Drake’s Dealership’s veggie burger
If you’ve dined at Oakland’s Drake’s Dealership, you’ve likely spotted chef Taylor A. Smith’s epic Black Bean Burger, a savory mix of black beans, farro, quinoa, Bhutanese red rice and aromatics.
“The secret to this recipe is applying good old-fashioned French technique,” Smith says. “All the components are cooked separately, then brought together later. For us, this is a three-day process. For the home cook, many substitutions can be applied and certain ingredients can be omitted, if necessary.”
Among his tips:
Cook the grains separately. “In the restaurant, we cook grains like we would pasta, in large well-salted pots of water,” Smith says. “Simply follow the instructions on the packaging.”
Need to go gluten-free? Omit the farro and bump up the quinoa or rice amounts accordingly. Substitute 1 ounce agar-agar and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum for the vital wheat gluten. And use flax and chia, instead of panko — although, Smith says, “the texture will ultimately be on the crumbly side, so cook the patties carefully.”
Final pro tip: Smith adds a sprig of thyme and a crushed garlic clove to his saute oil. Remove them before mixing the burgers.
Here’s the recipe, adapted for home cooks:
½ cup dry quinoa, cooked according to
package directions ¼ cup dry farro, cooked ¼ cup Bhutanese red rice or other rice,
cooked Olive oil 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, chopped ½ a white onion, chopped 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped (discard large stems) 1⁄3 cup Dijon mustard, such as Maille brand 2 teaspoons dark chile powder 2 teaspoons fine sea salt or slightly less
than a tablespoon of kosher salt 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper 2 cans black beans, rinsed well and drained 1⁄3 cup vital wheat gluten 1 cup panko bread crumbs, plus more as
needed ¼ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1. In a large bowl, combine the cooled, cooked quinoa, farro and rice. (This can be done a day ahead and refrigerated.)
2. Saute the onion and bell pepper in olive oil until just wilted. Add to the grains, along with the mustard, dill, chile powder, salt, pepper and 2⁄3 of the beans.
3. Put the rest of the beans in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons water and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides often and adding more oil, if needed, to keep the puree moving. The finished texture should resemble a very thick mayonnaise.
4. Scrape the puree into the grain mixture; add the vital wheat gluten and panko. Mix by hand (I would suggest wearing latex gloves). The mixture should not feel wet; if it does, add more panko until the mixture is sticky and feels like hamburger.
5. Form patties, no more than 5⁄8 -inches thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet, cover with parchment, then plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for 4 hours to 2 days. (To freeze them, sear them in a pan first, then cool before freezing in a zip bag.)
6. Cook the patties in a pan with plenty of oil — and butter! — until cooked through.