OMG! I’m always quite shy about promoting my recipes but this is really good stuff! And the recipe was created on the spot as I didn’t have any meat at home but I really wanted to eat some sort of burgers for dinner. I advise you prepare them for an aperitif, accompanied by aioli sauce or a light sauce made with lemon, chilli and mint yoghurt.
SERVES: 40 miniature burgers
KITCHEN TO TABLE: 1 hour + 20 in the oven
DIFFICULTY: 
INGREDIENTS
- 250gr brown lentils
- 200gr red split lentils
- 2 shallots
- 1 small white or yellow onion
- 1 carrot
- Half a stalk of celery
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 pinch of dry rosemary
- 1 pinch of dry thyme
- 1 pinch of cumin powder
- 1 pinch of turmeric powder
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- salt to taste
- 120gr grated Parmesan cheese
- Boiling hot water
UTENSILS
- Non-stick pan with lid
- Small bowl
- Big bowl
- wooden spoon
- Baking tray (you’ll have to wash it during the preparation and use it twice!)
- Greaseproof paper
METHOD
- Preheat your oven at 180° fan move;
- Place the brown lentils in the small bowl covered with cold water and let them rest there for 30 minutes;
- In the meantime chop finely the onion, the shallots and the garlic clove, put them in the pan on a medium heat with some salt and a tiny bit of boiling water and let them sweat and cook until translucent;
- Add in the pan the chopped carrot and celery, another tiny bit of salt and get them to know each other for another five minutes, then add the red split lentils, the stock cube, all the herbs and spices and enough boiling hot water to almost cover them. Give it a good mix and let them cook for 20 minutes or until soft and almost transformed in a cream;
- Drain the brown lentils and add them to the red lentils mixture, together with some more boiling water and, with the lid on, let them cook until soft (when cooked they will still maintain their shape);
- Remove the lid from your pan and let all the liquid evaporate from your mixture, adjust with salt and pepper and spread your mixture in your baking tray, so that it will cool completely;
- Transfer your cooled mixture in the big bowl, mix it with the grated Parmesan cheese and make walnut-size balls out of it;
- Place your balls in your washed baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and let them cook in the oven for 20 minutes or until nicely coloured, reducing the oven temperature to 160° halfway;
- Let them cool slightly and enjoy them hot, warm or cold!
