BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Prelude: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes.  To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.”  This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the May is “National Burger Month” Blenditarian Challenge.” The challenge is to create a blended burger by incorporating The Blend (mushrooms + ground meat).” For this reason, I have developed a recipe called The Ultimate Blended Burger.

This burger is unique in that it not only incorporates minced mushrooms into a beef/pork mixture; it also contains rehydrated dried vegetable flakes, contributing even more flavour to the burger. Barbeque season is just around the corner – give these burgers a try. They are delicious!

The Ultimate Blended Burger

Burger Chef Tips:

1. In this recipe, the meat is seasoned during the mixing of the burger meat. This simple step enhances the flavour experience of every bite.
2. The recipe utilizes a ratio between beef, pork and mushrooms:
   1. Pork adds more flavour to the burger
   2. Pork will add moisture and fat to the burger as lean or extra lean beef can often result in a dry burger. NOTE: The ratio of beef to pork can be changed to suit personal preferences.
   3. Mushrooms add a rich earthy flavour, in addition to stretching the meat when creating the ‘blend’. I prefer using Cremini mushrooms for their ‘meaty’ flavour and dark appearance when cooked.
3. Bear in mind that with the addition of pork, the burger will shrink more than an all-beef burger. Therefore, purchase your buns with that in mind. When making the burger patties, adjust the size to allow for shrinkage.
4. If you can find sourdough hamburger buns, their flavour will make a tasty difference. Buttering and toasting the cut edges of the sourdough bun is a must! The crunchy interior of the bun adds an element of texture to the overall burger.
5. The experienced griller will understand that the additional fat from the pork will cause lots of flames, so I would recommend barbecuing these burgers over indirect heat.
6. With the additional fat content in the burgers, they will typically cook a bit faster than normal all-beef burgers, so keep a close watch on them. For those who utilize thermometers to determine doneness, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and USDA recommend a temperature of 160^oF or 71^oC to ensure your burgers are cooked safely. 

The Ultimate Blended Burger

INGREDIENTS:

MUSHROOM/VEGETABLE MIXTURE

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz. (226 g) Cremini mushroom (about 7 large Cremini)
• 1 – 2 cloves of fresh garlic, finely minced
• ½ teaspoon onion salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons dried vegetable flakes, rehydrated in ½ cup hot water, optional

MEAT MIXTURE

• 1 lb. (454 g) lean ground beef
• 1 lb. (454 g) ground pork
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (gluten-free bread crumbs if required)
• 1 egg, large
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• ¼ cup finely sliced green onion

METHOD:

1. Place the olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the minced mushrooms and minced garlic. Cook over medium-low heat until the mushrooms are cooked and any moisture is evaporated. Cool completely.
2. Place the vegetable flakes into a glass measuring cup. Pour hot water over it and let it sit for 5 minutes. Drain any excess water. Mince the softened vegetables finely.
3. In a large bowl, place the cooled mushroom/garlic mixture and the minced vegetable flakes. Add the meat mixture ingredients and stir until well mixed. (Do not over handle the mixture). CHEF TIP: Take a tablespoon size amount of the mixture and make a small patty. Cook this small sample in a frying pan and taste for seasoning. Adjust the mixture to taste using the ingredients from above. Once the mixture is at the preferred level of flavour, portion and shape the mixture into patties, barbeque and enjoy!

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• To achieve maximum flavour, refrigerate the patties for several hours so the flavours marry nicely.
• These burgers freeze well. CHEF TIP: place a small square of parchment or wax paper in between each patty when freezing. This makes separating the frozen patties easier.

TOPPING OPTIONS: (Use your favourite toppings or the following suggestions)

My favourite hamburger toppings for the Ultimate Blended Burger are as follows:

• Cheddar Cheese (Old), sliced
• Fresh tomatoes, sliced
• Lettuce leaves
• White Onions, sliced
• Dill Pickles
• Garlic Aioli (another personal favourite) or mayonnaise

Here is your visual step-by-step:

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Favourite Kitchen Tools – The Simple Spatula; Scoops for portioning
• Parchment Paper
• Tweaking
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If you try my recipe for The Ultimate Blended Burger, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

 

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