Perfect Lentil Burgers

The perfect lentil burgers have two secret ingredients, mozzarella cheese for fat and moisture and smoked paprika to mimic a little charbroiled flavor. Truly, you will not miss the meat. 

Nobody likes a dry burger is one of my mottos. This goes for chicken and beef but it goes double for vegetarian patties. A little fat that won’t evaporate off when cooking is key. I first made these lentil burgers using bread I had baked with thick mozzarella slices in the dough.

The whole family declared them the perfect lentil burgers. The problem was, how to recreate them without having to bake that bread again each time, lovely though it was.

I took apart the bread recipe, figured out about how much mozzarella must have been in the number of slices I used for the first perfect lentil burgers and then added that into the new patty mix with plain whole grain sandwich bread. Much to our delight, it worked. I’ve made these lentil burgers many times since and they are always one of the first things my younger daughter asks for when she comes home. Hope you enjoy them!

Perfect Lentil Burgers

One note about the main ingredient, Puy lentils: You don't have to use green lentils actually grown in the Puy region of France because those can be pricey. I do recommend that you source the (almost) identical French lentils grown in other regions of France. They hold their shape much better than any other lentil I've tried, most of which go from not quite cooked to too mushy in a heartbeat. The French lentils will make a much better burger.

Ingredients – for four patties (about 7oz or 200g each – a substantial patty!)
4 slices whole grain sandwich bread
1/4 medium purple onion
2 eggs
3 1/2 oz or 100g mozzarella, grated
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I also use more. We like things spicy.)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fine sea salt
1 cup or 210g uncooked (or about 2 1/2 cups or 485g cooked/rinsed) Puy lentils
(If you are cooking them, boil with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda till tender. Drain and rinse.)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and more for pan

To serve:
4 buns
Sliced tomatoes
Lettuce
Sliced onions
Your favorite condiments – mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc. We like mayo with a little garlic and lemon juice added too.

Method
Toast the slices of bread and cut them into cubes. Chop the onion up.

Process the toast cubes and the onion until the bread is in crumbs. Add the eggs and process until well combined.

Tip the mixture out into a bowl. Add the grated mozzarella and mix well.  Add the smoked paprika, cayenne, a generous sprinkle sea salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Mix well.

Add the rinsed, drained lentils and the extra virgin olive oil. Mix well.

Form into four patties.

Pan fry in non-stick pan or griddle with an extra drizzle of olive oil until golden on both sides, about 6-7 minutes a side should do it.

Serve with sliced tomatoes, onions and lettuce on a hamburger bun. You wanna put more cheese, you surely can but it's not necessary. We never do.

Enjoy!

This week Sunday Supper is sharing a plethora of creative hamburger and hot dog recipes that you are going to love! Many thanks to our host Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and our event manager Shelby of Grumpy's Honeybunch for all of their hard work.

All American Burgers & Dogs

• BLT Burgers by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Bourbon BBQ Bacon Burger Sliders by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Bourbon Onion Bacon Dog by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Chicago Style Hot Dog by The Culinary Compass
• Copycat Guberburgers by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Idaho Dogs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Philly Cheesesteak Dog by Palatable Pastime
• Pimento Cheese Burger by Magnolia Days
• Southern Seasoned Beef Burger by April Go Lightly
• The Best Ever Bacon, Egg and Cheese Burger by The Chef Next Door
• The SmashBurger by Monica’s Table
• Whiskey Burgers by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch

Cluck Burgers

• Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Chicken Parmesan Burgers by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Chicken Satay Burger with Peanut Sauce by Baking Sense
• Chicken Tikka Burgers by Sunday Supper Movement
• Miso Glazed Chicken Burgers by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Worldly Burgers & Dogs

• Blue Cheese Burger with Fig Jam by Garden Matter
• Caprese Burgers by The Redhead Baker
• Cheddar Stuffed Taco Burger by My Life Cookbook
• Dominican Chimichurri Burgers by The Crumby Cupcake
• Guacamole Cilantro Lime Cheeseburger by Life Tastes Good
• Hot Dog Maki Roll by kimchi MOM
• Meatball Parmesan Burgers by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Portuguese Hamburger by Family Foodie
• Salchipapas (Peruvian Sausages and Potatoes) by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Smoky Sliders with Chipotle Mayo by Cooking on the Ranch
• Spicy Shishito Dog by Brunch-n-Bites

Where's the Beef Burgers

• Baby Back Rib Burger by The Freshman Cook
• Brown Rice & Lamb Burgers with Spinach by Wholistic Woman
• Fish Taco Burgers by Pies and Plots
• Greek Lamb Burgers with Blistered Tomatoes and Tzatziki Spread by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Miso Tuna Burgers by Caroline’s Cooking
• The Perfect Lentil Burger by Food Lust People Love

Where's the Bun Burger

• California Burger Bowl by Simple and Savory
• Cheeseburger Salad by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Dessert Burger

• Gluten Free Dessert Hamburgers by Gluten Free Crumbley

How to

• Make Salmon Burgers with Mango Salsa by Asian In America
• Pan-fry Bratwurst by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Choose The Ultimate #SundaySupper Hamburger and Hot Dog Wine Pairings by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

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Yorkshire Parkin Mini Bundt #BundtBakers

Yorkshire parkin is a rich gingerbread made with treacle and golden syrup. It's a traditional baked treat that might well have been enjoyed by the characters in the beloved children's book, The Secret Garden.

This month my Bundt Bakers group was challenged by our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime, to create a Bundt with the theme Secret Garden. I'm not sure if it's what Sue intended but my mind immediately went to one of my all-time favorite books, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's a book I have read over and over through the years. If you haven't read it, I recommend that you do. The Kindle edition is free on Amazon right now.

It's the story of an expat kid who loses her whole family to an epidemic and must return alone to England from the only home she's ever known in India. Her supposed home country is foreign to her as are the ways of the local people. After finding the secret garden to nurture in her mysterious uncle's estate, Mary grows from a sour-faced, spoiled and finicky child into one with pink cheeks and a wholesome appetite under the care of a kind Yorkshire maid and her down-to-earth brother, Dicken.

In 1999, Amy Colter published The Secret Garden Cookbook, with recipes inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic book. I must confess that I do not own that book but as I was reading its reviews, parkin was mentioned several times as a particularly traditional Yorkshire treat contained therein. I consulted The Google and found this recipe on BBC Good Food, which I adapted to fit my smaller Bundt pan.

I like to think that Mary took parkin just like this from the big house out to share with Dicken and the wee Robin Red Breast who first showed her where the secret garden was hidden.

Ingredients
1 medium egg
2 tablespoons milk
100g butter, plus extra for greasing the baking pan
1/3 cup or 80ml golden syrup
1/4 cup or 50g soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons treacle (or molasses)
1 cup or 125g flour, plus extra for pan
Slightly rounded 1/2 cup or 50g oatmeal
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: powdered sugar to serve

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and liberally butter and flour your 2 1/2 to 3-cup mini Bundt pan. (Follow the original recipe for a larger pan. This just happened to be the only pan I own where I am staying right now. Traditionally parkin is baked in a square pan and cut into squares to serve.)

Beat the egg and milk together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. Mix the flour, oatmeal, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.

In a small saucepan, gently warm the butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and treacle until the butter is just melted. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Add the dry ingredients to the warm butter mixture, followed by the egg and milk. Stir until well combined.

Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in the preheated oven about 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean and the top is a bit crusty.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before turning the parkin out on a wire rack to cool.

The BBC recipe says to wrap it up tightly in parchment paper and foil and to keep it for a few days before eating, as it gets softer and stickier the longer you keep it. I don’t know about that (time will tell!) but I can assure you that even straight out of the pan, it goes quite excellently with a strong cup of Yorkshire Tea, the brand my younger daughter happens to favor.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other Secret Garden recipes the Bundt Bakers are sharing today!

• Almond Lavender Bundt by The Queen of Scones
• Carrot Bundt Cake with Chamomile Orange Icing by Patty's Cake
• Chocolate and Mint Cake by Baking Yummies
• Ginger & Lemon Crackle Courgette Bundt Cake by Baking in Pyjamas
• Elderflower and Lemon Bundt by Jane's Adventure in Dinner
• Lavender & Honey Bundt by Living the Gourmet
• Lavender & Lemon Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes
• Lavender Lemonade Bundt by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Lemon and Rosewater Cake by Palatable Pastime
• Lemon Balm Bundt Cake by Magnolia Days
• Lemon Zucchini Bundt with Sugared Pansies by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mojito Bundt Cakes by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Spiced Zucchini Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Sweet Chocolate Feel the Beet Cake by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Vanilla Rose Bundt with Edible Flowers by Our Good Life
• Yorkshire Parkin Mini Bundt by Food Lust People Love
• Zucchini, Cheddar and Chive Bundt by Cookaholic Wife

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

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Cheddar Chive Shortbread #CreativeCookieExchange

Cheddar chive shortbread is buttery, savory and crisp when first out of the oven, the perfect accompaniment to your afternoon tea or evening cocktail time. 

Shortbread is a traditionally sweet treat but since the main ingredients are flour and butter, I figure there’s no good reason it can’t be savory as well. This month’s Creative Cookie Exchange theme is cheese so I thought it was a great time to test my theory. I am pleased to report that while it feels funny calling these cookies, shortbread is definitely considered a cookie, so here we are. And they are delicious! They are rich and buttery, with a lovely hint of heat from the black pepper and cayenne. They can stand up to a strong drink as well a good cup of tea.

Ingredients
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 oz or 225g extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons finely minced chives or green onion tops
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinches paprika to decorate, optional

Method
In your electric mixer, beat together your butter, salt, black pepper and cayenne until you have a smooth paste.

Add in the cheese, flour and chives and mix at low speed until they form a soft dough.

Shape the dough into roll, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and line your baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Unwrap the roll and slice the shortbread into circles about 1/4 in or 1/2cm thick. Place on your prepared baking sheets leaving space around for them to spread. I put mine a bit close together thinking I might fit them all on one pan and ended up needing a second pan for the balance of six cookies. Learn from my errors and just space them more evenly on two pans to start with.

Sprinkle on a little paprika to decorate, if desired. You can use cayenne or black pepper instead but I was afraid mine might be too spicy for my taste testers.

Bake the shortbread until lightly golden and beginning to brown on edges, about 10-12 mins.

I decided that I didn’t like the rough edges for a civilized teatime treat with Manzanilla sherry so I cut them out with a glass to even the edges. This is a totally unnecessarily step, but they do look nicer, don’t they? And we loved the little toasted crumbs that were left behind.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other lovely cheesy cookies my Creative Cookie Exchange friends have made. Many thanks to Renee of Magnolia Days for doing all the behind the scenes work this month!

• Banana Chocolate Chip Bars by What Smells So Good?
• Black Bottom Mini Cream Cheese Brownie Cups by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheddar Chive Shortbread by Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookies by Magnolia Days
• Cream Cheese Kolachky by Oven Delights
• Geese Feet (Farmer's Cheese Cookies) by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Italian Ricotta Cookies by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Lemon Ricotta Cookies by A Baker's House
• Pepper Jack and Green Chile Cornbread Madeleines by Live. Bake. Love
• Spiced Parmigiano Scones by Spice Roots
• Tiramisu Sandwich Cookies by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts at The Spiced Life). We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

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