It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I am not vegetarian. But when you’ve been cooking for six days straight – and tasting everything in between – there are days when you just want to give your metabolism a break. In short, I totally get the meat-free-Mondays thing, although there’s nothing stopping you from having a meat-free meal any other day of the week. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love a lentil, so when scaring myself up a veggie burger, they’re my absolute go-to. And while we’re exploring substitutions, have you ever tried an aubergine bun? Double veggie, double delicious!
for the lentil patties
125 ml IMBO Whole Black Lentils
45 ml olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely crushed
1 slice honey and oats bread
30 ml parsley
1 wheel feta cheese, finely crumbed
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1 egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil to fry the patties
for the aubergine bun
2 aubergines
70 g (125 ml) cake flour
salt
2 eggs, beaten
250 ml dried breadcrumbs
canola oil for frying
for the tzatziki
cucumber, about 15 cm long
125 ml Greek style yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely crushed
15 ml lemon juice
15 ml finely chopped fresh mint leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the rest
100 g baby rosa tomatoes, halved
30 ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lettuce of your choice
baby gherkins
for the lentil patties
Cook the lentils according to the instructions on the back of the packet. No soaking is required.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic, and fry until soft and translucent.
Place the slice of bread in a food processor and pulse until you’re left with breadcrumbs.
Place the cooked lentils in a mixing bowl. Then, add the fried onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, feta cheese, lemon zest and egg. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture into 4 portions and form your patties. Place them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the patties for about 3 minutes on each side.
Drain on a kitchen towel before placing on the aubergine bun.
for the aubergine bun
Peel the aubergines with a vegetable peeler. If you don’t peel the aubergines the flour won’t stick to the aubergine. Slice the top and bottoms of the aubergines so that it resembles a bun.
Dip the aubergines in the flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip them in the egg and then the breadcrumbs. Repeat this process.
Pour some canola oil in a pan – about 3 cm deep. Heat the oil and fry the aubergines on both sides until golden and crispy. Drain on a kitchen towel.
for the tzaziki
Finely grate the cucumber and place the grated cucumber in a sieve over a bowl.
Press the cucumber with the back of a spoon to get rid of the liquid.
Place the cucumber in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
Season with salt and pepper.
for the rest
Heat the grill element of the oven. Halve the tomatoes and place them in an oven roasting dish.
Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place in the oven and roast until just soft. This should take about 2 minutes.
Halve the aubergines. Garnish one half with lettuce and grilled tomatoes, put a lentil patty on top and finish off with some tzatziki.
Close with the other half of the aubergine and garnish with baby gherkins.
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