lentil walnut burgers

We were feeling a hankering for burgers and came across this recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook. It’s not bad in terms of time, but I found even with the small amount of salt, they turned out a bit salty. I’m not quite sure how that happened, as everything is from scratch, but I’m listing it with half the salt in the recipe.

And the burgers? The lentil base is OK, though I’ve had better veggie burgers. That said, I would make them again – they’re really healthy, nice and moist, and the walnuts add a great bit of texture.

Part 1

3/4 c dry lentils
1.5 c water
2 tsp cider

Bring lentils and water to a boil in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer, party-covered, for 30 minutes or until lentils are soft and liquid is gone. Place in large-ish bowl. Add vinegar and mash.

Part 2

1 Tbsp butter
1 c finely-mined onion
1-2 cloves garlic crushed (I minced them)
10 large mushrooms, minced*
1/2 c finely-minced walnuts
1 small stalk minced celery
1/2 tsp salt
lots of fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp dry sherry

Sauté all of the above together over medium-low heat 10-15 minutes or until all is tender. Add to the mashed lentils and mix well. Add 1/2 cup raw wheat germ as well (I used toasted and it seemed fine).

Chill for about 1 hour before forming patties. Form 4-inch burgers and fry in butter until brown or broil about 8 minutes on each side (careful on the second side).

Uncooked burgers may be individually wrapped and frozen.

*I wasn’t sure what size large mushrooms were, so I ended up just using regular white mushrooms. They seemed to work fine.

lentil soup

The lentil soup is a staple here, usually a fairly simple concoction with a few spices, just note at the top of every menu. We’ve had so much of it here, however, that I feel the need to make a note myself of it. Chris especially loves it, and, as it’s usually served with fresh bread, I’ve ordered it more than a few times myself. This is one fun part about traveling a country: seeing how one dish can vary within borders. We’ve had it plain as day, spicy with dried chili pepper (in the southeast), cooling with mint (in Sivas), salty as a big bowl of salt (numerous places, unfortunately), and lumpy with lentils or smooth as silk. It’s a nice light lunch, as soup always is, and when we first arrived, with the chills of winter just starting to shake themselves off, it was often a great way to warm a body up after the sun had gone down. It’s a nice, simple dish I’m sure we’ll be taking with us when we leave.