Homemade burgers

• By Nick Camilleri Preziosi and Alex Mattei

For 8 people, you will need:

500g of good quality fresh minced beef, one egg, 50g of bread crumbs, lettuce, one small onion (chopped finely), ketchup, salt and pepper, burger buns, tomatoes, cheese that melts easily (not pizza mozzarella), onions (if liked), mayonnaise.

Mix the mince with the beaten egg, bread crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of ketchup, onion, and a little salt and pepper. Form the mixture into burgers by rolling bits of it into balls in your hands and then flattening them with a palette. Refrigerate them for an hour, either flat or stacked between layers of aluminium foil. Cook them in a hot frying-pan or on a barbecue. Serve them in buns with slightly melted cheese (you can melt it under the grill), tomato slices, caramelised onions and lettuce. Caramelise the onions by peeling, slicing and shallow-frying them, then adding a touch of sugar and frying until they are browned.