A veggie burger unlike the others
Beans mean meat-free deliciousness
Afriend asked me what I was planning for my July column.
“Black bean burgers,” said I.
“Really, why?” was the clearly unenthusiastic response.
Well, for one thing, I like beans. I love beans, in fact. And lately I have had vegetarian burgers on the brain.
Perhaps it has something to do with sitting outdoors on a recent warm summer evening, as lighter fluid perfumed the neighbourhood, followed by the acrid smoky aroma of beef fat dripping on glowing charcoal briquettes. It didn’t make me crave red meat.
Though I do appreciate the occasional burger with all the trimmings, a big pile of fries and an ice-cold beer, my dinners at home have been largely vegetarian of late.
But I wasn’t after the handcrafted veggie burger you’ve seen in food magazines, photographed to look not just like a burger, but the best-looking burger you’ve ever seen. Big, beautiful, bodacious and juicy — the classic here’s-a-gorgeous-burger-that-evencarnivores-would-like.
That kind of patty has heft and colour and nuts and grains, grated carrots and beets, designed to have a meat-like “mouthfeel”. You could get anyone to eat it without much coaxing.
I envisioned a homely black bean burger that wasn’t like that at all. I wanted it to taste like really good Mexican refried beans.
I planned to emphasise, not disguise, the black beans in the mixture, and I definitely did not want to add breadcrumbs or filler to make it firm. I wanted it to be highly seasoned, with cumin, cilantro, scallions, green chilli and pimentón. I didn’t care if it could be grilled. Of course I didn’t want it mushy, either, but cooked beans by their very nature are not meant to be chewy.
For body, I added cooked brown rice, which seemed a compatible choice. I hand-mashed the mixture for maximum texture. To bind, I used cornstarch and egg. Then I dusted the patties on both sides with fine cornmeal and panfried them.
To me, this was an extremely delicious burger — tender, with a pleasantly crisp exterior.
Suddenly it occurred to me thata fried egg on top would be a nice addition. In France, when a beefburger is topped with an egg, it’s called à cheval (on horseback), so theidea isn’t without precedent.
Well, when those two got together in a toasted bun, they made a heavenly combination. It was like a great fried egg sandwich and the best black-bean patty, both on the same bill. So Iwrote the recipe that way. There would be a big chopped salad on the side. And for dessert, strawberry-coconut ice cream made into a cake. Here was a fine vegetarian picnic for staying at home, inside or out. © 2020 THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY