Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
500g organic mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
75 g quinoa
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed
60 g walnuts, ground or very finely chopped
30 g dried porcini mushrooms, ground to a powder
40 g cornflour
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp sea salt
30 ml soy sauce
2 tsp egg replacer whisked into 60 ml fresh cold water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

for the vegan aioli
200g silken tofu
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
juice and zest of a lemon
1 tsp sea salt

for frying
extra virgin olive oil

to serve
8 burger buns
8 large gherkins, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
handful of little gem lettuce leaves

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F, gas mark 1). Cook the quinoa in a pan, with 250 ml of water for 20 minutes. Drain. Tip onto a baking tray, spead evenly and place in the preheated oven for ten minutes to remove excess moisture. Remove from the oven and set to one side.

2. For the aioli, place the tofu, chopped garlic, olive oil, mustard, lemon juice and sea salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Set to one side while you make the burgers.

3. Tip the drained black beans into a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Pour two tablespoons of olive oil into a large pan and place over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the chopped mushroom, the powdered porcini and the garlic. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms are tender. The mushrooms will release juices as they break down, so continue cooking and stirring until all the juices from the mushrooms have evaporated from the pan. Remove from the heat and add to the black beans. Add the cooked quinoa, cornflour, smoked paprika, thyme, sage, soy sauce, walnuts and sea salt and egg replacer. Stir to combine and then place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

4. Divide the mixture into eight equal portions, each around 120 grams in weight. Take each portion and shape into a burger.

5. Cut the burger buns in half. Place a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat. Brush the cut side of the burgers with a little olive oil. As soon as the pan is hot, place the burger bun halves in the pan face down and cook for 2 minutes, or until they are lightly coloured and slightly crisp. Remove from the pan and set to one side. Wipe the pan clean and pour in three tablespoons of the olive oil. Place back over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the burgers to the pan (you will probably need to cook them in two batches). Cook for 5 minutes per side, or until brown and crispy. Rest the cooked burger on kitchen paper briefly to remove excess oil.

6. To serve, spread a teaspoonful of aioli over bottom halves of each burger bun. Place some lettuce and a slice of tomato on top, followed by a burger, slices of gherkin and another teaspoon of aioli. Place the top half of the burger bun over the filling. Serve immediately, accompanied by a simple salad or sweet potato oven fries.

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