HOME & LIVING
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
Veggie burgers that
will change your mind
By GRETCHEN McKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
REALLY
AWESOME
BLACK BEAN
BURGERS
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans,
rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons vegetable
oil, divided
1 medium onion, fi nely
chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large poblano pepper, fi nely
chopped (about 1 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle chile in adobo
sauce, fi nely chopped,
plus 1 teaspoon sauce
3/4 cup roasted cashews
— Adapted from “Meals, Music, and Muses: Rec-
ipes from My African Kitchen” by Alexander Smalls
(Flatiron Books, $35)
SOUTH
Continued from Page B1
1 cup fresh corn kernels
Salt and pepper
Peanut, canola or vegetable oil, for frying
FIELD GREENS,
POACHED PEAR &
BLACK-EYED PEAS
SALAD
For Creole mayo
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup fi nely chopped red pepper
1/2 cup fi nely chopped celery
1/2 cup fi nely chopped onion
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Partially
dehydrated black
beans are the key
If you’re not a fan of
veggie burgers, I can prob-
ably guess why.
Too often these plant-
based patties masquerading
as the cookout standard are
either mushy or completely
crumble the second you
take a bite.
This recipe from Serious
Eats will change your mind.
The secret is in the
ingredients. J. Kenji
Lopez-Alt solves the
problem of mushy texture
by partially dehydrating the
burgers’ protein source —
canned black beans — in
the oven. His recipe also
adds chopped cashews for
texture and panko bread-
crumbs to help bind the pat-
ties, without making them
too soft.
Sautéed onions, poblano
peppers, garlic and a touch
of smoky heat from chipotle
chile, meanwhile, add depth
to the patties without over-
powering the fl avor of the
roasted beans.
The fi nal tip is to cook
the patties gently, over mod-
erate heat in a skillet. You
also can grill the burgers,
but be sure to brush the pat-
ties with oil before placing
them over the heat — it
will help them to brown
more evenly, while also pre-
venting them from sticking
to the grates.
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2022
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Roasted black beans and toasted cashews team up with chipotle chili
pepper to create this really awesome veggie burger.
1/2 cup fi nely crumbled
feta or cotija cheese
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
Cheese for topping, such
as pepper jack, cheddar,
muenster, or Swiss (optional)
6 to 8 hearty hamburger
buns, toasted
Condiments as desired, such as
chipotle-mayonnaise, ketchup,
mustard, or mayonnaise
Toppings as desired, such as
shredded lettuce, sliced
onions, and pickles
Adjust oven rack to center
position and preheat oven to 350
degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees
Celsius). Spread black beans
in a single layer on a foil-lined
rimmed baking sheet. Roast
until beans are mostly split open
and outer skins are beginning to
get crunchy, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to
cool slightly.
While beans roast, heat 2
tablespoons oil in a medium
skillet over medium-high heat
until shimmering. Add onion
and poblano and cook, stirring
frequently, until softened, about
5 minutes. Add garlic and cook,
stirring constantly, until fragrant,
about 2 minutes. Add chipotle
chile and sauce and cook, stirring,
until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
Place cashews in the bowl of
a food processor and pulse until
chopped into pieces no larger
than 1/3 -inch, about 12 short
pulses. Add to bowl with onions
and peppers.
When beans are slightly cooled,
transfer to food processor. Add
cheese. Pulse until beans are
roughly chopped. Transfer to bowl
with onion/pepper mixture. Add
breadcrumbs, egg and mayon-
naise, and season with salt and
pepper. Fold together gently but
thoroughly with hands. (Patty
mixture can be stored in an air-
tight container in the refrigerator
for up to three days at this stage.)
Form bean mixture into 6 to
8 patties as wide as your burger
buns. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a
large nonstick or cast-iron skillet
over medium heat until shim-
mering. Add 4 patties and cook,
swirling pan occasionally, until
well browned and crisp on fi rst
side, about 5 minutes. Carefully
fl ip and cook until second side is
browned, about 5 minutes longer,
adding cheese if desired.
Spread top and bottom buns
with chipotle mayonnaise or other
condiments. Add toppings to top
or bottom bun. Place patties on
bottom buns, close burgers and
serve immediately.
Makes 6-8 burgers.
— Seriouseats.com
Prepare crabcakes: In a large bowl, mix crab,
onion, bell pepper, celery, parsley, eggs, bread
cubes, bread crumbs, thyme, cayenne, corn and
1/8 teaspoon each salt and black pepper until well
combined. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up
to overnight.
Prepare mayonnaise: In medium saucepan, com-
bine tomatoes, bell pepper, celery, onion, brown
sugar, cayenne, tomato paste, vinegar, salt and
black pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high
heat, stirring often.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring
occasionally, until the mixture has the consistency
of a thick paste, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room
temperature, then chill for 1 hour.
Transfer tomato mixture to a food processor and
pulse until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a bowl
and fold in mayonnaise. Chill for at least 30 minutes
before serving, or store in a sealed container in the
fridge for up to 1 month.
To make crabcakes, put bread crumbs in a shal-
low bowl. Form crab mixture into 1-ounce patties
(about 1 1/2 inches in diameter). Dredge patties in
breadcrumbs to coat and shake off excess crumbs.
Fill a large cast-iron skillet with oil to a depth
of 1/2 inch. Heat over medium-high heat to 325
degrees. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding
the pan, add crab patties to hot oil and fry, turning
once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Drain on a crumpled brown paper bag or paper
towels. Serve immediately with Creole mayonnaise.
Serves 6.
— “Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes from My
African American Kitchen” by Alexander Smalls
(Flatiron Books, $35)
PRALINES
Popular across the Southern states, these sweet
treats — featured in the cookbook’s “Serenades”
chapter — are easy to make and a perfect way to
end a meal.
3/4 cup fi rmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar
and cream and heat over medium-low heat, stir-
ring, until brown sugar has melted. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until blended into a paste, about 10
minutes. Add butter, vanilla and pecans. Cook,
stirring, for 5 minutes.
Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
Drop pralines by tablespoons onto prepared pans
and let cool completely.
Makes 12 pralines.
“This salad is, for me, about fl avor, texture and
childhood memories,” writes in “Meals, Music, and
Muses.” The cookbook is a tribute to his South
Carolina heritage and the music that inspired the
former professional opera singer.
It was on the menu when he opened The Cecil
in New York City in 2013. It honors his father and
grandfather and the pears they grew in their back-
yard in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The beans add protein and the pears a touch of
elegance. A lemony vinaigrette ties it all together.
It’s a versatile recipe that can be made ahead to
be dressed later, and it easily goes from an appetiz-
er to a full meal depending on the size. I halved the
ingredients for smaller portions.
For salad
4 ripe but fi rm Bosc pears, halved and cored
2 cups red wine
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced seedless cucumbers
2 pounds mixed salad greens
2 1/2 cups cooked black-eye peas
For vinaigrette
1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon each fresh lemon,
lime and orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine pears, wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks,
star anise and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan.
Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover, re-
duce heat to low and poach until pears are tender
but not mushy, about 35 minutes. Let pears cool to
room temperature, then cover and chill for at least
several hours or up to overnight.
Prepare vinaigrette: In a food processor, combine
vinegar, citrus juices, shallot, mustard, mayo, honey
and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth,
about 30 seconds.
With the machine running, add oil in a thin
stream and process until emulsifi ed. Taste and
season with salt and pepper. Use immediately or
store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to
three days.
Remove pears from poaching liquid and cut
lengthwise into 1/8 -inch-thick slices. Reserve
poaching liquid for another use.
In a large bowl, toss grape tomatoes, onion,
cucumbers and greens to combine. Add black-eyed
peas and vinaigrette (a little at a time, until greens
are lightly coated), and toss.
Divide among 8 chilled plates. Garnish with
poached pears and serve immediately.
Serves 8.
— “Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes From My
African American Kitchen” by Alexander Smalls
(Flatiron, $35)
Pop-Tartare? Gourmet treat, no toaster required
By JAMES LILEKS
Minneapolis Star Tribune
A new ad for Pop-Tarts
has revealed the depths to
which our once-proud civi-
lization has fallen. It ran on
Reddit.
“Split it. Crust fi rst.
Straight from the foil. ‘The
only’ civilized way to eat
Pop-Tarts.”
Raw. In other words,
Pop-Tartare.
Sophisticated? Really?
It’s one thing to say that
cold Tarts are for people
who’ve had a long day and
don’t feel like cooking,
but don’t pass this off as
the equivalent of someone
having high tea with a
pinky extended.
If eating uncooked, pro-
cessed-pastry shingles is
sophisticated, it suggests
there is an element of sav-
agery involved in heating
the confection. Imagine the
opening sequence to “2001:
A Space Odyssey,” except
the hooting, confused mon-
keys are capering around
a toaster instead of a mute
black monolith. One of
them sticks his pastry in the
slot, and they all stand in
Dreamstime/TNS
Is a raw Pop-Tart now considered a gourmet treat?
amazement as the machine
heats up. Finally the Pop-
Tart is fl ung from the slot
into the sky, where it turns
into a spaceship while “The
Blue Danube” plays.
It is not uncivilized to eat
your Pop-Tart raw, if you do
it properly. with a napkin on
the lap to collect the inevi-
table crumbs. But the idea
that you go crust fi rst, like
it’s some sort of delicacy,
makes you wonder whether
the target market has the
palate of an oven mitt. No.
You fold it, sundering the
tart, and work from the
middle to the edges, and
then you give the edges to
the dog.
It’s a matter of taste,
I suppose. The “crust”
of a Pop-Tart is the least
appealing segment, to me;
it’s like baked newspaper.
In 1967 they added frosting
because they’d discovered
a new process that kept the
frosting from melting in the
toaster. I believe this pro-
cess was later used to make
the heat shields on the space
shuttle.
Little did we know that
there was an R&D facility
where scientists in white
coats worked for years with
feverish dedication until
they came up with the inno-
vation that would upend the
Pop-Tart paradigm once
more. Sprinkles. That may
have been the pinnacle of
Pop-Tart innovation.
Truth be told, it’s been
years since I’ve had a Pop-
Tart. I know actual adults
who still love them. I won’t
judge you if you do — well,
I will, but in that Minnesota
way where you nod politely
and change the subject and
tell your partner all about
it later and agree it really
does say a lot about you. But
other than that, no judging. I
don’t care if you can’t muster
the initiative to throw it in
the microwave, what with all
the work of having to open
the door and push the but-
tons, and then you have to
stand there for 30 seconds,
looking at your phone.
Just don’t tell me that
eating it raw is sophis-
ticated. If that’s the
case, then spraying an
unwrapped Slim Jim with
Pam and sliding it down
your throat is fi ne dining. I
think this is Kellogg’s way
of admitting that its target
market doesn’t even own
toasters, because that’s
for people who have, like,
mortgages.
I would also like to
note that none of the above
applies in any way to
Toaster Strudels, which
have a separate frosting
packet that lets you drizzle
the sugary spackle as you
please. I like to make ele-
gant zig-zag patterns.
Now that’s sophisticated.
M ICHAEL
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