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Hearty Winter Vegetable Burger

Posted by Jenn Smith, November 7, 2007 at 5:30 PM

Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian was a recent Cook the Book entry and is destined to become a big gift book this holiday season. We're sharing one more recipe, for a fragrant burger filled with rich and colorful dried fruits and beets that you could serve on a platter with winter greens as the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving meal, should you be looking for a non-meat turkey alternative.

Hearty Winter Vegetable Burger

- serves 4 to 6 -

Ingredients

1 pound beets, trimmed, peeled, and grated
1/2 cup packed pitted dates or dried plums (prunes)
1/2 cup almonds
1 inch peeled ginger, cut into coins
1/2 cup bulgur
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup boiling red wine or water
1 tablespoon Dijon or other mustard
Cayenne or hot red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
A little all-purpose flour, if needed, for binding
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

Procedure

1. Combine the beets, dates, almonds, and ginger in a food processor and pulse several times until everything is well chopped but not quite a paste.

2. Put the mixture in a large bowl with the bulgur and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir in the boiling wine, mustard, and cayenne if you're using it and cover the bowl with a plate. Let steep for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if you can before shaping it into patties; if it seems too wet, stir in a little flour to help bind it. (You can make the burger mixture or even shape the burgers up to several hours in advance. Just cover tightly and refrigerrate, then bring everything back to room temperature before cooking.)

3. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties. Put the oil or butter in a skillet with a lid over medium heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, carefully slip the burggers into the pan. Cook, undisturbed for 5 minutes or so, until nicely browned on the bottom; carefully flip the burger, cover, and cook the other side for 5 minutes.

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Tags: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Healthy Menu, Thanksgiving mains, Thanksgiving turkey alternatives, vegetarian