The natural dryness of the lentils is balanced here with the accompaniments to the dish. Running a spoonful of a wild garlic or other type of pesto through the leeks adds further flavour.
In mayonnaise, I often use both a light oil and an extra virgin olive oil for the flavour and nutrients.
In the photo, I am showing a different sauce which is also great (feta, 1 flame roasted pepper from a jar by Odysea Ltd, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, onion powder and seasoning).
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the burgers
- 400g can lentils, drained
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- small bunch dill, chopped
- small bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 egg
- 100g fresh breadcrumbs
- 20g panko crumbs for coating
- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
For the Leeks
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 large leeks
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp bouillon powder
- Knob of butter
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
For the roasted pepper mayonnaise
- 1 egg
- 100ml vegetable oil
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 flame roasted red pepper, chopped
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
To serve
- 4 brioche buns
- sweet potato fries (optional)
Start by making the mayonnaise. Whizz the egg in the small bowl of your food processor or a small blender for 20 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients other than the oils and blitz till smooth. Add the oil, a drop at a time while the blender is working till the mixture starts thickening, approximately after a quarter of the combined oil has been used. Add the rest of the oil in a thin stream. Adjust the seasoning and add more lemon juice or vinegar if required.
Trim and cut the leeks in two lengthwise and then in small slices.
Bring a plan with the olive oil to a medium heat and add the shallots. Sweat them for a couple of minutes and add the leeks. Cook stirring for a couple of minutes, sprinkle the bouillon powder over them and add 100ml of water. Increase the temperature to bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer for a few minutes till the leeks are soft. Add a knob of butter, season with salt and pepper, add any pesto you may be using and keep warm.
For the burgers, put the lentils, lime zest and juice, cumin, coriander, dill and egg into a food processor. Season with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and whizz briefly to a rough puree. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and add the fresh breadcrumbs, diced onion and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Form 4 burgers, coat with the panko crumbs and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 2000C.
Bring a frying pan with the remaining olive oil to a medium to high heat. Brown the burgers for 2 minutes on one side, transfer to a greased tin and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
To serve, cut the buns in half. Put a burger on each, top with some leeks and finish with a good dollop of red pepper mayonnaise.