Few things are better than a burger, and having been a vegetarian since the age of 8, I have not once looked at a meat hamburger and thought I’d rather that to my portobello mushroom or veggie pattie. Having said that, few places in Sydney do it well, if at all, and it’s tough to find somewhere that dishes out a homemade version that hasn’t come “fresh” from the freezer. Well I always say, if you want something done properly, then do it yourself. It’s probably not exactly a low maintenance recipe, but well worthwhile.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6-8
To Make
- 1 x onion, finely diced
- 1 x garlic clove, finely diced
- 1 x zucchini
- 2 x tins butter beans, mashed
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 x large eggplant, sliced about 2cm thick
- Pinch of cumin
- Pinch of ground coriander
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 x egg
- Olive oil
- Bag of rocket
- 300g pumpkin, cubed
- Few sprigs of thyme
- Vegetarian parmesan or similar
- Salt and pepper
- Balsamic vinaigrette
To Serve
- Beetroot relish
- Olive buns, halved
- Vegetarian Jarlsberg or similar
METHOD
Patties
- Fry your onion and garlic together in a large saucepan over medium heat for around 5 minutes or until golden. Add the zucchini and stir for another 5 or 6 minutes, then the butter beans. Throw in your cumin & coriander, and then peanut butter.
- Take off the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs and egg once cooled slightly. Do not add the egg straight away or it will scramble.
- Season, and mix together well with your hands. Roll into balls just smaller than the palm of your hand and set to the side.
- It’s best to fry these in a saucepan, even if you are wanting to BBQ them later. Be sure to use clean oil between batches or the burnt remnants will stick to the fresh patties. Heat the oil on high and be careful when you drop in the patties. Fry until golden brown and turn over.
- Place onto paper towel to drain excess oil.
Eggplant
- I drizzled the eggplant slices with oil and barbecued them. You can fry them, bake them, or leave them out!
Salad
- Place pumpkin in a large baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season, and sprinkle thyme over the top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and take out any sticks left behind by the thyme.
- Toss the rocket and sprinkle pumpkin over the top. Top with parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette and season.
Serving
- Spread the beetroot chutney on the inside of the roll. We bought these from the Organic Bread Bar on South Dowling St. It’s fun there!
- Layer cheese, eggplant, salad and a pattie.
- Enjoy with a glass of cider and a group of good mates.
- I have included a picture of dessert from this particular dinner party, compliments of my mother. She named it “Lumpudding” as it was supposed to be a smooth chocolate mousse but was made in the microwave, so you can imagine how that worked out. Served in my great grandmother’s tea-cup with homemade ice-cream, figs, berries and with serving cream over the top, it was a pretty good end to the meal.
5 comments
Jess says:
May 2, 2012
Yum, Yum, Yummy… Looks delish!! x
Kitti says:
May 3, 2012
So delish Jessy. I shall come and make you some when I get there!
Xx.
jez says:
Jun 18, 2012
Just made this. Really good. Thanks. You’ve omitted the butter beans in the step-by-step part of the recipe. But otherwise, it was all plain sailing. That’s three recipes I’ve tried from your site. Much love from London, UK.
P.S. I loved the post about the pesach meal.
Kitti says:
Jun 18, 2012
Amended! Thanks for picking that up Jez. Absolutely stoked that you tried the burgers… They have received mixed responses due to the peanut butter addition!
Much love from Sydney, hope to make it to London one of these days.
Make sure you put a photo on Facebook of the next vege meal you make… I’ll be sure to be adding some new recipes very soon.
Emilyk says:
Jul 28, 2012
I love these I cooked them a while ago and they are the best ever yum!! Do you think they can be made the night before and kept in the fridge ?? I need to do them in advance for a weekend away next weekend thanks :)