Got inspired this morning when I saw this Instagram pic by Ellie, co-owner of the Pear Café in Bristol. Hers were a much “healthier” version. I went for more of a traditional burger thing, first making two cheeseburgers with tomato, lettuce and onion, mayo and dijon. The other two I topped with fried onions and served with a soya-mayo (just mayonnaise with some soy sauce added). Both types were fabulous, served on freshly grill-toasted artisanal molletes (a soft Spanish bread roll), though in retrospect I realised I should have made eight smaller burgers from this recipe, which I did on my next try. Also the second time I added fresh cilantro – made all the difference. Very filling, super delicious.
Ingredients and instructions below…
- 1 400 gram jar of garbanzos, rinsed
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 medium onion (or spring onions) finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fine bread crumbs
- handful of chopped fresh parsley
- handful of chopped fresh cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp crushed chilis (optional)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- splash of soy sauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup shredded carrot or courgette (dried well with paper towel)
- olive oil
Put the first 8 ingredients into a food processor, blender, or use a hand blender. Pulse until just roughly chopped and put half of this mixture into a bowl. Whizz the egg and sesame oil into the remaining half and then add this to the reserved mixture. Stir in the shredded veg, mix well, and then chill for about half an hour before forming into patties (I lightly dusted the patties in breadcrumbs to keep them from sticking). Meanwhile pre-heat griddle (or BBQ) and brush each side of the patties with olive oil. Grill until brown and crispy, 3-5 minutes per side.
On the right you can see some of another batch of “mini burgers” I made, this time dividing the mixture into 8 patties (instead of 4) and using smaller buns. These ones have the soya-mayonnaise and grilled onions, with tomato and lettuce too. Grilled courgettes/ zucchini on the side.
