Spinach-chickpea burgers

I’ve got a new cookbook. It’s called Veggie Burgers Every Which Way and is a cookbook of veggie burgers, salads, buns and toppings.

My first adventure into homemade veggie-burger-land was the spinach-chickpea burgers. Bloody hell, this was a lot of faff – I think I used every pot, pan and plate in the kitchen.

As I was folding in the flour, I did wonder if it was going to be worth all the effort and whether I needed to get the pizza delivery menu out of the drawer as the mixture was so sticky and although it said it should be sticky but pliable, it didn’t appear to be doing the pliable bit. I added more and more flour until I thought ‘that’ll do’ and hoped for the best.

Well, as soon as they started to fry, they started to firm up. After they’re browned a bit, they go in the oven and they came out beautifully firm.

spinach-chickpea-burgers

I couldn’t be happier with these burgers, they were gorgeous. There was one left over and I had that one cold for lunch today and it was just as nice as when they’re hot – they’ll be perfect for me to take to uni. The only off-putting bit is the amount of washing-up afterwards.

spinach-chickpea-burgers-served

Spinach-chickpea burgers (makes 5)

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
150g fresh spinach
225g cooked chickpeas
2 eggs
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
40g chickpea flour, or more if needed

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium frying pan. Add the cumin seeds and spinach and cook, tossing with tongs, until the spinach is completely wilted, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof plate and allow to cool until safe to handle. Drain if necessary, wrap in a towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Chop finely.
  2. Combine 175g of the chickpeas, the eggs, lemon juice and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles a chunky hummus.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the remaining chickpeas and mash coarsely with a potato masher. Add the bean-egg mixture and stir thoroughly. Fold in the chickpea flour. The mixture should be sticky but somewhat pliable. Add more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, if too wet, or a bit of water if too dry. Shape into 5 patties.
  4. In an ovenproof frying pan or non-stick sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties and cook until browned on each side, 6 to 10 minutes total. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked through.
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