Recipe by Kelly Gibney
These meat-free burger patties are full of rich, savoury flavour and will be an absolute crowd-pleaser. Serve with a big dollop of the zingy pickle and pesto sauce and some homemade kūmara fries.
Makes 6 patties
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion – finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves – finely diced
- 250g portobello or swiss brown mushrooms
- 1 medium carrot – finely grated and squeezed tightly of liquid
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/2 teaspoon fried oregano
- 1 plant-based vegetable stock cube
- 1 can brown lentil – rinsed and drained well
- 1 free range egg
- 1/2 cup flour (can use GF all purpose if needed)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (use GF if needed)
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- Olive oil for sautéing
Sauce
- 1/2 cup good quality mayo
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 10 slices McClure’s bread & butter pickles – dice
METHOD
Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the mushrooms, carrot, fennel seed and oregano. Increase the heat a little and sauté for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and glossy.
Crumble the stock cube over the top and mix through well. Use a potato masher to mash the lentils until about half are broken up.
Allow to cool completely and then add the egg, flour and breadcrumbs, along with a generous seasoning of salt and cracked black pepper.
Use damp hands to make 6 patties. Place these in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
Cook in a sauté pan in 1 cm of hot oil until golden brown on each side.
Mix together the sauce ingredients.
Serve burger patties in brioche buns with lettuce, tomato, avocado, radish, a generous dollop of pesto and pickle sauce. Finish with a couple of slices of McClure’s Bread & Butter pickles.
