The consumption of plant-based food as a lifestyle choice is growing in leaps and bounds across the globe as we become more mindful of the need for a sustainable environment. One of the most pleasurable ways to eat less meat is tucking into juicy vegetable burgers with friends and family, enjoyed with a glass or two of Roodeberg’s Classic Red Blend.
Motivated by the joy of bringing people together with outstanding quality and consistent drinking pleasure, Roodeberg has teamed up with food writer, Ilse van der Merwe of www.thefoodfox.com to create delicious plant-based, no-fuss burgers. Meat-free burgers make ideal holiday food as they can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in a jiffy to satisfy the endless stream of hungry kids and visitors who descend on households everywhere over the summer season.
Ilse’s scrumptious black bean and mushroom patties are chunky in texture, generous in size, and above all, easy to make. Their umami flavour melds seamlessly with the vibrant and silky smooth Roodeberg Classic Red 2021. This superbly textured wine erupts in your glass with aromatic layers of fresh berries, hints of spice and dark chocolate. Nuances of cedar oak and ripe plums supported by sleek tannins linger long after the last sip.
Black bean & mushroom burger with crispy onion rings
Ingredients for 4 XL patties
For the patties:
30 ml olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6-8 portabellini or small brown mushrooms, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely grated / minced
10 ml ground cumin
10 ml ground smoked paprika
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs (or raw oats)
1 XL egg
15 ml Worcestershire sauce
30 ml steakhouse sauce (or BBQ sauce), plus extra for brushing
1 x 400 g can black beans in brine, drained
1 x 400 g red kidney beans in brine, drained (or replace with more black beans)
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
For assembly:
4 large sesame seed burger buns
Butter for spreading
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
A few lettuce leaves
1-2 large tomatoes, sliced
A few pickled gherkins, sliced
For the crispy battered onion rings:
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
About 180 ml beer (lager or similar)
Vegetable oil for frying
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into rounds
Method:
In a wide pan, heat the oil and add the onion and mushrooms. Fry over medium heat until soft, then add the garlic and fry for another minute, stirring often. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a food processor, along with the cumin, paprika, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce and steakhouse sauce. Add the beans, salt & pepper, then pulse until you have a relatively coarse mixture (don’t make it too smooth).
Tip: You can also crush the beans with a potato masher before adding it to the food processor. This helps to break up the bigger beans making it easier to keep slightly chunky with the rest of the ingredients. Divide the mixture into 6 and shape into flattened disks (it’s best to do this on smaller pieces of baking paper, to prevent the patties from breaking). Arrange the patties on a large oiled baking sheet, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To cook the patties: Preheat the oven to 200° C. Use a pastry brush to baste the patties with steakhouse sauce, then bake for about 10 minutes a side, removing the baking paper as you turn them over. The patties will be very soft when hot, but will firm up once cooled. If you have the time, precook them, and just reheat when ready to serve.
To assemble: Butter the inside of your buns and toast in a hot pan, then spread with mayonnaise, layer with lettuce, tomato, gherkin and the cooked, basted patties. Top with a slice of cheese and the top half of the buns, and serve at once, with freshly fried onion rings.
For the onion rings: In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, paprika and beer, and mix to a thick and sticky batter. Heat the oil in a medium size pot over the stovetop until a drop of batter starts to sizzle (about 170° C). Dip each onion round in the batter and place carefully into the oil, frying on both sides until puffed up and golden (you can do batches of about 4-6 at a time). Drain on kitchen paper and serve at once.
Chef’s note: Because veggie patties have the tendency to break while cooking, it’s best to bake them for ease of mind. Once cooked and cooled, they firm up and become much easier to handle, so feel free to make them ahead of time for a quick reheat.
