I spent most of my life thinking a beef burger was the only kind of burger. And while you can still find me chowing down on a (local, grass-fed) beef burger at BCBB, some of my favorite meals in town are “veggie” burgers. I’m not talking about fake meat, soy-based burgers here; bean burgers are much more my style. My obsession began with the lentil sliders at The Federal. Topped with guacamole and curry mayo, they will rock your world. Then I found the black bean burger, smothered with sauteed onions and mushrooms, at Alivia’s. Up until recently, Jeff has been lukewarm on veggie burgers. But when we were in Salt Lake City this spring, we ate at Sage’s Cafe. We split the “Guac-and-Roll”, a burger made of cashews, almonds, and chickpeas and topped with tahini, pesto, and guacamole. He downed it in minutes and I had to fight for 3 measly bites. After that trip, he agreed that maybe all burgers don’t need to be made of beef.
Of course, I took that comment as an invitation to start creating my own veggie burger. I thought it would take a couple of tries and some experimentation to hit on a combo that worked. Turns out, the first recipe I picked was perfect exactly as written. I will be making this burger again and again this summer; maybe I’ll even convert some more meat lovers along the way. The farro keeps the burger moist and the herbs and crushed red pepper add intense hits of flavor. The recipe suggests serving the burgers with a roasted red pepper spread. I’m sure that would be great, but ours were perfectly delicious with honey mustard, avocado, tomato, and lettuce. Since the burgers themselves are a tad on the time-intensive side (though mostly hands-off time with the cooking of the beans and farro) I’d advise keeping your toppings simple and savoring the burger itself. Happy burger season!
Printable version of Black Bean Burgers
Black Bean Burgers
Serves 8
1/4 cups dried black beans, rinsed and picked over, then soaked for 4 hours and drained
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup farro
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for sautéing
8 toasted buns
In a saucepan, cover the beans with 2 inches of water. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour; add water as needed to keep the beans covered by 2 inches. When the beans are tender, season them with salt and let stand for 5 minutes; drain.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the farro and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the grains are al dente, 30 minutes.
In a small skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook over moderate heat until softened. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse all but 1/2 cup of the beans to a chunky puree; transfer to a bowl. Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of beans, the farro, the onion mixture, eggs, bread crumbs, basil, cilantro, pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Form the mixture into 8 patties. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1/8 inch of vegetable oil. Add the burgers and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned and heated through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the burgers to the buns and serve.
From Food and Wine
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