Papilla Monella’s Christmas recipe

Our Advent Calendar continues with a focus on taste and goodness. Today, Federica Papilla Monella gives us a fantastic recipe to try right away: Christmas veggie burgers with pioppini mushrooms, pumpkin, and beetroot. Let's see how to make it!

Difficulty: easy
Time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people

For the burgers

boiled Romanesco broccoli florets - 500 g
shallots - 80 g almond
flour - 40 g nutritional
yeast flakes* - 20 g
breadcrumbs - 60 g organic
lemon - zest of 1 extra virgin
olive oil - 1 tablespoon

For the beetroot cream

cooked beetroot - 250 g extra virgin
olive oil - 1 tablespoon apple
cider vinegar - 2 teaspoons
salt - to taste

For the pumpkin cream

cooked pumpkin - 250 g extra virgin
olive oil - 1 tablespoon
salt - to taste

For the marinated pumpkin

pumpkin - 300 g
organic apple cider vinegar - 80 ml extra virgin
olive oil - 50 ml
water - 100 ml
salt - 1 teaspoon
cubeb pepper grains - to taste

To prepare your veggie burgers with pioppini mushrooms, pumpkin, and beetroot, start with the pumpkin carpaccio, which I recommend preparing the night before. You can find the complete recipe HERE.

Move on to the burgers by blending the boiled broccoli and chopped shallots in a small blender. Blend until smooth, then transfer to a bowl and add the almond flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and oil. Mix well with a spatula, add the breadcrumbs, and mix again, this time with your hands, until the mixture is compact and firm.

Using an 8 cm diameter pastry cutter, shape your burgers, place them on a sheet of parchment paper, and let them rest in the refrigerator for half an hour. In the meantime, prepare the sauces: make the beetroot cream by combining all the ingredients in a blender and blending until you obtain the desired consistency. Do the same with the pumpkin.

Clean the pioppini mushrooms and cook them in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil and a lid, keeping the mushroom clusters intact. Prepare the coral sauce: mix the ingredients well, heat a high-quality non-stick pan with a flat bottom and, when it is very hot, lower the heat slightly and pour in two tablespoons of the mixture. Cook until the water has evaporated, holes have formed, and the wafer is crispy.

Remove the burgers from the refrigerator and cook them in a hot non-stick pan greased with a little oil for a few minutes on each side. Plate according to your imagination and enjoy your delicious veggie burgers with pioppini mushrooms, pumpkin, and beetroot in all their goodness. Bon appetit!

Notes

* Nutritional yeast flakes have no leavening power: they are deactivated yeast used as a flavoring agent, giving recipes a very tasty flavor while maintaining their lightness. If you don't have any available, you can replace it with an equal amount of grated aged cheese—obviously, in this case, the recipe would no longer be 100% plant-based.

You may find it useful to know that...

All the components of this recipe can be prepared well in advance, even the day before. This is very convenient, especially during the holidays :)

To serve, I used the beautiful Weissestal Circus green & white plates: made of refined satin porcelain with a matte finish, velvety to the touch and pleasing to the eye, these plates gave my holiday table a touch of refined, cozy elegance that made my Christmas even more magical!