Lentil patties

If you read my last post you already know that when I really like something I tend to cook or bake it quite often, and that doesn’t happen with sweets, only: I have my savory favorites as well, certain dishes I go back to again and again.

Lentil salad is one of those dishes, especially on hot days because it tastes so great straight from the fridge and the flavor develops beautifully after a night spent in it. After a couple of days, however, I did not want to made another salad with the cooked lentils I had in the fridge – I felt like making something completely different with them. Martha came to my rescue, and the lentils were transformed into these delicious patties.

I loved these, for I love lentils in just about anything, but the surprise of the day was my husband’s comment about the patties: he was never a fan of lentils and he told me that these could perfectly replace the beef patties in a burger. I was shocked – and really happy. :)

Lentil patties
slightly adapted from Martha

280g cooked lentils, drained and cooled
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
½ onion, finely diced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs or Panko
handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for frying

Combine lentils, cumin, olive oil and vinegar in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Transfer half of mixture to a food processor; pulse until smooth. Fold into remaining lentil mixture until well combined. Shape into patties, using 3 tablespoons of the mixture per patty - I used this cookie scoop to portion the mixture.

Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and swirl to coat bottom. Add patties in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cook, turning once, until crisp and brown, about 4 minutes each side.
Serve with a salad.

Makes about 10