Farro Burgers
| Serves | 6 |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Farro |
| Menu Part | Entree |
| Cuisine Type | Mediterranean |
Chef Frederick Guerrero
Little Bear
Los Angeles
Veggie burgers are available commercially, made from plant-based ingredients such as grains, soy and beans. At Little Bear in LA, chef Frederick Guerrero crafts a veggie burger in-house from farro, red beans and mushrooms, then tops it with a tofu aioli and sliced avocados. The low-labor, high-flavor recipe will tempt vegans and flexitarians alike.
Ingredients
Tofu aioli
6 oz. silken tofu
1½ oz. roasted garlic
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. light miso
1 tbsp. capers
1 tbsp. water
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
Burger
4 oz. farro
10 oz. canned red beans, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
3 oz. red bell pepper, finely diced
3 oz. green bell pepper, finely diced
3 oz. onion, finely diced
6 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1½ tsp. soy sauce
¾ tsp. chopped Italian parsley
¾ tsp. chipotle chili powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. vegetable base
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 whole wheat buns
Butter lettuce
2 roasted red peppers, sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
Steps
1. Prepare tofu aioli: In blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding more water if needed to create the consistency of mayonnaise. Refrigerate 2 hours to blend flavors.
2. Prepare burgers: In medium saucepan, bring farro and lightly salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes until cooked through. Strain farro and place in a large bowl.
3. In food processor, blend half the beans until smooth. Add to farro in bowl and mix well; stir in whole beans.
4. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onion; cook until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat; stir into farro-bean mixture in bowl.
5. Add another teaspoon olive oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook until soft. Remove from heat and add to farro mixture.
6. Stir panko, tomato paste, soy sauce, parsley, chipotle powder, cumin and vegetable base into farro mixture. Mix until well combined, then stir in flour. Shape mixture into 6 patties.
7. Heat olive oil on griddle over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until browned, crispy and heated through.
8. To serve, spread tofu aioli on bottom of each bun; place burgers on top and add butter lettuce leaves, roasted red pepper slices, and 3 to 4 generous avocado slices. Close with top of buns.
Photo courtesy of California Avocado Commission