Soy bean loaf or vegeburgers
For some reason, I got the surplus order of soya beans, which I have been thinking of researching for a while. I didn’t fancy making tofu or any of the other bean products, so I have been trying out some other options. Tonight I had Soya loaf, sort of like meat loaf. The remaining mixture I made into small burgers, which I preferred. I got the basic idea from ‘The Bean Book’ by Rose Elliot. I’ve had this book for 25 years and it is a bit stained, so I was impressed to see that it is back in print. Many of the recipes are useful, but I often change them a bit to spice them up, or use the ingredients to prepare something slightly different. In this case, I think the vegeburgers I made were better than the loaf that is suggested in the book.
Ingredients:
- 6 oz soy beans
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 4 sticks of celery, finely chopped (I used 2 shoots of lovage)
- 2oz butter
- 1/2 can organic chopped tomatoes (wholefood co-op)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree (wholefood co-op)
- 4 oz wholewheat breadcrumbs (wholefood co-op)
- 4 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tsp thyme (dried from wholefood co-op)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- salt and pepper
Method
- Soak the soy beans overnight in plenty of water, and drain the following day. Cook for 4 hours in plenty of boiling water, until soft. Drain the beans and mash them roughly.
- In a large pan, fry the garlic, onions and celery in the butter over a low heat, for at least ten minutes.
- Add the tomato, tomato puree and the herbs and cook another five minutes more.
- Mash and mix the tomato mixture with the soy beans and the beaten egg: a food processor might help here
- Then add the breadcrumbs and seasoning to make a firm mixture. I did this bit by hand, and got a good texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- For the loaf, grease a 1lb loaf tin with butter and coat with wholemeal flour. Spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth overand cover with greased tin foil. Bake at 190C/375F Mark 5 for 1 hour. Serve hot or warm with a spicy tomato sauce and a side salad.
- For burgers, shape the mixture into burgers and fry or grill. Serve with a spicy tomato sauce, fried mushrooms and a green salad.
