Veggie Burgers?

The Husband and I had a very long week but I knew that if we didn't use the greens TODAY they were going to go bad, and quickly (not to mention that in all likelihood we will be getting MORE greens on Monday). The thing is we had Turnip Greens and Spinach and no real idea of what to do with them. The Google Machine seemed to suggest that the only way to treat greens was to saute them with garlic or bacon or both. Now, don't get me wrong, bacon makes the world go 'round but the idea of eating sauteed greens ALL summer was making me bored already. So I hit the books, literally. I pulled EVERY SINGLE cookbook on my shelf and began to pore through them. I looked up turnip greens, and spinach, and just general greens...the options were barren to say the least.  Joy of Cooking: "saute with garlic," Martha Stewart: "saute with bacon," Mark Bittman.... "veggie burgers."

• The Husband: Veggie Burgers? Ick.
• Me: It's the first recipe that didn't just say "saute"
• The Husband: Still...Ick.
• Me: We're doing it

and I set to work. 

The Recipe called for 2 cups cooked and chopped greens. So I piled all the greens on the board and got to chopping. 

 We had about 4 cups, uncooked. 

Bittman suggested giving them a blanch and then shock them in ice water. While I waited for the water to boil, I peeled and grated the sweet potato:

We really need to get a box grater. 

When the greens came out of the pot, I started to get concerned about how many greens I had.



The Recipe clearly said 2 cups cooked, but did it mean cooked and chopped? Did it mean cooked, chopped and drained? Because once it was drained and wrung out we ended up with about 1 cup of tightly packed greens.

• Me: What do we do?
• The Husband: I guess we halve the recipe 
• Me: We purchased way too much sweet potato.

We mashed down the a cup of cannellini beans (The Husband remarked that they smelled like cat food... not a good sign).

And added the spinach.

• Me: Didn't the recipe say it was supposed to be "flecked" with greens? 
• The Husband: Yea
• Me: This looks more like... green.
• The Husband: Maybe you need to cut the greens down further

So I did.

I then cooked the sweet potato mixture in our beautiful cast iron, that no, does not have a name. Only electronic kitchen stuff gets names.

Added it to the spinach mixture:

And stirred:

It made about three patties, which still looked more "green" then flecked with green.

They didn't seem very substantial. I was really shocked that they didn't contain a binder, but I trust in Bittman as he would trust in me and into the pan they went.

Flip:

The end result, served with a little BBQ sauce:

The Verdict:

On the one hand, I think we probably shouldn't have halved the recipe. The patties were very loose, and probably could have used a binder, or more beans.  However, on the other hand, The Husband did clean his plate. Take that Mr. "Veggie Burgers = Ick."

RECIPE CREDIT:

Mark Bittman's Spicy Autumn Vegetable Burger
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 30 minutes with cooked beans and kale

(Vegan if you use the oil)

2 cups cooked kale or other winter green, like collards, turnip or mustard greens, or broccoli rabe (about 8 ounces raw)
2 cups cooked or canned cannellini or other beans, drained well
4 or 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
1 medium sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and grated (about 1 cup)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs or panko
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch cayenne, or to taste
A little all-purpose flour, if needed, for binding

1. Squeeze all the water out of the kale and finely chop it. Put the cannellini beans in a large bowl and mash them roughly. Stir in the greens with a fork.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil or butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, add the sweet potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to soften and color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs and remaining spices and cook and stir for another minute or so.

3. Stir the sweet potato mixture into the bean mixture with a fork, mixing until well blended. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if you can before shaping it into patties. If it seems too wet, stir in a little flour to help bind it. Taste and adjust the seasoning. (You can make the burger mixture up to several hours in advance. Just cover tightly and refrigerate, then bring everything back to room temperature before cooking.) Wipe out the skillet.

4. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties. Put 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter or oil in the skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, carefully slide the burgers into the pan. Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes; turn carefully and cook on the other side until firm and browned, adding the remaining butter or oil if necessary.

5. Serve on buns with the usual burger fixings. Or cool and refrigerate or freeze for later use.