BURGERS ARE HAVING THEIR MOMENT

 

Beefed-up chicken burgers on sesame mollete buns.

In our weekly newspaper I noticed that a local burger joint had competed in the second annual Spanish hamburger championships. A burger competition? Since when are burgers a thing? 

Maybe since Chef Dani García got into the burger act. I first tried his Burger Bull, a burger of rabo de toro (bull's tail) meat on a bun way back in 2010, when Chef Dani had a trendy tapas joint in Málaga. He has since risen to three-star fame at Calima in Marbella, after which he walked away from the high-end restaurant business. He first collaborated with McDonald’s España back in 2015 to create a “gourmet burger”. He’s got a new “signature” burger for McDonald’s, the Bearnesa, with a chimichurri twist on classic Bearnaise sauce, topping a patty of Spanish beef. (One critic commented that it tasted just like a McDonald’s hamburger.) Chef García’s new restaurant in New York, Casa Dani, doesn’t list burgers on the menu. But, leading the tapas is “oxtail brioche,” essentially the same Burger Bull from his original Málaga establishments.

But, back to the championships. The winner was Junk Burger from Madrid, with a patty of vaca rubia gallega, aged cow meat of the Galician Rubia breed, with Cheddar and locally-smoked bacon. Scrolling through the other entries, I surmised that the quality of the meat plus a knock-out sauce were the main criteria. Rubia Gallega and Black Angus seemed the preferred beef. Bacon and Cheddar were frequent accompaniments, although one entry had strips of grilled steak wrapped around the ground beef patty and payoyo goat cheese instead of Cheddar. Some had house-made brioche buns, including one entry colored carmine with beets. 

“Ageing” is relatively new for beef in Spain. Beef used to be yearling beef, ternera or añojo, butchered and sold fresh. That is changing, with superb vacuno and buey available. “Old cow” meat, butchered at five to 10 years, is especially esteemed. Aged up to 40 days, it packs huge beef flavor. Well-marbled flesh makes for juicy meat. That’s what makes prize-winning hamburgers. 

I’m making chicken burgers with an Asian inflection and trying my hand with Dani García’s Burger Bull. A couple of knock-out sauces are based on prepared mayonnaise.

Miso paste punches up the umami when mixed with ground chicken thighs for this burger.

Melted cheese tops a burger of chopped, braised oxtail.

Beefed-Up Chicken Burgers

Burguer de Pollo

I actually prefer chicken burgers to beef. I’m beefing up the flavor with the addition of umami-packing miso paste (made from fermented soybeans) and adding juiciness with ibérico pork tocino (fat). The mayonnaise with soy sauce is a good accompaniment. If I were making fries, they would be sweet potato fries. 

Makes 2 burgers.

 

9 ounces boneless chicken thigh meat, ground

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped tocino or bacon (1 ounce)

3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 teaspoon miso paste

¼ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 sesame buns, split and toasted

Teriyaki Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

Sliced tomatoes

Thinly sliced red onion

Heat the oil in a small skillet with the chopped tocino until tocino releases its fat. Sauté the chopped onion on medium heat until softened, but not browned, 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the miso and pimentón. Allow to cool.

Soy-flavored mayonnaise on the burger.

Combine the mixture from the skillet with the ground chicken. Season with pepper. Mix well. Allow to stand 15 minutes, then shape into two burger patties.

Heat skillet on moderately high heat and brush with oil. Sear the burgers, about 2 minutes per side. Lower heat and cover the skillet and cook 2 minutes more.

Spread the buns with mayonnaise. Top with burgers, tomatoes and onion. 

Teriyaki Mayonnaise

Mayonesa de Teriyaki

For 2-3 sandwiches.

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon PX vinegar (or balsamic)

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

Stir the mayonnaise until smooth. Whisk in the soy, honey, vinegar and oil. 

Sesame Buns

Bollos con Ajonjolí para Burguer

Make these buns with molletes from the panadería.

Molletes are a type of round or oblong soft bun popular in Andalusian bakeries. They’re perfect for grilled sandwiches (see campero grilled sandwich). Typically, molletes are big, about 6 inches in diameter, but many panaderías make smaller ones, a perfect size for burgers. 

6 (3 ½-inch) molletes 

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon water

Sesame seed

Heat broiler to 475ºF.

Place molletes on a sheet pan. Stir the yolk with water. Brush the tops and sides of the molletes with the egg. Sprinkle with sesame.

Grill the buns under the broiler just until the tops are browned, 2-3 minutes. 

Oxtail Burgers

Burguer Bull

Braised rabo de toro, or bull’s tail, is a specialty in Sevilla and Córdoba, where some butchers sell carne de lidia, meat from a toro bravo, after a bullfight. Of course, it doesn’t have to be the tail of a fighting bull. Butcher’s oxtail is just fine. 

In this recipe, the braised meat is removed from the bones, then finely chopped and mixed with some of the gelatin-rich cooking liquid so that, with chilling, it solidifies. I didn’t add enough of the liquid, so the result was more like “sloppy José’s” than burgers! I’ve got more of the chopped oxtail. I’ll serve it with the rich gravy on some mashed potatoes instead of buns.

Make the braised oxtail a day before preparing the burgers, so the chopped meat has time to chill.

1 oxtail (approx. 2 ¾ pounds), cut crosswise

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon oregano

Sunflower oil for searing the meat

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced carrot

3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

1 cup grated tomato pulp

¼ cup brandy

2 cups red wine

4 cups water or beef stock

Strip of orange zest

1 bay leaf

Sprig of thyme

1 clove garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped shallots (about 6 shallots)

1 cup chopped mushrooms (2 ½ ounces)

Sliced cheese (such as Manchego or Havarti)

Mini burger buns

Burger Bull Sauce (recipe follows)

Rucula

Season the pieces of oxtail with salt, pepper, pimentón and oregano. Allow to stand for 30 minutes.

Heat a heavy skillet and brush it with sunflower oil. Sear the pieces of oxtail. Remove them when browned on all sides. Reduce heat to moderate and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion, carrot and garlic until onions begin to brown, 5 minutes. Add the tomato pulp and cook 5 minutes more. Return the pieces of oxtail to the pan. 

Braised oxtail.

Pour the brandy over the meat. Either flambé the brandy or cook on high heat until the alcohol is cooked off. Add the wine and reduce it slightly. Add the water or stock, zest, bay and thyme. Cover and cook the oxtail, turning the pieces occasionally, until the meat is fork tender, about 2 ½ hours. (The braised oxtails are ready to eat at this point, should you not wish to use the meat for burgers.)

Chop oxtail for burgers.

Lift the pieces of oxtail out of the pan. When they are cool enough to handle, strip the meat off the bones. Discard excess fat, gristle and the bones. Put the pieces of meat on a cutting board and chop them as finely as possible (or chop in a food processor).

Pour all the remaining liquid in the pan through a sieve. Save some of the diced carrots to add to the burger mix. Discard the remaining solids. Place the strained liquid (about 4 cups) in a saucepan with the clove of peeled garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it bubble, uncovered, until reduced by half. Skim out the cooked garlic and save it for the mayonnaise. Reserve the oxtail reduction. 

Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet and sauté the shallots on low heat until they are browned and caramelized, 5 minutes. Remove them and drain excess oil.

Add oil back to the skillet and sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned. 

Combine the mushrooms and shallots in a mixing bowl with the chopped oxtail meat and a few pieces of diced cooked carrot. Add ¼ cup of the reserved oxtail reduction liquid. Combine very well. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper. 

Press chopped meat into a roll and chill.

Shape the meat mixture into a roll 3 inches in diameter. Wrap it tightly in plastic film. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

When ready to cook the burgers, use a serrated knife to cut 1 ½-inch-thick slices from the meat roll. Sear them on one side in a skillet or plancha. Turn the burgers, top with a slice of cheese, lower heat and cover the pan until cheese melts. 

Place the burgers on toasted buns that have been spread with Burger Bull Sauce. Top with arugula.

Burger Bull Sauce

Salsa Burguer Bull

The trademarked sauce by Dani García is made with sunflower oil, pasteurized eggs and beef extract. My version starts with mayonnaise from a jar. The addition of the reduced oxtail cooking liquid adds gelatin that thickens the mayonnaise further. Use the clove of garlic that cooked in the reduction of the oxtail cooking liquid. 

1 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 clove cooked garlic

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons oxtail reduction

1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar

Few drops of Tabasco or other pepper sauce

In a blender combine the mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, oxtail reduction, vinegar and Tabasco. Blend to make a smooth sauce. Add additional vinegar or Tabasco to taste.

More variations on the burger theme:

Lamb Kefta Burgers with Harissa.

Best Ever Veggie Burgers with Piquillo Pepper Ketchup.

Tofu-Black Bean Burgers.

Nothing to do with burgers, except to explain why my photos have an unnatural yellow cast. This is the view from my kitchen on a day when we had heavy calima, a fog of fine particles of Sahara desert dust in suspension. During the night it rained, lluvia de barro, coating everything--cars, terrace, laundry in red mud.

 

BURGER WEEK!

Lamb burgers on split Moroccan bread with tomato-pepper salad and spicy harissa.

Burger week began on Memorial Day with a lack of imagination—your usual ground beef from the supermercado, packaged buns, name-brand ketchup and Ben’s fantastic square-cut olive-oil fries. (National Burger Day was May 28.)

Mid-week, a cache of ground lamb in the freezer inspired me to light the grill and make Moroccan kefta. Only, I remembered that kefta, shaped like a sausage on a skewer, was never very satisfying outside the narrow lanes of the medina in Tangier.  Mainly because, with my rendition, the meat tended to fall off the skewer into the fire. But, burgers would work, on the grill or on the stove.

Serve the bread in wedges or slice it open for burger buns.

Instead of buns, I served the burgers with Moroccan bread, khobz, a round, flat loaf that is cut in wedges. Sliced open horizontally, the wedges make perfect buns for kefta or burgers. All they need is a squirt of hot harissa and Moroccan tomato-pepper salad-relish.

We’ll finish the week with fish burgers—hake cakes (like cod cakes) served on toast, slathered in garlicky green sauce.

Harissa red chile paste is a spicy accompaniment to lamb burgers.

Salad-relish of chopped tomatoes, peppers and preserved lemons to heap on the burgers.

Burger is served with the relish and hot harissa.

Toast the bread or not.

Lamb Kefta Burgers
Hamburguesas de Cordero

Lamb cut from the leg or shoulder is best for these burgers. I like my lamb medium-rare so I shape the burgers really thick. With thick burgers and a hot grill pan, cooking takes only a few minutes. Shape them to suit yourself and adjust cooking time to your tastes.

Skewered kefta.

If you prefer to make keftas, take a golf-ball sized piece of the burger meat and shape it around a metal skewer, pressing to make a compact sausage. Cook the skewers on a grill or under the broiler.

Makes 4-6 burgers.

Ground lamb patties with spices and cilantro.

1 ½ pounds ground lamb
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Pinch of dried mint
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet pimentón (paprika, not smoked)
½ teaspoon smoked pimentón
1 teaspoon cumin
Olive oil for grilling the burgers
To serve:
Bread or buns
Tomato-pepper relish to accompany
Harissa chile paste to accompany

Place the lamb in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except the oil. Use a fork to lightly mix the meat. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Shape meat into burgers of desired size and thickness. 

Prepare grill, if using, or heat a plancha grill pan or heavy cast iron skillet. Drizzle or brush the burgers with oil. Cook them, turning once, to desired doneness, 2-4 minutes, depending on thickness. 

 Serve the burgers on quartered Moroccan bread, split horizontally, or on burger buns. Accompany with tomato-pepper relish and harissa chile paste.

Burger bun is a quarter of round loaf, split horizontally.

Tomato-Pepper Relish
Ensaladilla de Tomates y Pimiento

Preserved lemon.

Brine-cured Moroccan preserved lemon adds a special tang to this relish. Use the chopped rind, with or without the flesh and membrane. If preserved lemon is not available, use chopped green olives plus grated lemon zest. 

The salad can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, covered, until ready to serve. The salt draws the liquid out of tomatoes and cucumbers. Use a slotted spoon to serve the salad. (Use more bread to mop up the juices remaining.)

Add hot harissa to the salad or serve it on the side for everyone to add to taste.

Add caption

Makes enough for 4-6 burgers.

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
¼ cup finely chopped spring onions
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
¼ cup finely diced cucumber (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Harissa chile paste (optional)

Combine the tomatoes, onions, green pepper and cucumber, if using, in a bowl. Add the cilantro, preserved lemon, oil, salt, lemon juice and harissa, if using. Toss lightly. 

Relish can be made in advance and refrigerated, covered, for several hours. Use a slotted spoon to spoon it onto burgers.

Harissa Chile Paste
Salsa Picante

Moroccan “ketchup.” This spicy- hot condiment is available in jars and squeeze tubes from specialty food shops. It’s made with ground chilies. However Spanish “hot” pimentón picante (paprika, not smoked), makes a perfect substitute for grinding peppers. It is way spicier than ordinary sweet pimentón/paprika but not as hot as cayenne. It’s usually served in small pots with any Moroccan meal.

1 tablespoon hot pimentón (paprika, not smoked)
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil

Place the pimentón in a small, heat-proof bowl. Stir in the boiling water until smooth. Stir in the salt and oil. Store, refrigerated, for up to a week.

Moroccan Bread (Khobz)

Pan Marroquí

Not a flatbread, but a flattened loaf with a springy crumb.

This flattened round loaf, cut into wedges, is served with every Moroccan meal. It is traditional with all kinds of tagine.

I’ve used fresh yeast because that’s what I’ve got. You can substitute 1 envelope active dry yeast.

Makes 2 (9-inch) round loaves.

1 ounce pressed fresh yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ¼ hand-hot water (1l0ºF)
3 cups bread flour + additional for the board
1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil + additional for oiling bowl and pan
Semolina for baking sheet
¼ teaspoon aniseed (optional)
2 teaspoons sesame seed (optional)

Crumble the pressed yeast into a small bowl. Add the sugar and ¼ cup of warm water. Stir to dissolve the yeast and allow it to stand for 5 minutes until bubbly.

Place the two kinds of flour in a large bowl. Stir in the salt. Make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast, the remaining warm water and olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to gradually mix the flour into the wet ingredients. 

Once the dough comes together in a mass, turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead the dough 5-10 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Add only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. It will become less sticky with kneading. Gather the dough into a ball. Invert the mixing bowl on top of the dough and leave it on the board for 15 minutes (or up to 1 hour). 

Knead the dough again until smooth. Knead in the aniseed, if using. Lightly oil the mixing bowl. Divide the dough into two equal-sized balls. Roll them in the oiled bowl.

Press the ball of dough to flatten it.

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by oiling it lightly and sprinkling with semolina. Place the balls of dough on the sheet. Pat them into rounds approximately 2 inches thick. If using sesame, sprinkle it on the tops and press it into the dough.

Cover the dough with a clean dry cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 400ºF.

After rising, prick the dough with a fork before baking.

Prick the rounds of dough with a fork. Bake until the breads are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 40 minutes.

 

Cool the bread on racks. Serve it, cut into wedges, in a cloth-covered bread basket with any Moroccan-style meal. 

References for Moroccan food:
Moroccan Cuisine by Paula Wolfert (Grub Street; 2004)
The Scent of Orange Blossoms—Sephardic Cuisine from Morocco by Kitty Morse and Danielle Mamane (Ten Speed Press; 2001).

Taste of Maroc by Christine Benlafquih.

More burgers:

Best-Ever Veggie Burgers.

Tofu Black Bean Burgers.

More buns:

Sweet Potato Buns.

Sandwich Buns (Molletes).

More recipes to serve with Moroccan bread:

Kefta Tagine.

Eggplant Salad (Zeilouk)

TOFU, OLÉ!

I’m trying to get tofu to speak Spanish. The truth is, I eat tofu on average every couple of weeks. It’s a way to not eat meat, poultry or fish. I always turn to a few favorite Asian recipes—Stir-fry with Snow Peas, Seared Tofu with Green Beans and Coconut Sauce, Noodle Salad with Tofu and Peanut Sauce.

Now I’m trying to figure out how to use tofu in some typical Spanish recipes, turning them, not just vegetarian, but vegan as well. In Spain, where even vegetable, legume and grain dishes usually contain a little ham, pork fat or salt fish, vegan is not an easy call!

Mushrooms to make a typical Spanish tapa, sautéed with garlic and, in place of ham, diced tofu, on the right.

Tofu—a non-dairy “cheese” made from pressed curds of soy milk—has long been available in Spain in “health food” stores. Now it’s also common to find it big supermarkets, in several “flavors.” Besides plain, there are smoked tofu, tofu with Italian herbs and olive-almond tofu. The plain one is almost tasteless, but soaks up flavors with which it cooks. I particularly like the bacon-y smoked variety.

Tofu is a fresh and perishable product. Keep it refrigerated and use by expiry dates. 

Here are a few of my tofu Spanish interpretations.

Mushrooms and tofu al ajillo--sautéed with lots of garlic.

Tofu and black-bean burger with red-pickled onions and piquillo pepper ketchup.

Fideo noodle paella has tofu instead of seafood.

Mushroom and Tofu Sauté with Garlic
Champiñones y Tofu al Ajillo

Serve the mushrooms and tofu as a tapa or side dish. Serve with bread to soak up the juices.

Garlicky sautéed mushrooms are a favorite tapa bar dish in Spain. It usually includes diced ham or bacon. Smoked tofu, diced and fried, is the perfect substitute.

Serves 4 as tapa or side dish.

6 ounces smoked tofu
1 pound mushrooms
1/3 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced crosswise
Red pepper flakes or sliced chile
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup dry Sherry
Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cut the tofu in 3/8-inch dice. Spread it on a layer of paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels and press to remove as much moisture as possible.

Clean the mushrooms in running water and pat them dry. If they are large, cut them in half through the stems, then slice them thickly. Small mushrooms can be quartered.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the diced tofu and fry it, turning, until golden. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until garlic begins to turn golden, 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue sautéing, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and Sherry and cook 6 minutes longer. Stir in the parsley. Serve the mushrooms hot. 

Tofu-Black Bean Burgers
Hamburguesas de Tofu y Alubias Negras

Flecks of tofu, black beans and vegetables show in this juicy burger.

Tofu is especially suited to grinding up with garlic and frying in olive oil, as if it were ground beef. With the addition of smoked pimentón (paprika), it’s a perfect stand-in for chorizo. Cook it with tomato to make a Bolognese sauce for spaghetti. Here, the ground tofu is combined with black beans to make really good burgers.

4 ounces firm tofu (plain, smoked or with herbs)
¼ cup parsley
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
½ medium onion
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)
¼ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
Red pepper flakes, to taste
2 cups cooked black beans, well drained
¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs or oat bran
Oil for frying the burgers
Buns for serving
Condiments such as Piquillo Pepper Ketchup and Red Pickled Onions to accompany the burgers (see below for links to these recipes)

Process tofu until crumbly.

Pat the tofu dry. Break it up and place in food processor with the parsley and garlic. Process until the tofu is crumbly. Set aside.

Process the carrot, onion, zucchini and mushrooms until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the vegetables until they are somewhat softened, about 8 minutes. (Carrots should still be a little crunchy.) Stir the tofu into the skillet and sauté it with the vegetables for 1 minute. Season the mixture with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, pimentón, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes. Scrape the vegetables and tofu into a bowl.

Process the black beans, leaving them a little lumpy to give the mixture texture. Add it to the bowl with the bread crumbs or oat bran. Mix well with the hands. Chill the mixture.

Shape the tofu-bean mixture into patties. These are before cooking.

Shape the tofu-black bean mixture into 4 large or 6 small patties. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or plancha and cook the burgers until they are browned on both sides and heated through.

Fideo Noodles with Tofu and Vegetables
Cazuela de Fideos con Tofu

This noodle dish, usually cooked with fish and shellfish, is also known as “pasta paella” or “fideuá.” It occurred to me to make it with tofu because the chewy, white tofu sort of reminded me of pieces of squid or cuttlefish. To give it a taste of the ocean, I made a vegetable stock using kombu, edible sea kelp. (Spain has become one of the world’s top producers of algae and seaweed products.) If you like, cut the cooked kombu in thin strips and add it to the noodle dish. If you don’t want to bother with the kombu, just use any vegetable stock.

Fideos (fideus in Catalan) are thin, round noodles, like vermicelli. They range in thickness from threads of angel’s hair to spaghetti-like cords. I’m using short ones that have a pin-hole through the middle. If you haven’t got fideos, use spaghetti broken into two-inch lengths.

Fry the noodles in oil until toasted.

Spanish fideos are cooked differently than your usual pasta. For one thing, the dry pasta is first toasted in olive oil. Next, instead of cooking the pasta in a pot of boiling water, then saucing it, the fideos cook right in the sauce, soaking up the flavors, much as rice is cooked in paella.

The starting point is a good sofrito—onions, peppers and tomatoes fried in olive oil. This can be prepared in advance or all in one go.

For the sofrito:
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon pimentón (paprika, not smoked)
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes
¼ cup white wine or Sherry
½ teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion, pepper and garlic until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the pimentón and cumin. Return to heat and immediately add the chopped tomatoes. Cook on high heat for 3 minutes. Add the wine or Sherry and salt. Let the sofrito simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. 

For the tofu and noodles:
8 ounces firm tofu
¼ cup + 3 cups kombu or vegetable stock (kombu recipe follows)
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
1 clove crushed garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups fideo noodles (14 ounces)
1 ½ cups shelled fava beans or peas
Sofrito
3 cups kombu or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sprigs of mint to garnish
Strips of kombu to garnish (optional)

Cut the tofu into strips about 1 ½ X ½ inch. Pat them dry. Place the tofu in a small bowl with the kombu or vegetable stock, salt, vinegar, and crushed garlic. Allow to marinate 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a paella pan or cazuela. Add the noodles and toss them in the oil until they begin to turn golden. Drain the tofu and add the pieces of tofu to the pan and fry them briefly. Add the fava beans or peas. Stir in the sofrito. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to set 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish with sprigs of mint and thin strips of kombu, if desired.

Kombu comes dried.

For the (optional) kombu stock:
2 ounces kombu (dried kelp)
8 cups water
¼ onion
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
Bay leaf
Sprig rosemary
½ teaspoon salt

Wash the leaves of kombu. Place them in a pot with the water, onion, celery, carrot, bay, rosemary and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes. 

Add strips of cooked kombu to the noodles if you like.

 

Strain the stock in a colander, saving the cooked kombu, if desired, to add to the fideo noodles..

To accompany the burgers:

Scarlet-Pickled Onions.

Piquillo Pepper Ketchup.

More vegetarian recipes:

Chard and Cheese Pie.

Brown Rice Paella with Vegetables.

Millet and Carrot Pilaf.

Don Quixote's Friday Lentils.

Zucchini "Pizza".

Recipes for the non-vegetarian originals: 

Mushrooms al Ajillo.

Fideuá (Seafood Pasta Paella).