Sounds sexy, doesn’t it? Just stick with me here…
When we first arrived in Buenos Aires, I was at a bit of a loss as to what we were going to eat. Obviously, I’d heard the beef was amazing – not that I was going to actually buy any – and that the vegetables were all very fresh. But I didn’t have my food-shopping groove on yet. Having lived in NYC for so long, I forgot what it’s like to move to a new place and figure out where to shop, what to buy, etc. etc. Plus, my Spanish or castellano del Río de la Plata, which is what’s spoken in Buenos Aires (the short definition is it’s like Spanish, but not exactly; the long one is here), wasn’t the greatest, so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to figure out what anything was. Of course, my fears were all for naught – come on, it’s not like we were going to starve! This city is pretty well known for having good food. It took me a few weeks to find out where to buy things like tofu, spices, peanut butter and the like, and I’m still discovering new stores and foods.
All of which is to say that during those few weeks when I was figuring everything out (and eating far too many scones from my neighborhood panaderia – oh, that I sussed out the first day we arrived), I relied very heavily on lentils. Specifically, lentil burgers. These lentil burgers.
They’re so basic, so simple, but for some reason, my entire family just can’t get enough of them. The only odd man out is Loo, who knows that there won’t be any “leftovers” (aka food tossed off the hombrecito’s high chair tray) on nights we have lentil burgers. So he’s not so much of a fan (of course, he would be if he ever got to taste one).
NOTE: While the original recipe is excellent as is, Heidi recommends some variations, like the lemon zest, which is a great addition, so I always add it (it really brightens the flavor of the burgers). I also like to use whatever fresh herb I have on hand — we have a sage plant, so I put that in a lot. Also, she recommends black lentils, which I can’t find here, so I just use the plain old brown ones. Red ones work too. I like to serve these burgers on a piece of toasted whole-grain bread and topped with lettuce, avocado, tomato and lots of mayonnaise or plain yogurt. Yum.
Lentil Burgers
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
3 cups cooked lentils
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs (Panko works too but gives a slightly different texture to the burger)
Zest of one lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil
Combine the lentils, eggs, lemon zest, herbs, about half the onions and salt in a food processor (in a Mini-Prep, you need to do two batches). Purée until the mixture is a little runny with some chunks still in there. You don’t want it to be completely goopy; keep some texture. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the other half of the onion. Stir in the breadcrumbs and let it all sit for a bit. Form the patties (don’t forget to take your rings off!) — if the mixture isn’t holding together and is all over your hands, you need more breadcrumbs. Or if it’s really dry, add a bit of water to the mixture.
Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan on medium heat and add the patties and cover, cooking for about 5 minutes or until the bottoms begin to brown and get a nice crust on them. Flip the patties and cook the second side for another 3-4 minutes.
