pork: Soy, oyster and fish sauce; a big handful of basil FISH MOLLUSC
• San choy bau: Chicken; chopped water chestnuts and carrot
• Pork & eggplant: 1 cubed eggplant, fried first; 1 tbsp chilli bean paste
• Keema matar: Lamb; no soy or honey: garam masala, turmeric, ½ can tomatoes, peas

Full recipe in Book 2

5 Farcis

Petits farcis are summer in Nice: little vegetables filled with their own flesh, meat, herbs and bread, baked until soft and caramelised.

Make it your way:

• Capsicums & rice: 1 cup cooked rice instead of half the bread
• My chorizo zucchini: Chorizo with the mince; mash instead of bread
• Cabbage rolls: Rolled in cabbage leaves; 1 hour in tomato sauce
• Eggplant boats: Roasted eggplant halves; lamb, cinnamon
• Vegetarian farcis: 1 can of lentils + 100 g feta instead of mince

Full recipe in Book 2

6 Mince in Pastry

The Aussie meat pie, made by a French chef: a five-minute butter shortcrust around the mince base, thickened into gravy.

Make it your way:

• Sausage rolls: Sausage meat, grated onion and carrot; rolled, cut 5 cm
• Beef empanadas: Taco mince; 12 folded rounds
• Cornish-style pasties: Raw mince, diced potato, carrot, onion; half-moons
• Baked samosas: Cold keema (recipe 4) in pastry triangles
• Hand pies: The pie filling in 6 small pies, in a muffin tin

Full recipe in Book 2

7 Lasagne & Layered Bakes

Every layered bake is three things: a rich sauce, a white sauce, and something in between. Mince base, a quick béchamel, and build.

Make it your way:

• Moussaka: Roast eggplant instead of sheets; lamb, cinnamon
• Pastitsio: Cooked penne, egg and parmesan as the base
• Mexican tortilla bake: Taco mince, black beans, tortillas, salsa
• Lentil & pumpkin: Lentil “mince”, roast pumpkin, spinach
• Cannelloni: Tubes of thick mince base, in tomato sauce
• Chicken: Diced chicken thigh, spinach, mushrooms

Full recipe in Book 2