Sliders are an American term for mini-burgers, around two inches accross, served as nibbles or canapés. Wouldn't this platter make great party food for Christmas drinks?
The secret ingredient here was quite a revelation to me, as I wasn't expecting to like it at all. It is dried textured soya mix, and having tried a fair few veggie-burgers in my time I think this gives the best texture I've come accross and is a brilliant base to invent delicious burgers from. Other classic veggie-burger bases such as beans, potato or mixed veg seem to either crumble on cooking or be sloppy to work with, and can sometimes be dry and cloying to eat. I find this stuff stays juicy and moist, and is great to work with.
I used Granose Burger Mix but I've also heard good things about Sosmix, (harder to come accross in shops). You're probably as sceptical as I was about using textured soya in cooking, (it doesn't sound great does it), but I really do recommend you give it a try with the recipes below.
These three recipes would produce 6 of each flavour of slider, or two of each flavour of a normal sized veggie burger. The flavour combinations are aiming to be wintry, festive and fun.
Veggie-Sliders: Three Recipes for Mini Veggie-Burgers
Burger Base: Ingredients
1 packet (2 sachets) Granose Burger Mix or 150g Sosmix 18 Mini-Rolls (I've had lovely ones from Waitrose and Tescos). Or make your own from good old Dan Lepard's Recipe hereMethod
Make up the burger mix with water to packet instructions and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Divide the mixture equally into three parts and place these in three separate bowls.
To each bowl, add a set of ingredients from one of the suggestions below, or your own invention. Mix well.
Divide the mixture into six equal balls for sliders, or two equal balls for full-size burgers. Flatten these slightly and fry on a fairly gentle heat for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy on the outside and cooked througout.
Assemble the sliders with your choice of lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, etc and serve immediately.
Broccoli, Lemon & Pine Nut Burger
Ingredients
3 florets broccoli 1 tbsp pine nuts Juice and zest of half a lemonMethod
Chop each broccoli floret into 6-8 bite-sized pieces, and place in a small microwaveable bowl. Splash with water, and cover with cling film, piercing the top with a sharp knife. Microwave on full power for 1-2 minutes until tender but not collapsing. Drain well. (If you don't have a microwave you can stir-fry the broccoli instead - it will take 4-5 minutes).
When cooled and thoroughly dry, (pat with kitchen paper if it feels at all soggy), combine with one of your three bowls of burger base, and add the lemon juice and zest and pine nuts. Mix well, then divide and cook as per burger base instructions above.
I served these with very finely shredded lettuce and a dollop of garlic mayonnaise.
Make it vegan: The burger mix is vegan, so just serve without the garlic mayonnaise.
Beetroot, Chilli & Walnut Burgers
Ingredients
2 small cooked and peeled beetroots (the vacuum-packed ones are fine) 3-4 walnut halves, chopped ½ a fresh red chilli, seeds removed and finely choppedMethod
Chop the beetroot finely and add to one of your three bowls of burger base. Add the chopped walnut and chilli and mix well to incorporate.
Mix well, then divide and cook as per the burger base instructions above.
I topped these with a thin slice of goats cheese during their last minute in the frying pan, so that its just on the verge of melting as you serve them. Yum!
Make it vegan: The burger mix is vegan, so just serve without the goat's cheese.
Brussels Sprout and Stilton Burgers
Ingredients
4 brussels sprouts 4 slices stiltonMethod
Halve and very finely shred the brussels sprouts. Stir-fry them in a pan with a splash of olive oil and sprinkle of salt for 3-4 minutes.
Leave to cool, then incorporate them into your final bowl of burger mix. Crumble in the stilton, and mix until just combined, but trying to keep the stilton in lumps where possible.
Divide and cook as per burger base instructions above.
I served these with another slice of stilton on top, again added during their last minute in the frying pan. Mine was pretty mature and powerful, and the slice pictured above was actually a bit overpowering, so if you can cut yours smaller and finer than mine, all the better. (Though brussels sprout haters may be glad of a total stilton overload to take away the taste!!).
Make it vegan: Omit the stilton - chopped walnuts would be a lovely addition instead.
These are of course just a few suggestions, and the possibilities are endless. How about:
- Cranberry Sauce & Wensleydale - Apricot & Stilton - Chestnut & Curly Kale - Roasted Parsnip & Hazelnut - Wild Mushroom & Brandy - Sweet Potato & Savoy CabbageMmmmmmmmm.......... more suggestions below, please!
These look delicious, I haven't made anything with dried soya since I was a student but I might pick up a packet to try these out.