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Cauliflower cheese burgers
Serves 6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 1 very small head of cauliflower (about 200g), trimmed and separated into florets
- 140g tinned haricot beans (drained weight)
- 85g fresh breadcrumbs
- 140g mature cheddar cheese
- 2tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- sprinkling of grated nutmeg zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 1tbsp roasted chopped hazelnuts
- 1 large egg white
- 2tbsp vegetable or olive oil
- 1 oak leaf lettuce (or other)
- 1 medium tomato, sliced
For the caramelised onion chutney
- 50g butter
- 4 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 150ml red wine vinegar
- 2tbsp raisins, finely chopped
- 2tbsp soft brown sugar
Method
Serve with toasted open pitta bread or brioche bun if you want a more ‘classic’ version. You can freeze these burgers on a tray, before coating in the egg white and breadcrumbs. Then defrost, coat, and fry in a pan, as before.
Steam the cauliflower florets for 7-8 minutes, or until tender. Take off the heat, drain and leave in the colander to cool.
In the meantime, start to make the red onion chutney (which should make about 250g). Put the butter in a frying pan on a low heat, then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Fry for about 20 minutes, or until sticky and soft. Add the vinegar, raisins and sugar, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until glossy and reduced. Check the seasoning.
When the cauliflower is cool, put the haricot beans into a food processor and pulse, then add the cauliflower and pulse lightly. You don’t want to overwork it as the mixture will get sloppy.
Place in a bowl and add 1tbsp breadcrumbs. Grate 80g of the cheddar and add to the bowl, along with the parsley, nutmeg, lemon zest and hazelnuts. Season with salt and pepper, and form the mix into 6 burgers, around 6cm in diameter each, in the palms of your hands.
Lightly whisk the egg white in a bowl, and put the rest of the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Brush each burger all over with egg white and press into the crumbs, making sure they are well covered.
Put the oil into a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. When hot, cook the burgers in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side, until nice and crisp and golden. Slice the remaining cheddar and put a slice on top of each while in the pan to melt. Place each in a lettuce leaf, add a slice of tomato and serve with a generous spoonful of chutney.
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