If you are going for a particularly lean ground beef, then maybe look for a lean cut, top sirloin or flank etc, with little marbling, and trim it well. Sear, if you want to. Cut into chunks about 1'' big. If you're using the food processor, do small batches, like a layer 1 cube deep (rather than filling the processor bowl). Process in 1 second pulses, start with 10 pulses, adjust to get the consistency you want. I like my ground beef fairly chunky like hand-chopped meat, not mushy like a meat hummus. If using a grinder, then just send it through. I prefer the food processor. Maybe annie1992 has more information. E.g., her method of half-freezing the pieces is cool. Same process for making ground pork, turkey, chicken, by the way. Though I won't eat those raw even if I do grind them at home. If you make a really low fat ground beef, it may make for a dry chewy burger. Fat adds flavor and juiciness. You can replace that by mixing flavor and liquid into the meat. I usually add at least salt, pepper, and olive oil (melted butter when I'm being baaad). SWMBO likes her meat mixed with something like teriyaki sauce. If you're not a purist, you could get all experimental, mix in huckleberries or wasabi or weird stuff. Don't mash the meat when mixing, or making the patties, or cooking the patties. I don't like ground beef that's been compressed to cardboard or burgers squeezed dry. I like almost a loose, slightly crumbly burger , admittedly I use a skillet not a grill. Medium rare inside, brown and crusty outside. Yum.

How about a couple of different version of chicken patties: Asian Chicken Patties Note: I didn't measure anything when I made these. So I wrote up the recipe as approximate. Use the recipe as an outline and adjust seasoning to suit personal taste. 1 pound chicken breasts 3/4 cup fresh grated bread crumbs 1 egg 1 large clove of garlic Fresh ginger Asian chili pepper paste Splash of rice wine vinegar Green onions Cilantro Salt Grind chicken breasts in Food processor until it looks like ground chicken. Do not over process. Empty in to large bowl. Add fresh grated bread crumbs. Add egg, minced garlic clove and minced ginger to food processor and pulse. Add green onion, cilantro and splash of rice wine vinegar and chili pepper paste. Pulse to coarsely puree. Add to chicken and bread crumbs. Mix by hand. Fry a taste test piece and adjust seasoning as needed. Shape in to patties. Heat skillet, add peanut oil and saute until cooked. Patties should be lightly browned on both sides. Place in oven to keep warm while cooking remaining patties. (I used a cast iron skillet). Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ========================================== Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli ========================================== * Posted by doucanoe (My Page) on Tue, Jul 31, 07 at 8:38 Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli CAKES 2 (1 1/2-ounce) slices whole wheat bread 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large egg whites 2 teaspoons canola oil NOTE: I used real Helmans, not low-fat and I added a minced garlic clove and cayenne pepper in place of the cajun seasoning. NOTE: Made my own Aioli. A garlic Lemon Aioli using the extra egg yolks, and adding 3 large cloves of garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest salt, pepper and olive oil. AIOLI: 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 1/8 teaspoon salt To prepare cakes, place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup (discard remaining breadcrumbs). Set breadcrumbs aside. Place chicken in food processor; pulse until ground. Combine chicken, chives, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, egg whites, and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl; mix well (mixture will be wet). Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done. ---------------------------------------------------------- These meatballs work with ground chicken or turkey. Pork Meatballs seasoned with Garlic and Fresh Basil =================================================== 1 1/2 pounds ground pork *(or ground turkey or ground chicken) 2 cloves garlic, mashed 1/2 cup fresh basil 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 eggs 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly cracked black pepper salt Sauce olive oil 2 to 3 cloves of garlic 2 cans of tomatoes high quality dried basil salt and pepper 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil For the Meatballs Put the meat in a bowl. Tip: Using a microplane grate the garlic. This is the quickest and easiest way to make a garlic paste. Add the Parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper. Pulse the basil with the bread crumbs and add to the bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Tip: To check for seasoning by frying a small piece. Form into meatballs and brown in olive oil. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer about one hour. For the Sauce Add the garlic cloves to the oil and saute for 30 to 60 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the tomatoes, dried basil, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the browned meatballs and continue to simmer for about an hour or until the meatballs are tender. Just before serving add fresh chopped basil.

Good ol' spag bol! I don't use a recipe, but I just toss in the meat, garlic, parsley, chopped onion, tomato paste, basil, sometimes some grated carrot, a dash of red wine if I have any, chopped mushrooms ditto. I use the same sauce for lasagne. Good ol' Cottage Pie (Shepherd's Pie using beef instead of lamb). I like the topping to be strips of mashed potato alternating with strips of mashed sweet potato. I like my Barbecue Meatloaf (and so do many other people!) Barbecue Meatloaf 500g minced beef 500g sausage mince 1 cup breadcrumbs 2 onions, diced 1 tablespoon curry powder 1/2 cup water salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 1 egg, beaten 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional) 1/2 cup milk Combine all meatloaf ingredients and mix until well combined. Shape into a loaf and put into greased baking pan. Bake 30 minutes at 180C. Sauce: 1 onion, chopped very fine (optional) 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup dry red wine or beef stock 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 teaspoon instant coffee 1/4 cup brown sugar 30g butter 2 teaspoons lemon juice Saute onions until golden and add all other ingredients. Bring slowly to the boil, lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes. After loaf has cooked for 30 minutes, pour the sauce over the meat, return to oven and bake 45 minutes more, basting often. The sauce goes well with ribs or chicken. Battered Meatballs with Sweet Chilli Sauce Batter: 1/2 cup plain flour 1 egg 1/2 cup soda water Sift flour, gradually stir in combined egg and soda water, beat until smooth. Cover, leave for 30 minutes. Meatballs: 400g minced beef 3 teaspoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon plain flour 2 teaspoons white vinegar 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped plain flour, extra oil for deep frying Combine meat, sugar, sauce, ginger, flour, vinegar and nuts, mix well. Shape 2 teaspoons of the mixture into balls, toss in extra flour, shake off excess flour. Dip in batter and deep fry in hot oil until browned and cooked through. Drain. Sweet Chilli Sauce: 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup water 1 small red chilli, finely chopped Combine soy sauce, vinegar, lemon rind, sugar and water in a saucepan, stir over heat without boiling until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Stir in chilli. Serve with battered meatballs. Rissoles BASIC MIXTURE: 600g minced beef 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1 onion, chopped 1 egg, beaten seasoning to taste Mix all ingredients together, shape into small patties, and fry until done. Basil and Parmesan Rissoles: Add to Basic Mixture: 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon dried basil 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese Curry Rissoles: Add to Basic Mixture: 1/3 cup fruit chutney 2 teaspoons curry powder Mexican Rissoles: Add to Basic Mixture 1/3 cup taco sauce 1/3 cup drained red kidney beans 1 teaspoon chilli powder Roll patties in extra breadcrumbs and fry as usual. Oriental Rissoles: Add to Basic Mixture: 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon 5-spice powder Stroganoff Meatballs 700g beef mince 2 tablespoons plain flour 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, halved, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 3 teaspoons ground paprika 200g button mushrooms, halved 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/3 cup white wine 1/2 cup beef stock 3/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped cooked fettucine pasta, to serve Roll tablespoons of mince into balls. Sprinkle flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Roll meatballs in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, non-stick frypan over medium heat. Cook meatballs, in batches, turning often, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan and heat over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, paprika and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Combine tomato paste, mustard, wine and stock in a jug. Stir into mushroom mixture. Return meatballs to pan. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Stir in sour cream and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon stroganoff over pasta and serve.

Although my recipe originally called for ground chicken, I use ground white meat turkey because it's much easier to find in stores these days. It's a take off on those delicious Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings. I make this about once every other month, and freeze portions for later. Very convenient! BUFFALO CHICKEN (TURKEY) CHILI Ingredients: 3 carrots, sliced into half moons 3 stalks celery, sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground white meat turkey 1 tablespoon chile powder 2 tablespoons flour 2-3 tablespoons cumin 2 cups vegetable or tomato juice 2 tablespoons hot sauce, or more 1 can cannelloni beans, drained 2 cups kale, chopped (if desired) Toppings: Plain non-fat Greek yogurt and/or Whipped blue cheese topping (recipe below) Chopped green onions Directions: 1) Liberally coat a medium pot with cooking oil spray, and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and celery and sauté , stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes; add water, a tablespoon at a time to prevent scorching. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. 2) Add the ground turkey, reapplying more cooking spray if needed. Sauté, stirring continuously and breaking up the turkey into small pieces, for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through. As turkey cooks, continue to scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any large bits. Sprinkle in the chile powder, flour, and cumin; stir quickly to distribute them evenly. Immediately add the vegetable juice, hot sauce and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, covered for about 40 minutes. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve with desired toppings. *Whipped Blue Cheese Topping: In a small bowl mash together 1/3—1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt. Serve as a topping for this chili. Top with chopped green onions. Great served with sliced tomatoes, avocados and slices of baked, breaded eggplant or other bread substitute. (This original recipe, before I changed it a bit, came from JoyBauer.com)