Summer is all up in my face! The heat is just crippling and of course that mean it is time to fire up the BBQ grill and do some outdoor cooking so indoors stays chilly. Everyone is touting their burgers and dogs as the best and having grill-off as a matter of principle but whatever! I am not competitive nor do I think a bean based patty is a replacement for a beef patty. Bean burgers are a completely different cuisine not to be confused with the meaty mainstream but they also provide a whallop of protein swell texture and make use of all the fixin's at a typical barbecue (lettuce tomato mustard so on). In addition to the 'batties' (bean-patties, I am still trying to make up new words for vegan food) there is a cream of potato soup and brazed Brussels sprouts. What I am saying is we are going to
turn this:
into this!
Braised Brussels Sprouts:
There are a lot of ways to cook brussels sprouts but the way that I have found that seems to be the most popular among people I feed is the braised brussels sprouts in a balsamic reduction. What is surprising to me is that it is almost as easy as steaming them after you cut them in half.
The main trick is t let the pan with oil get HOT (I used coconut oil but just enough to give the pan a light coat and help heat transfer, we are not doing a deep fry). I use a teaspoon or less of mustard seeds as a temperature gauge, when the seeds pop it is time for the brussels sprouts to go in. The fun part is the B-sprouts will actually pop and hop in the hot pan while they cook, and they dont take that long. After about 8 minutes you can stir them up so the round part is facing down and let it go for another 5 minutes.
At this point you could already serve the little darlings with some garlic infused butter but just as much fun is to mince some garlic in, toss in a bit of onion and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, turning it down to medium heat. Make sure you have the stove fan on high when you splash in the vinegar because your hot skillet will vaporize the stuff which can be pretty intense if the ventilation is not good. Slowly add balsamic vinegar, like a teaspoon at a time, and let it cook off the water to make a thick sauce that is coating your brussels sprouts. how much you add depends on how saucy you want the dish to be and how many brussels sprouts you are making . . . I probably added close to a 1/4 C of vinegar over the course of 15 minutes. I served them with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Home Made Buns:
I always turn to the Tassajara bread book for my bun-like entities and this is no exception. 3 cups war water with yeast and a table spoon of sugar start things off. The first 3 cups of flour go in to make a relatively soupy batter that you let sit and rise. then you slowly add in 3more cups string in the same direction and being conscious not to break the strands of gluten that have formed. This is also where you add salt and any extras you would want (might I suggest garlic or rosemary or both). Once the dough is thick let it rise a second time before forming the buns.
I had never made buns so I tried a few different ways and by far the best was to make a flat bread with a roll on top (maybe there is a better way but this worked great for me).
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Veggie Black Bean Patties:
Do not underestimate the importance of vegetable content! Using shredded beet and carrot is a re-occurring theme in my cooking because they add color texture and sweetness that is subtle and earthy. In addition to that mess we add in green onions and roasted fennel bulb. for those who like to measure it is about 1 C of each fennel, carrot, beet and about a 1/2 C onion
Saute it all together with a minimum of oil, I think I got away with 1tablespoon. adding in some mushroom, garlic and sunflower seeds. the sunflower seeds are for texture, I really enjoy the pop of pan roasted sunflower seeds in a Battie.
The beans are cooked before hand in a pressure cooker where I used 2C of black beans with 1C of kidneys and the corresponding 6C vegetable broth (water is fine too but the broth really adds depth to the flavor of the beans). Pour off the water after cooking (save it in another pan to be reintroduced but we want the patties firm and not too watery).
Mash the beans with some fresh fennel and mix in the vegetable mass. the vegetables should be simmered long enough that they mostly fall apart as you mash them in. Keep stirring/mashing until you form a nice batter that is thick and holds shape when rolled. If the batter is too thin add in some flour to thicken it up ( i used corn meal so my patties would be wheat free).
Roll the mix in to large walnut sized balls (similar to golf ball size or the size of a lime)and roll the ball in a bit of corn meal. The corn meal helps keep the patty from falling apart on the grill and makes sure it is easy to lift off. It also adds a bit more dryness that helps hold it together.
The patties only take about 5 minutes on each side and then can be served on a bun with spinach/lettuce, mustard, ketchup and all your other favorite fixins. I would suggest trying some grated carrot and beet as a 'burger' topping or the classic avocado!
Creamy Potato Mushroom Soup:
Make mashed potatoes, with extra water and a lot of oil! again we learn that the secret to a 'creamy' texture is the combination of oil and water with some emulsifier, in this case potato starch. I used 5lbs of russet potatoes boiled in enough water to cover them and then started mashing.
I used a combination of coconut oil and earth balance for my fatty content and a hearty amount of garlic and pepper for seasonings.
The mushrooms were sauteed in olive oil and garlic with popped mustard seeds and green onion. I think the soup would have been fine without the mushrooms but I really like the extra texture and flavor that comes with adding them in. Plus we had extra mushrooms around. I twas about 2 cups of sliced crimini mushrooms added into the soup.
Served!
