Tonight John stayed late again and we had enough food leftover from other dinners that I didn't have to cook at all. So I don't have anything to report from my kitchen tonight.
But I did find this very interesting article just now in the New York Times about a veggie burger revolution of sorts that's happening right now. The article cites many restaurants whose chefs are getting very creative with the idea, in a way far removed from the bland, frozen patties we might think of. It even mentioned the Shula's chain, which John and I are going to visit on Friday night for a much-needed celebration.
I've been thinking right along these same lines. I already have many veggie/grain combinations that I fry up in patty form -- two just in the time I've been blogging. I wouldn't call them veggie burgers, but this method is particularly attractive to me because it's both tasty and more kid-friendly than serving veggies and grains in, well, piles.
So what actually qualifies as a veggie burger? I think that while it doesn't have to pretend to be meat, it should have a meaty taste -- the umami flavor. I haven't found a satisfying recipe that does this yet. The best one I've tried, which is a combination of bulgur, beans, and nuts, has a good flavor but is too mushy. I've been thinking of making my own changes to it to make it a little grainier, but I'd really like to see some more recipes. The article mentioned a new veggie burger cookbook coming out in May... maybe I'll get it for myself if it gets good reviews.
Has anybody else out there found a good veggie burger recipe? What do you like about it?
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