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Veal burgers with buckwheat

Adding some cooked buckwheat into your burger mixture is a wonderful way how to incorporate more healthy food into your diet and it tastes so delicious!

I just think there is no one who doesn't know the classic burger patties. Wonderful meaty burger patties with herbs and breadcrumbs fried on a pan are usually part of every family dinner in some way. Well in my family we did the patties a lot... and mostly from the mixture of pork and beef meat.

This is my favorite version of this family dinner classic, where I use veal meat and also cooked buckwheat, doesn't that sound interesting?

What meat can you use for patties?

You can make patties from literally anything, it can be meat, vegetable or cereals. Basically you need to prepare a mixture that you can fry on a pan without any damage and that will make a nice golden crust on the outside.

When it comes to meat burgers. They can be made just from one type of meat or from a different combination of meat, also with vegetable and cereal. I really like to combine meat with vegetable or cereal, because it can make a bunch of variety. In this recipe I use buckwheat.

Why to make patties with buckwheat?

Adding buckwheat into the mixture makes it more healthy, because it contains a lot of nutrients, for example some easily digestible proteins or a flavonoid rutin that can help strengthen and increase flexibility in blood vessels. To be honest, it is not the healthy benefits of buckwheat why I use it in this recipe. The main reason is that it adds a big volume to the meat mixture without affecting the taste or structure of the meat.

What about the quality of meat?

For me, personally, is very important to buy only high quality meat. But you know the meat from a good source is quite pricey, so we don't buy a big amount of it. That's why I learned some ways and methods to work more efficiently with the meat I have. One of these methods is just adding more volume to my meat mixture by using vegetable and cereal. In this case, cooked buckwheat has a delicate texture and works really well with some types of meat.

How much buckwheat can you add?

Cooked buckwheat works very well with minced pork, lamb, veal meat or with a mixture of these types of meat with beef. I do not recommend using buckwheat with minced chicken, turkey, fish, or clear beef meat, because it can affect their typical texture and flavor. In this recipe I used meat and buckwheat in ratio 2:1, which is a lot, but don't be afraid. It works really well!

Which buckwheat should I buy?

You know, if you buy high quality meat, you also want to buy high quality buckwheat. That's clear. But what is not clear is how you recognize the right buckwheat. In this recipe you need some cracked buckwheat, which is essentially the whole seed that was broken into smaller pieces. Very important here is the hulling process that removes the outer husk to obtain the seed inside. When stripped of their coating, the groats are soft, light-colored seeds with a really mild flavor. But when they are roasted, the flavor becomes more intense and quite strong, which we really don’t want in this recipe. Please be aware of what you buy and read labels.

How to prepare veal burgers with buckwheat

First, you have to cook your buckwheat according to the package instructions. I just add some buckwheat into boiling water with a pinch of salt and let it cook for 5 minutes. After that, turn the heat off and let it sit until is done. I usually don't measure raw buckwheat, but after it's cooked I weigh out the amount, what I actually need and the rest keep in the fridge for another purposes. Allow to cool the cooked buckwheat at room temperature.

Meantime, in a big bowl combine minced meat with egg, finely diced onion, spices, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 2 handfuls of breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of salt and a good pinch of pepper. Instead of breadcrumbs , you can use finely chopped white bread. I usually keep some of the chopped bread in a bag in my freezer especially for this purpose.

Combine the meat mixture with cooled buckwheat and mix until well blended. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The mixture firms a little bit and all those flavors blend nicely. After it's cooled, divide the mixture into equal portions and shape each into a patty. Pan fry each on a good lug of oil for about 5 minutes on each side. Cooking time can vary a lot, so keep an eye on your patty. You know that is done, when it is golden on the outside and no longer pink inside.

What side dish to serve with burgers?

You can serve them like an ordinary meat or veggie burger, kind of with any side. Our favorite are mashed potatoes, sourdough bread with mustard, or just some baked vegetable. Actually, you can also make wonderful hamburgers with these patties. This time I served them with some baked carrots and potatoes with coriander seed and with some boiled buttered peas. I do recommend adding some vegetable with this dish. Some little salad, steamed vegetable or just a little bit of sauerkraut would be nice.

TIPS:
- you can make burgers also from pork and lamb meat or with a combination of these meats with beef
- try adding some different spices like oregano, thyme, caraway seed, basil, or cumin or even your favorite blend of spices (why not to try a little bit of curry?)
- if you are afraid of using too much buckwheat, just add less of it

Recipe

Recipe – 6 servings

Veal burgers with buckwheat

Ingredients:

⦁ 500 g minced veal

⦁ 250 g cooked cracked buckwheat

⦁ 1 small onion, finely diced

⦁ 2 cloves of garlic, minced

⦁ handful of parsley

⦁ 50 g (2 handfuls) breadcrumbs

⦁ 1 egg

⦁ 1 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper
⦁ 0,5 tsp oregano or other herb

Instructions:

1. Cook a buckwheat according to the package instructions and let it cool at room temperature.
2. In a big bowl combine minced meat with egg, finely diced onion, spices and herbs, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 2 handfuls of breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of salt and a good pinch of pepper. Add in a cooled buckwheat and mix until well blended
3. Cover the mixture and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
4. After it's cooled, divide mixture into equal portions and shape each into a patty. Pan fry each on a good lug of oil about 5 minutes on each side. Cooking time can vary a lot, so keep an eye on your patty. You know that is done, when it is golden on the outside and no longer pink inside.
5. Burgers are great served warm or cold and with your favorite side.