I loved keftes de prasa, the Sephardic leek fritters of Rosh Hashanah–right up until the stomach ache that followed every time. It turns out it wasn’t the leeks. It was the other ingredients and the cooking method that caused my pain. So, I developed this recipe for leek patties sautéed in water, instead of oil, mixed with Swiss chard, bound with beans and flax instead of egg and baked until crisp. Ta-da: A vegan and Gluten-free leek and swiss chard patty that checks all the boxes! The maple tahini sauce is extra…because so are we!
Ingredient Notes
- Beans + Ground Flax: my favorite way to create a vegan binder in a veggie burger or plant-based patty. I have found that chickpeas won’t create the same creaminess as mashed cannellini or pinto beans.
- Swiss chard: No matter which color chard you have, blanching the leaves will remove their bitterness and lock in their bright green color.
Step by Step
The dirt in leeks is usually hiding in between layers. Start by trimming off the woody green part and the root end. Then slice in half lengthwise. Now you can rinse, separating the layer to dislodge the dirt.
Place leeks, cut side down on a wooden board and then thinly slice the white and light green parts. Set aside.
Wash the Swiss chard. Then use a sharp knife to cut the leaf from the stem.
Continue with all the chard leaves until you have a pile of leaves and a pile of the stems.
Thinly slice the stems of the chard and add to the bowl with the sliced leeks.
Now, stack the green leaves of chard and cut across into strips.
Bring water to a boil and then gently immerse chard leaves. Set a timer for 2 minutes.
Use tongs to transfer to a waiting ice bath to quickly stop the cooking process.
Now preheat your oven to 425 and get a large baking sheet ready with a sheet of parchment paper while you finish making the patties.
Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced leeks and chard stems and saute in 2 tablespoons water.
As you continue to cook, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time so that pan isn’t dry and the leeks don’t get too toasty. After about 5 minutes, stir in salt and cumin, and keep cooking until everything is tender.
Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Turn off heat and add the beans.
Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the beans into the leek mixture, mashing the leeks in the process.
Transfer greens from the ice bath into a kitchen towel and wring out as much moisture as you can before adding to the bean mixture.
Use two forks to pull apart greens while you incorporate them plus the ground flax, mustard and tomato paste into the leek patty batter.
I like to continue using the fork to incorporate the parsley into the mixture.
Use a large cookie scoop or two big spoons to drop baseball sized portions of the batter onto prepared baking sheet. You’ll get 6 large patties….the size of a veggie burger. You can also make 12 smaller, slider sized burgers to serve as an appetizer.
Wet your hands and now shape those balls into flat patties on the baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden.
Maple Tahini Sauce
- Tahini
- Maple syrup
- Spices: turmeric, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes
- water
It’s easiest to make this right in a liquid measuring cup. Use a whisk and continue to sir until everything is well incorporated and the sauce is drippy and smooth.
Drizzle the patties with the maple tahini sauce and serve them warm.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Make sure to cook leeks over medium-low heat to give them a chance to become tender over time without burning.
- Serve in a bun, as a veggie burger. Include all the fixings like avocado, lettuce, tomato and pickles.
- I like a spicy sauce so I include a drizzle of sriracha with the tahini sauce….yum!
- Make batter ahead and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Scoop and form patties when you’re ready to bake.
- Freeze already cooked burgers for up to three months and then reheat in the toaster oven or regular oven at 425 until heated through.
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📖 Recipe
Leek and Swiss Chard Patties (Vegan and Gluten-free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 leaves chard leaves separated from stems
- 2 leeks thinly sliced
- ¼ cup water divided
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic grated or minced
- 1 14.5-oz can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup ground flax
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheet with unbleached parchment
- Bring 3 quarts water to boil. Prepare a large bowl with ice water, heavy on the ice.
- Take a thin slice off root end of leeks and then trim off the woody dark green end. Cut in half lengthwise and then rinse between the layers until clean. Pat dry and place on cutting board, cut side down. Thinly slice and set aside.
- Separate stems of chard from leaves. Chop stems and set aside with the leeks. Stack leaves and cut into ½" strips across the short way.
- When water is boiling, submerge chard leaves and set a timer for 2 minutes. Use tongs to remove and transfer to waiting ice bath.
- Saute sliced leeks and chard stems over medium-low heat with water, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed so the pan isn't dry and the leeks don't get too brown. When they've shrunk by about ½ (about 8 minutes), add the salt and cumin and mix well. Continue to cook until tender. Then mix in the garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Turn off heat and add rinsed cannellini beans, mashing with a fork or potato masher. Transfer blanched greens to a clean kitchen towel, squeeze dry and then separate with your fingers as you add to the bean/leek mixture. Use a fork to thoroughly mix in.
- Then mix in the mustard, tomato paste, chopped parsley and ground flax. Continue to mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Use a large spoon or a cookie scoop to portion out 4 large portions onto prepared baking sheet. Use wet hands to form into patties. You can also use a small scoop to make appetizer sliders and will get about 12.
- Bake in preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes. Flip and then bake for an additional 10 minutes until outside is crisp.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
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