Mushroom, Oat and Onion Burger (Recipe)

To make this recipe, you’ll need a smoker box, available at Bed, Bath & Beyond and at most stores that offer grilling supplies. As an alternative, you can roast the mushrooms, but they won’t have the same flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound maitake, oyster or mixed mushrooms, cut into medium piece
• 12-ounce can beets
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• Vegetable oil or butter
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary and thyme, combined, chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• ½ cup oat flour (rolled oats ground in a blender) or any flour
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions:

• Preheat smoker box. When hot, add mushrooms. Smoke for one hour.
• Purée beets with stock and bring to a boil on the stove. Add enough vegetable oil or butter to a pan to sauté the onions. Cook onions until dark brown and caramelized. Add ½ cup beet liquid to deglaze the pan.
• Bring remainder of beet liquid to a boil. Then pour over oats in a bowl. Cover. Let the oats rest for 15 minutes. Mix vigorously to release the starch.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked, shred them with a fork to create a pulled pork-like consistency.
• When ingredients are cool, add spices, herbs, flax, pepper and oat flour. Season to taste. Work the ingredients by hand until evenly mixed. Make six to eight (6-ounce) patties.
• Heat a pan with oil to smoking point. Sear patties until almost to a blackened point—on both sides. Serve on Kaiser rolls with condiments like ketchup and mustard.