Pittwater Online News

January 30 - February 6, 2016: Issue 249

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 Chick Pea Burgers with Hummus: Light Summer Lunch

A Summer glow without sunburn from eating wholefoods suits the season and will give you energy to burn without that heavy 'too much meat' feeling. You can substitute canned ready cooked chick peas although we buy dried legumes and soak them prior to cooking for even better results. 

The Ingredients may be varied to suit your own tastes (zucchini instead of celery for instance). 

Chick Pea Preparation 
Soak 250 gram packet of dried chick peas – cover with water and allow to sit for 6-8 hours.
Cook in unsalted water until soft (approx 40-55 minutes) – do not allow to overcook. Do not salt the water.
This makes approx 550 grams cooked chick peas.
Allow to cool, reserving some of the water cooked in.

Chick Pea Burgers
Makes 7-9

350 grams chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 spring onions, 
3 slices wholemeal bread
2/3 grated carrot
2 sticks celery
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 large eggs
Olive oil
Your choice of rolls
lettuce, tomato, cucumber – salad of your choice to serve with burgers

Heat grill or fry pan (these may also be cooked in an oven). In a food processor, combine chickpeas, spring onions, bread, carrot, celery, cumin, and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Pulse until roughly chopped. Remove half the mixture to a bowl; add eggs to food processor. Process until smooth. Add smooth mix to reserved mixture in bowl, and mix well. If your mixture is too dry add a little of the reserved liquid the peas were cooked in.

Form the mixture into four 3cm-thick patties. Brush each side generously with oil; grill until charred, 3 to 5 minutes per side. 

Serve the burgers on rolls with salad and hummus. You can also add some sweet chili sauce - this brings out the flavours even more.

Hummus
250g cooked chickpeas
3 garlic cloves, crushed
75ml olive oil
1 tablespoons tahini paste (see note)
½  teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup (60ml) water chick peas were cooked in
Toasted Turkish bread or flat bread to serve

Place the chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini paste, cumin and lemon juice in a food processor and process until combined. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) of water and process again until quite smooth.
Place hummus in a bowl and use on burgers instead of butter or as a dip served with bread.