Chickpea Burgers

I have a collection of recipes.  Right now there are 1250 of them.  Not counting my cookbooks.  Or pinterest.  That's part of why I'm doing this blog.

One of the recipes I've had for a while is a recipe for chickpea burgers that someone photocopied from a magazine and mailed to me.  I figured, why not?  I love chickpeas, and the spices listed amounted to wonderful Mediterranean/ Mid-eastern flavor.  Plus, super-healthy!  Chickpeas are a great source of vegetarian protein as well as fiber.

So, the recipe (as I followed it):
     Combine 1 15-oz can of chickpeas (drained, rinsed, and mixed with a "spritz of lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt), 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) seasalt, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp coriander, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced fresh ginger, 3 Tablespoons (Tbsp) olive oil, and 2 Tbsp lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping sides occasionally.
     A couple quick notes:  I probably used more coriander than called for-- I was almost out of it, and I know I like the flavor of coriander, so I just dumped in what I had.  Also, mince the garlic.  I was a bit slip-shod about that, because I was like, "I'm about to put this in a food processor!  How small does it need to be?"  Well, small pieces of garlic aren't necessarily going to be caught by the blade, no matter how long you process.  So I had some chunks of garlic.  Not the end of the world, but a potentially nasty surprise to people who aren't as wild about garlic as my family.  Also, at this point, you have a pretty delicious hummus.  

     Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in 2 1/2 cups cooked rice, and 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, minced.

     I used brown jasmine rice, because I had that in my pantry.  The recipe called for brown Basmati rice.  Both of those are a relatively thin-grain.  The photo above is the parsley being snipped in.

     Moisten your hands to keep the mixture from sticking , then shape into patties.  Placed them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake them at 375 F for 22 to 25 minutes until the patties start to get dry and crisp on the outside.  They'll firm up as they cool.  Alternately, you can created a crispier version by heating oil in a skillet over medium heat and cooking the patties about 3 minutes per side until golden brown.

      I tried the pan method, but had a lot of trouble keeping the patties intact.  I think this was my fault, for being impatient (my rice had taken way longer to cook than it was supposed to, so I was rushing to make up for lost time-- DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY).  The patties turned out better when I slowed down and gave them time to brown.  Also, the moist hands idea didn't seem to make much of a difference.  

The finished burgers turned out wonderfully flavorful.  I served them along with Dolmathes (those stuffed grape-leaves that Greece is famous for).  Some of my family went ahead and dressed the burgers the way they would a regular burger-- mayo, ketchup, etc.  I just ate mine plain.