October. Pumpkins, scrunchy leaves, Halloween.
After the mad back-to-school rush of September, when October comes around things are a little more settled. As the temperatures fall, colourful scarves and thicker jackets make an appearance, and best of all, my favourite vegetables come into season. Now is the best time to eat aubergine, beetroot, butternut squash, celeriac, courgettes, kale, marrow, pumpkin, runner beans, turnips, and wild mushrooms. For more information about eating seasonal, I recommend checking out http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk
Black Bean Burgers with Autumn Fries
For 8 patties:
- 400g can of black beans
- ½ small onion, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 100g plain flour
- 80g raw cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- ½ yellow bell pepper
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
Autumn fries
- 1 sweet potato, chopped into chips
- ½ celeriac, chopped into chips
- Olive oil
- Salt, pepper
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put the celeriac chips in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, leave for a minute or so, then drain. Put the celeriac chips and sweet potato chips together in a roasting dish, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle over the salt, then place in the top of the oven and let them cook for approximate 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, put all of the ingredients for the bean burgers into a food processor (you might need to do this in two batches), and process until the mixture has combined but is still a little rough. Sprinkle flour on a clean surface and use your hands to make eight patty shapes, making sure they are all about the same size. Put them on a greased baking tin and put in the oven after the vegetables have been in there for 15 minutes. The patties will need to bake for 15 minutes, and then they must be turned over and baked for another 15 minutes.
I served my burgers with peas, which I smashed with some lime juice, salt and pepper, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You may want to instead serve your patty in a bun, with a side salad or some crispy kale – it’s totally up to you.
Enjoy!
– Jess
