Black Bean Burgers & Malbec

By Laina Carter of McGrail Vineyards

One of my favorite vegetarian foods is a black bean burger. They can be so filling and so flavorful, like our Malbec!

For those who don’t know, our Malbec comes from our Lucky 8 Vineyard, which we acquired a few years ago. We’ve updated the farming practices used on this property to match the meticulous methods we’ve used on our estate property for years. We named the vineyard “Lucky 8,” because the McGrails have eight grandchildren. The vineyard is planted with a handful of different varieties and clones of grapes that tend to grow well here in the Livermore Valley. Due to the fact that our Winemaker Mark Clarin’s mother’s favorite wine varietal is Malbec, we chose to plant this Bordeaux variety in our Lucky 8 Vineyard, so this wine is affectionately dedicated to Sylvia Clarin. It’s easy-to-drink, but is also full of flavor and perfectly balanced. It’s also one of a few single-varietal bottles (aside from Cab) we produce here at McGrail.

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Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers

Makes about 5 burgers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1 (15 oz.) can organic black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. 21 seasoning salute
• 1/4 tsp. ground smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp. fresh-cracked pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, packed
• 3 tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves, packed
• 1 free range large brown egg
• 3 1/2 oz. bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Five brioche buns
• Two Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/3″ rounds
• One Haas avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor, add lime juice, red onion, and black beans. Pulse a few times, or until you can’t see any big chunks of red onion.
2. Add cayenne, 21 seasoning salute, paprika, cumin, coriander, kosher salt, chipotle chili powder, and pepper. Allow food processor to process this mixture until all the seasoning has been mixed in well.
3. To the food processor, add cilantro, parsley, egg, and bread crumbs. Again, pulse until you can no longer see any large cilantro or parsley leaves.
4. Shape your black bean mixture into five 4.5″ patties.
5. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Set your patties about an inch apart in the oiled pan. Cover the pan and cook your patties for about two minutes, twice on each side (for a total of four minutes per side per patty), or until patties have been cooked all the way through.
6. Toast your brioche buns upside down on a baking sheet under a low broil for about three or four minutes.
7. Spread the Thousand Island dressing on your toasted buns, add a cooked black bean burger, tomato slices, and sliced avocado.
8. Enjoy your black bean burgers with a bottle of delicious 2017 McGrail Malbec!

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I hope I’ve inspired you to make this tasty vegetarian grub at home! Please let us know if you do try out this recipe. We’d love to hear from you!

Cheers and enjoy!