The season of braais, open-air eating and laid-back weekend get-togethers kicks off as we approach summer, and Future Farm’s new meatless burger is right here to start the party.
Sinking your teeth into a juicy and tasty burger doesn’t have to be about meat overload – the 2030 Burger is all natural and plant-based but just as satisfying, juicy and full of meaty texture and flavour.
We’ve rounded up some recipe ideas for creating an OTT gourmet Future burger that will wow friends and family, whether you are chilling round the braai or hanging in the kitchen, wherever the action is at.
The Gourmet Burger Recipe
Go beyond the basic burger toppings of cheese and ketchup and load your burger high with caramelised onions, crispy shallots, BBQ mushrooms and full-on burger sauce. We suggest getting all the toppings ready ahead of time, so all you have to do is cook the patties and build your own burgers when everyone arrives.
Ingredients
Patty
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 4 Future Farm Burgers or vegan meaty burgers of your choice, each patty formed into 2 thin patties.
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tbs dried sage
- 1 tbs dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbs celery salt
- 1 tbs paprika
Caramelised onions
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 red onions, sliced fine
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
BBQ Mushrooms
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 punnet/250g mixed Asian mushrooms
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup/125ml BBQ sauce
Crispy Shallot Rings
- 2 shallots, peeled & sliced into fine rings
- 4 tbs plain flour
- pinch sea salt
- 1 cup/250ml vegetable oil for frying
Burger sauce
- 1 cup/230g vegan mayo
- 3 tbs ketchup
- 1 tbs English mustard
- 2 tbs gherkins, chopped really fine
- half an onion, chopped fine
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Tabasco
To serve
- Burger buns
- Lettuce leaves
- Sliced tomato
- Vegan cheese slices
Method
- Season the burger patties with the pepper, sage, chilli, celery salt and paprika. Set aside.
- Start with the caramelised onions. In a non-stick pan, sauté the onion slices in olive oil over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and thyme, stirring well, then turn the heat to low. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until they have caramelised nicely.
- Next the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms in a little oil over a high heat for 4-5 minutes until they have released their water and are starting to brown. Turn the heat down low and stir in the BBQ sauce, continuing to cook until they are deep brown and caramelised.
- Now to deep fry the crispy shallot rings. Heat the frying oil in a deep small to medium saucepan. Toss the shallot rings in flour until they are well coated. When the oil is hot, shake off the excess flour and carefully drop in the shallot rings. Do in two batches if using a small saucepan. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Try not to eat them straight away!
- Mix all the burger sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
When you are ready to eat, either braai your burger patties or cook them in the pan you used for your caramelised onions. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, then slap a slice of cheese on each patty. Cover the pan with a lid to start the cheese melting.
Now build your gourmet burgers with your favourite combinations of all the toppings and garnishes piled high!
