I love me some spring time fresh greens, especially arugula. The last farm share pick up there was arugula for the first time since late fall and as soon as I saw it my mouth started to water for the fresh springy, peppery taste of fresh spring time greens. As I bagged my greens, I shoved a fist full into my mouth. Ah, nothing better then a mouth full of fresh greens after a long long winter. Am I right or am I right?
I ate a lot of those greens fresh, but did you know that arugula makes for a nice accompaniment to walnuts and chickpeas? And if you mashed all that together with a few other things and shaped the mixture into patties and you get yourself some dank ass burgers? Well now you know. And now you can make them for yourself and experience the greatness of spring fresh arugula. Just make sure you have enough fresh to shove a handful into your mouth. It is spring time refreshing.
The stuff. Chickpeas, arugula, walnuts, and big onion, and some radishes. Also a couple carrots, some oats, a few cloves of garlic, a Leon, salt and pepper, red wine vinegar, and a little olive oil.
To start, halve the onion. Thinly slice one half and thinly slice the radishes
Scoop it all into a bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss in vinegar. Set aside on the counter to do it's thing.
Chop the rest of the onion, the carrots, and the garlic into small chunks.
Carrot, onion, garlic, and oats go into the food processor and pulsed until a medium crumble.
Walnuts and arugula next.
Pulsed until combined then add in the juice of the lemon a good pinch of salt and pepper, and the drained chicken peas.
Pulse until just combined. Some big chunks are good, you just want the mixture to be able to hold together.
Dump the mixture into a bowl and place in the fridge for at least and hour and up to a day.
After the time in the fridge, divide the mixture into 6 equal parts and form each into a patty about an inch think. Take a clean cloth and pat each applies dry on both sides.
Grab a skillet, lightly oil it, and place on a medium heat. Sear each side of each burger until browedthen place on a lightly Ould baking sheet.
Place the burgers into a preheated oven to finished cooking. 40 minutes, flipped after 20.
After the burgers are cooked, it time to assemble. Bread or buns of some kind(I used sourdough rolls) the pickled radish and onion mixture, some mustard( I used honey mustard) and more fresh arugula.
Do it up, do it right. Serve with some fries or chips and eat while knowing that spring is here, even if as you are eating, it is snowing. Damn snow.
At least we have arugula.
-C
Arugula Walnut ChickPea Burgers with Quick Pickled Radishes and Onions
makes 6 burgers
- 1 can or 2 cups cooked chick peas drained
- 2 large handfuls arugula (about 2 packed cups)
- 1 large sweet onion
- 2 small carrot
- 1 cup old fashion oats
- 1/3 cups walnuts
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- A lemon
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- handful of radishes (5-7 of them)
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
To assemble burgers
- Burger buns or baguettes
- Maple or honey mustard
- fresh arugula
Start by cutting half of the onion as thinly as you can. Do the same with the radishes and place the onions and radishes in a bowl with a sprinkle of salt and drizzle the vinegar all over Toss around and set the bowl aside.
Grab the food processor and dump the oats in. Roughly chop the other half of onion, the carrots, and the garlicand toss those into the processor too. Pulse until a medium crumble. Add in the arugula, the juice of the lemon, the walnuts, the chickpeas, and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Pulse again until just combined and the mixture has come together. Taste and make sure the salt and pepper are good for you then dump the mixture into bowl and set in fridge for at least a half hour or as long as a day.
Preheat oven to 400.
When ready for burgers, take mixture out of the fridge. Place a lightly oiled skillet on the stove on medium heat.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal balls and pat into inch think patties. Take a clean cloth and pat eat patties dry. Place each burger on hot skillet and cook each side for 4-6 minutes or until each side is nicely browed. Transfer burgers onto a lightly greased baking sheet then place them all into the oven to finish cooking for 40 minutes, flipping them after 20 minutes.
Once burgers are cooked, remove from the oven. They will be slightly fragile, but will firm up if you let them set for 5-10 minutes.
Assemble the burgers. Grab a bun or bread of some kind (if you want), top with a good fork or two full of the pickled radish onion mixture, drizzle with some mustard and top with more fresh arugula.
Get on to eating it.
If you don't eat all the burger at one time, the freeze really well. I almost prefer them after they have been frozen.