I don’t like burgers.
This is one of two pronouncements about my food preferences that inevitably shock people.* When I say this, most people think I’m a freak. “How can you not like burgers?” they ask in disbelief.
I’ve never been a fan of ground beef in general. I don’t like its consistency. My stomach is also very sensitive to grease. I’ve had my share of hamburgers and cheeseburgers, and I’ve concluded that I’m better off without them.
My friend Jess has a started a Burger Club that is growing wildly in popularity and getting great publicity. She knows that I don’t dig that scene, but I told her I’d be there in spirit.
I recently bought the new cookbook Almost Meatless, by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond, and came across the recipe for the B4 (Beef Bulgur Bean Burger). In the interest of trying something new, and in homage to Jess’s new venture, I gave this a try.
My modifications: I used even less ground beef than the recipe called for, because I just didn’t want to eat that much meat. I also added one large portobello mushroom that I had on hand. Hmm– does that make it a B5- Beef Bulgur Bean ‘Bello Burger? ha!
Because I didn’t use much ground beef, I doubt any true meat lover would be fooled by the substitutions. However, it has such great flavor– just enough meat to taste like a burger, but with the creaminess of the black bean puree and the dense chewiness of the cooked bulgur wheat– that I like it. I even had seconds.
More thoughts on this book to come.
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*The other is: I don’t drink coffee.
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adapted from Almost Meatless
Ingredients
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced and mashed with 1/4 teaspoon salt
3 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon mustard
1 cup chicken stock or water (I used water)
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
salt & pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten lightly
8 oz. ground beef (I used 4 oz. of 85% lean beef)
hamburger buns
toppings and condiments of your choice – I used romaine lettuce, tomato, vidalia onion, ketchup and mustard
Process beans, garlic, scallions, and mustard in a food processor. The recipe says “until a chunky paste forms,” but I processed it a little smoother. You can also mash this by hand with a fork or a masher. Transfer to a bowl.
Bring the water to a boil, then add bulgur. Cover, and lower heat. When the water is absorbed (took about 7-8 minutes for me), fluff bulgur with a fork and add salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.
Add egg, bulgur, and beef to the bean mixture and mix. Form into patties. Grill over medium-high flame, or pan-fry over medium-high heat, 5-7 minutes per side. Place on hamburger buns (I like them toasted first), add toppings and condiments as desired.
I don’t eat any beef and *hate* beer. How’s that for alienating yourself at a burger bar! Looks good, I’d probably mod it to contain no beef.
Hey, Yoko–thanks so much for picking up the book and blogging about the recipe! Truth be told: I sort of hate ground beef. I like this particular burger with lamb instead, and I often use mushrooms that have been pulsed to a ground-meatish texture in a food processor in lieu of meat. Your take sounds like a really tasty one. I think you should try the chili next (p. 85) and omit the beef altogether. I’ve many it dozens of times both ways and prefer it beef free, though my husband does miss the meat when I make it veggie! Thanks again!
I’d eat this! The bun you used looks pretty incredible.
Taylor- I love beer, so I’m 1 for 2 there.
I’d be interested in playing with the proportions of black beans to bulgur wheat to mushrooms and seeing what comes of that.
Joy- thanks for commenting! I’ll see if I can try the chili next. My husband’s really picky about chili (having lived in New Mexico), so I may have to call it something else so that he’ll eat it.
Jess- I’d be interested in your take on it as a burger aficionado! And that bun’s just a Whole Foods whole wheat bun, toasted in the pan. Tasted good to me!
This reminds me of the meat and grain loaf in Mark Bittman’s _Food Matters_ – demonstrating the idea of using meat more for flavoring than for sustenance. We made the loaf using ground chicken, and it tasted very satisfying and “meaty” using just a fraction of the amount of meat that would normally go into such a dish.
Thanks – I look forward to trying this out!
Kalina– I just have to get my own copy of Food Matters!
That looks powerful good.
No cheese???
Ace- I didn’t have any cheese on hand (other than parmesan), and I wanted to be able to taste the burger on its own without the cheese first.
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Yoko, I LOVE your tweaks. That’s the joy of cooking right there- when you can make something your own! For any other anti-beef folks, you can easily sub ground turkey, chicken, lamb, pork, even bison for the ground beef. Or, like Yoko and Joy point out, bag the meat and bulk up on ’shrooms, beans and bulgur. Thanks for posting, Yoko!
Thanks, Tara! I look forward to trying other recipes in Almost Meatless!