Roasted Garlic Black Bean Burger with Avocado Salsa Verde

Pairs well with:

Chenin Blanc

This wine is bursting with crisp, refreshing fruit flavors like apple, pear, and melon, making you want to swing your legs off a dock at sunset.

Ingredients

2 medium-sized garlic bulbs
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and finely -chopped
4 large tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and -coarsely chopped
1/2 of a Bosc pear, cored, and finely -chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup textured vegetable protein (the -dried form)
1(15-ounce)can black beans, undrained
1/3 cup canned chipotle sauce
2 tablespoons Colavita Extra Virgin -Olive Oil
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 medium-sizeed poblano pepper, stemmed, -seeded, and finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for brushing grill rack
6 cornmeal buns, split
3 tablespoons Colavita Extra Virgin -Olive Oil

 

Instructions

1. Prepare a low to medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-low. 2. Wrap the garlic bulbs in a small piece of foil. Place the garlic in a small fireproof skillet, place skillet on grill, and cover grill. Roast the garlic for 25 minutes, until bulbs are soft. Remove skillet from fire, and unwrap garlic bulbs from foil, carefully. When bulbs are cool enough to handle, remove cloves from bulbs, peel the cloves, and set aside. 3. While the garlic is roasting, make the avocado salsa-verde. In a medium-sized bowl, combine avocado, tomatillos, pear, scallions, lime juice, salt, pepper, and stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate salsa, until ready for use. When ready to use, drain off some of the liquid. 4. To make the patties, in a large bowl, combine, roasted garlic cloves, textured vegetable protein, canned black beans(UNDRAINED), chipotle sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, scallions, poblano pepper, chili powder, salt, pepper, and stir well to combine. Transfer the mixture to a food processor fitted with a blade. Pulse the mixture until finely minced and well blended. Place the mixture back into the bowl, and refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes. 5. Remove bowl from refrigerator. Stir in bread crumbs thoroughly. Form the mixture into 6 equal patties, approximately 4×4 inches wide and 3/4 of an inch thick. Place patties on a small sheet pan. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Using a spatula, transfer the patties to the grill, and cover the grill. Cook for 6-8 minutes, and flip the patties over carefully, using a spatula. Cook for an additional 6-8 minutes, until patties are golden brown.(Lower heat and slower cooking is important for the burgers to cook perfectly.) Remove patties from grill and transfer to a platter. Cover the platter with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Brush the cut sides of the buns with the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place the buns, cut side down, on the grill to toast, about 2 minutes. To assemble the burgers, place the patties on the bottom half of each toasted bun. Add a generous spoonful of the salsa verde over the patties. Cover with the toasted bun tops.