NYTimes Ultimate Veggie Burger

Labor weekend with no plans to get out of the city makes this wife very sad. The DH was working, and I was not. No barbeque plans, and soaring temperatures outside in the city kept me firmly indoors. Beets and cotija cheese in the fridge meant that it was finally time for the NYTimes Ultimate Veggie Burger recipe.

Ultimate Veggie Burger
by Melissa Clark (NYTimes)
Makes 6 burgers

TOTAL TIME

1 1/2 hours, plus at least 2 hours to chill

Ingredients

• 4 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained
• Olive oil
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• Black pepper, as needed
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 medium beet, peeled and coarsely grated (3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup tamari almonds or cashews
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 ounces Cotija cheese or queso blanco, crumbled or grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dulce pimentón or sweet smoked paprika
• 4 ounces tempeh, crumbled
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice

Preparation

1.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tofu into 1/4-inch-thick slabs and pat dry with paper towel. Arrange tofu on one half of a rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with oil. Spread mushrooms on the other half of the baking sheet; toss with 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper.

2.

On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beans and grated beet with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper, then spread the mixture into one layer.

3.

Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Roast bean-beet mixture, tossing occasionally, until beans begin to split and beets are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Roast mushrooms and tofu until golden and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Let everything cool.

4.

Place nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add cooled bean-beet mixture, mushrooms, tofu, panko, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, scallion, garlic, pimentón and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Pulse in tempeh and rice but do not overprocess. You want small chunks, not a smooth mixture. Scrape mixture into a bowl and chill at least 2 hours or up to 5 days (you can also freeze the burger mix).

5.

When you are ready to make the burgers, divide mixture into 6 equal portions and form each portion into a patty about 1 inch thick. Return to the fridge until just before grilling. They grill better when they start out cold.

6.

Heat the grill. Cook the burgers over a low fire until they are charred on both sides and firm when you press on them, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If they start to burn before they firm up, move them to the sides of the grill to finish cooking over indirect heat. Alternatively, you can cook these on a grill pan or in a skillet over low heat.

My Notes:
1. I pretty much followed this recipe to the T. I pressed the tofu overnight, I bought green onions, and I measured and weighed and roasted everything. I did use regular breadcrumbs instead of panko breadcrumbs because I doubted it would make a difference. I also added a finely chopped green chile because it just didn't seem spiced enough.
2. I didn't have tamari almonds so I made my own (only the 3/4 cup I needed) using the recipe from thenakedkitchen blog:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw almonds
• 1/3 cup low sodium tamari (if you follow a gluten free diet be sure to use a gluten free sauce)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
2. Spread the raw almonds in a single layer on the baking sheet.
3. Bake approximately 10 minutes stirring occasionally or until you smell a nice nutty aroma but not browning the nuts.
4. Remove to a heat proof bowl and pour the tamari over the nuts. Stir to coat.
5. Let sit 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Transfer the nuts back to the baking sheet with a slotted spoon. Spread in an even layer.
7. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake, stirring occasionally for 15-18 minutes or until dry and nicely browned.
8. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

3. I did not grill these, but 5 minutes on each side on a cast iron pan seemed to do the trick.
4. Verdict. It was work, and procuring some of the ingredients was complicated (e.g., getting the DH to bring home mayonnaise from the food court of his office) but in the end it was a delicious burger that skirted every veggie burger pitfall-- mushiness, crumbliness, blandness, dryness-- and stuck the landing. Would definitely make again, if ever the stars were to align this way in the future.