black bean burgers

So one of my Christmas presents was this:



And I love it with a passion. If love for inanimate objects is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. Despite it being a Christmas present, I didn’t actually have it until today (what with the holidays, and my traveling, my mom just got around to sending it to me), so of course, I had to use it! I needed to chop things up. I searched through the new February Gourmet, and settled on this, a Black Bean Burger recipe. It is quick and easy and you can easily swap out different herbs and spices. Instead of serving it with salsa – I replaced the cilantro with parsley – I made a smoked paprika mayo.



(Which, by the way, smoked paprika is my new favorite go to ingredient. It has a chipotle-like smoky sweetness, but without the heat. Mark Bittman thinks everyone should have it in their spice cabinet, and I agree!)

So, whether you are a vegetarian or not, make these as soon as you get home! They are tasty and filling. You can easily swap the mayo out for vegan mayo, a thick Greek yogurt, or maybe even tahini. Basically, you need something to bind it all together. But these are delish and will have a permanent place in my repetoire.



Black Bean Burgers
From Gourmet, February 2009

2 (14 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
3 tbsp mayonnaise (see notes above)
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled (I omitted this)
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro (see notes above)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 soft hamburger buns

• Pulse one can of beans in a food processor with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano, and cayenne until a course puree forms. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in cilantro (or parsley) and remaining can beans. Form mixture into 4 patties. (My grocery had 19 oz. cans of beans, so I ended up making 6 burgers).

• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 minutes total. Serve on toasted buns (I served mine with spinach and the above mentioned smoked paprika mayo).