Veggie burgers – impossible food-wine pairing?!?
Okay, we just did an “impossible” challenge but it reeked of pipi and April foolery. So here’s something more useful: five veggie burger recipes via the Times, where the article was as high as number two on the most emailed article list over the weekend.
Seeing it on the way to the Trade Joe’s, we decided we would try it out here at the Dr. Vino World Headquarters. We made the “curried lentil, rice and carrot burgers” and they were pretty good (though the cumin smell will linger in the kitchen for days). It was so impossible for me to pair with wine that I went with a Bengali Tiger, the supremely balanced and utterly delicious IPA from Sixpoint brewery in Brooklyn.
There are other challenges on the list: Beet, Rice and Goat Cheese Burgers; Quinoa and Vegetable Burgers With Asian Flavors; Mushroom and Grain Cheeseburgers. Each has a particular aspect making it difficult, but at least a couple can offer some fun red wine pairings for vegetarians. Unless you think they are…impossible?!?
On April 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 am ,Joe wrote:
What made the match so difficult? Too much cayenne / heat? Or was it the ginger? From the recipe it sounds like it could have worked with a wine one might pair with Indian cuisine, such as riesling or Lambrusco.
On April 2nd, 2012 at 12:11 pm ,Mike wrote:
I will stick with craft beers and veggie burgers.
Congrats on this:
http://www.vintank.com/2012/03/the-8-most-important-wine-bloggers-in-the-us/
On April 2nd, 2012 at 8:51 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Hi Joe – It wouldn’t be too hard–a cru Beaujolais or a Riesling could have worked. But it was worth flagging the recipes because the one that I had was good, so a little more use-value than the “virgin boy eggs.” 😉
Good call, Mike. Have you had the Bengali Tiger? If not, crack one open (they come in 16 ounce cans)! Thanks for mentioning that blogger list!
On April 2nd, 2012 at 11:46 pm ,tofucute wrote:
veggie burgers are so diverse in flavor that it is pretty much useless to say what wine goes with “veggie burgers.” is it soy based? wheat gluten based? bean (what kind of bean) based? grain based? what sort of seasonings are in it? etc. etc. “veggie burgers” are VERY diverse. much more diverse than meat based burgers. you’d have to be more specific about WHAT veggie burger to pair with WHAT wine. but hey that just makes for more fun!
On April 3rd, 2012 at 12:32 am ,RobinC wrote:
These burgers sound like they’re trying too hard. I’d say sauvignon blanc with all of them.
On April 3rd, 2012 at 11:34 am ,Melissa wrote:
Strange! i had the Trader Joe’s Veggie Burger for dinner last nite. I like them chunkier and more crunchy than the TJoes(Morning Star?) version.
It has been a while since i had a veggie burger, however I prefer Boca Burgers. i paired it with a 2008 Barbera which was unbalanced. Not a recommended pairing.
On April 3rd, 2012 at 3:18 pm ,EricT wrote:
I’ve eat and make alot of veggie foods and indian foods, I would recommend any of the following: dry lambrusco (if heavy), loire valley rose for spicier dishes, marsannay rose for less spicey, and i’ve had alot of luck with certain Bordeaux blancs and rousanne/marsanne blends from either the Rhone or the USA. For meat based Indian stuff, thats easier to pair with.