Boiled Burger?

This is from a recipe I found on a French Canadian (I think) omni blog, La casserole carrée. What interested me most about it was that it uses a novel approach to burger cooking, the burgers are simmered in stock for 25 minutes which dramatically reduces the fat content and creates a much moister, dare I say it, meatier feel to the end product.

Perhaps it's slightly more difficult to plate up than traditional veggie burgers but frankly the change from disks of scorched carpet underlay to toothsome patties of oats and walnuts is very welcome.

150g rolled oats
70g fresh bread crumbs (wholemeal is best, about one slice)
200g shelled walnuts (they will be chopped so broken pieces are fine)
100g onion, chopped. (I think next time I would increase this by 50-100%)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Bunch of fresh herbs (I had parsley and dill)
175g soy milk (or other vegan liquid)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Olive oil
300ml vegetable stock

Start by weighing out the oats and bread and give them a quick spin in the food processor to make crumbs. Add the walnuts and give it another five second spin to combine.

Add the onion, garlic and herbs, roughly chopped and turn on the motor again. As everything begins to get chopped finely add the soy milk slowly through the funnel or chute or whatever you call it. You may not need all the liquid, stop before it's all in and test the mixture. It should just hold together nicely without being too sloppy.

Season with salt and pepper (quite important to do it at this point, later doesn't seem to be so effective) and mix well, then form into burger shapes with damp hands. This will make about 5 burgers. They should be about 1.5 cm thick.

They need to chill for at least an hour before cooking to help them firm up and gather some strength for the cooking process. I open-froze mine on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for a couple of hours, took two for the meal and packaged the rest back into the freezer for another day.

In a frying pan that has a lid, heat a little olive oil and gently fry the burgers on each side until they are browned. Then add the hot stock (it will boil and splatter), put on the lid and allow to cook very gently at a simmer for another 25 minutes.

Use a metal slice to gently lift them from the pan and serve on toasted baps with the usual burger trimmings. We had chips and celeriac remoulade.

I really like this recipe and think it will be a good starting point for other flavours and styles.