Ground Beef Tips and recipe for CheeseBurger Pie

Ground Beef is a meat that I use quite regularly in my kitchen. There are so many different things that can be done with it. While cooking ground beef is rather easy one should always be ware that the meat cooks to at least a medium done of 160F/70C so that any potential harmful bacteria is killed off. In other words hamburger should be thoroughly cooked through. A few years ago there was an ecoli scare that came from ground beef. The hamburgers were not properly cooked and the ecoli was left behind in the hamburger patty.

Ground Beef is sold with different fat content. You may be aware of numbers like 70/30 or 80/20 on the ground beef package. The higher fat content makes for a juicier and tastier burger but the lower fat content is often associated with better diet. The leaner meat is often considered a more tasty meat if cooked to medium done. Ultimitely it is the quality of the meat and fat that will determine the quality and taste of your burger.

Cheeseburger Pie

•1 pound lean ground beef
•1/2 cup milk
•1 egg
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
•1/4 teaspoon pepper
•1/2 cup ketchup
•1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
•1 small can (6 ounces) sliced black olives, drained
•1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
•2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Combine the ground beef, milk, egg, garlic and seasoning in a bowl; blend well. Press the beef mixture evenly on the bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Layer with the ketchup, chopped onion, olives, and cheese. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and cut into wedges. Serve cheeseburger pie hot.