One afternoon I spent 135 hours making homemade veggie burgers. It was a recipe from the July 2005 of Cook’s Illustrated and it was a long day’s journey into night, I’ll say that much. You know what a fan I am of Cook’s but this recipe involved cooking lentils, cooking bulgar, sauteing vegetables, sauteing mushrooms, processing cashews in the food processor, all done separately and each requiring its own pan and baking sheet for cooling, as well as mountains of paper towels, strainers, bowls, spoons, spatulas, etc. And then you still had to cook the damn burgers.
And for all that, they weren’t significantly better than a Boca Burger. Frankly, there isn’t a veggie burger in the world that would justify an entire afternoon in the kitchen and an hour’s worth of dishes.
So I was beyond excited at the simplicity of Gwyneth’s recipe: saute onion, garlic and cumin, add salt, pepper, beans and pre-cooked brown rice (miraculously all executed in one pan), mash a bit, let cool, form into burgers, dust with a little flour, and saute again in the same pan.
And they were great! Of course, I buttered the buns and toasted them in the veggie fond but still, they were very, very tasty and so straightforward. You can use whatever condiments or variations you usually use with your burgers, or dream up some new ones. Delicious in their own right, they are also a great blank canvas for your preferences and imagination.
I can’t find this recipe online and I’m hoping to get permission to reprint some of the recipes from the book on my site so, until then, I’ll have to leave you hanging!
That looks delicious, and after trying the Boca, I’d say that one’s only decent because it’s full of salt and filler type whatnot. Question: lentils come already cooked in a can, like kidney, navy, etc. beans, don’t they? And can bulgar be purchased already cooked? You know I’m always trying to find the laziest way possible to make great homemade food!
At any rate, this recipe looks like a winner, and frankly, they should give you a commission because this is a book that’s batting close to a thousand for me based on your reviews. I think I very likely will purchase it!
Hmm, I don’t that I’ve ever seen cooked lentils in a can but someone should invent it!
Oh, and the thick slice of (cheddar, Vermont Cabot cheddar perhaps?!) under that bun! How bad could THAT be?!
That thick slice of something looks like…. BUTTER?!
No Anne, gotta be cheese. Natural cheddar without the orange coloring would look just like that!
Oh, I see Kate replied — avocado! Now I see the green part! YUMMY. And some cheese would be good too, but maybe thinner and melted.
Yum!
This looks great. I may buy the book.
Susan and Kate, I have seen cooked lentils at Trader Joe’s, by the way. As for bulgur, it is already cooked via steam and then dried before it’s sold, so you can “cook” it by putting it in a bowl with water (boiling water for the coarse bulgur, but even cold water will work for the fine grade).
Wish I had a Trader Joe’s here. That and a Target. 🙁
These look good, but I must admit I have never had a veggie burger in my life. Could you eat this as a side with say (don’t let the resident vegetarian yell at me) a grilled pork chop?
Anyway, based on your comments about this book, I have ordered it.
I love Gwyneth, and I love GOOP!
@Anne: that’s a slice of avocado on the burger.
@Victoria: I never thought of a veggie burger as a side but why not? I also had the extremely blasphemous thought of putting bacon on mine.
Would love that recipe as I am having vegetarians over for Memorial Day. 🙂
You are converting me to the culinary prowess of Ms. Paltrow and you know I go kicking and screaming…!
Well, I discovered this review after someone posted a link to it in the Cuisine at Home forum along with a link to the recipe, so there (in my second link) is the recipe for those who have been trying to find it.