Join for free
shropshiregirl's Avatar
shropshiregirl
Chatterbox
shropshiregirl is offline
Shropshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 6,919
shropshiregirl is female  shropshiregirl has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
02-09-2017, 05:36 PM
1

A Terrific Veggie Burger That Will Make You A Hero!

Hi everyone, A big horrah for this bighead. I Had my brother, SIL, and teenage nieces round for a small get together last night, and actually got a thumbs up from them and from he who must obey.
As three of them are vegetarian, (yes, damn it, she is the SIL who is perfection when it comes to cooking), I wanted to do something that would, if not get cries of oohs and aahs, at least get a comment such as, "that was nice". (I don't ask for much!) so searched and searched until I found this recipe. Of course, as per usual, I had to do a trial run before making a fool of myself, so made and cooked a couple Thursday on the sly.
Wow, did they come out fantastic!! Full of flavour, not at all mushy as some veggie burgers I have sampled in the past have. In fact, I intend to cook a dozen of these at our next family barbecue get-together, I was so pleased with them. I know the preparation is all about vegetables, but honestly, it's really worth it for the end result. Pity I had to secretly bin one and half of the test ones. Still, it was worth it.

I M P O R T A N T ....For the best texture with these veggie burgers, once you add the breadcrumbs you MUST cook them within 30 minutes or they will become mushy. If you want to prepare the mixture beforehand, combine all the ingredients except for the crumbs. Mix the crumbs just before forming the patties and serving them.

YOU WILL NEED.
1.1/2 lbs button mushrooms
1/4 cup of canola or vegetable oil
Salt and Black Pepper
6 sprigs of Thyme
1 whole small courgette (about 1/2 lb)
2 large leeks chopped fine.
1 stick of celery, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium clove of garlic (about 1 teaspoon)
3/4 cup dry pearl barley
1 (14-oz) can chickpeas drained and patted dry on paper towels)
1/4 cup of plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Marmite, Vegemite or Maggi Seasoning.
1 cup toasted cashews, pinenuts or a mix
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1.1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs.

METHOD.
Preheat your oven to 180/350/160fan/Gas 4. Use the middle of oven rack. This recipe makes 8 veggie burgers.

In one bowl toss the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In another bowl, coat the courgette with a tablespoon of oil, Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap the courgette in heavy duty foil.

Place both the mushrooms and the wrapped courgette onto a baking tray (preferably one that has a rim) that is also lined with foil. Scatter the thyme over the mushrooms. Bake, turning the mushrooms and wrapped courgette occasionally until mushrooms are nicely browned and the courgette is tender. (use a cake skewer to test the courgette is completely tender) I cooked them for about 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

While the mushrooms and courgette are roasting, heat a frying pan, put in the remaining two tablespoons of oil to heat until shimmering. Add the leeks and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until soft but not browned. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, (about 30 seconds)
Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and set aside to cool.

Place the barley in a pot and cover with water by about 2 inches and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barley is completely tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer cooked barley to either a clean tea towel or a triple layer of kitchen paper towels. Roll tightly and squeeze out any excess moisture. Transfer the barley to a large bowl.
(I used my salad spinner to get rid of the excess moisture for the barley and the chickpeas)

Add half of the chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor along with the flour, baking powder, soy sauce, Marmite and half of the courgette. (reserve the other half courgette for another use).
Process until a smooth paste forms, scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer to the large bowl containing the barley. Put the other half of the chickpeas into the processor and pulse about 5 or 6 times until they are about the size of lentils. Add to the barley mix.

Chop the cashews or pinenuts if using, the same way in the processor and add these to the barley too.

When mushrooms are cool, place into the processor until finely chopped but still course in texture, (about 8 to 10 pulses). Add to the barley mix.

When leeks and celery are cool. place into the processor. Chop with 8 to 10 pulses and add to the barley mix.

Mix everything together so each patty that you make will contain each ingredient. Season with salt and pepper. DO NOT ADD THE PANKO BREADCRUMBS UNLESS YOU READY TO SERVE.
Using your bare hands, shape them into patties. (at this point, you can either store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, or 3 months in the freezer.

When ready to serve, add the breadcrumbs to mixture and work it in with your hands. It should have the same texture as minced beef. If it hasn't gradually add a teaspoon of water at a time until you get the correct texture where it comes together.

Divide the mixture into 8 patties about 4 inches across and 1/2 inch thick. Sorry to repeat myself but you must cook the patties within 30 minutes of adding the breadcrumbs.

To finish in a frying pan.
Put 3 tablespoons of oil over a medium heat until shimmering, add 4 patties at a time and cook for 3 minutes WITHOUT MOVING THEM. (I put very thinly sliced onion rings on top at this stage for extra flavour). After 3 minutes, turn and cook for a further 3 minutes and then transfer to a burger bun with whatever you choose to add to it i.e lettuce, tomato and condiments.

To finish on a Barbecue Grill.
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill and add some oil by wiping over the grill plates with kitchen paper. Add the burger and cook without moving them until they nicely browned (4 minutes). Turn and cook until again well browned (about another 4 minutes). Transfer to a burger bun. (He who must obey as a non vegetarian, added cheese slices at this stage).

As I say, there is some preparation for these, but my goodness, they are the tastiest veggie burgers I have had. I promise you will not be disappointed. Good luck if you try them. xx.


Attached Thumbnails (Click to enlarge)
Click image for larger version

Name:	20120325-veggie-burgers-2-001-thumb-625xauto-228177.jpg
Views:	119
Size:	55.0 KB
ID:	3876  
Nom
Chatterbox
Nom is offline
Northumberland
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14,118
Nom is male  Nom has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
02-09-2017, 06:32 PM
2

Re: A Terrific Veggie Burger That Will Make You A Hero!

Feeding veggies to youngsters is cruel.
shropshiregirl's Avatar
shropshiregirl
Chatterbox
shropshiregirl is offline
Shropshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 6,919
shropshiregirl is female  shropshiregirl has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
02-09-2017, 06:54 PM
3

Re: A Terrific Veggie Burger That Will Make You A Hero!

LOL Nom, as SIL and the two girls are vegetarians, and the biggest critics, I was just so pleased to see them tucking into the Burgers. I know full well when they "pick" and when they enjoy food. That's good enough for me.
 

Thread Tools


© Copyright 2009, Over50sForum   Contact Us | Over 50s Forum! | Archive | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Top

Powered by vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.