Salt and Vinegar Chip Crusted Mushy Pea Tea Sandwich “Burgers”
In case you haven’t guessed, this is my nod to parochial British Cuisine. I decided to pull out all the stops and put everyone’s favorite British items into one dish.
I lived in Manchester (England’s third most populous city) for a year and there are a few food memories I have from there that I shall, for better or worse, never forget.
Better:
-The curries of Rusholme
-Chips on a pita: I mean, they put french fries on a pita and call it a sandwich.
-Good beer, all the time.
Worse:
-Rusholme’s after-dinner fennel-and-herb mix: it was simultaneously dubbed by friend and I to taste somehow exactly like Toilet Bowl Cleaner.
-Calling Spaghetti Bolognese “Spag Bol.” That iched my eyeteeth about as much as the British pronunciation of al-loo-min-ee-um. I’m pretty charmed by this Spagbol website, though. It’s a freaking dot org!
-This breakfast
-Good beer, all the time
I’m not going to lie to you. When I was living in Manchester I never tried mushy peas. Upon reflection and being now older, wiser, and much more of a plagiarist, I’m making the peas into a “burger” and crusting it with my personal faves: Salt and Vinegar chips. (The world can be divided by those that like S&V chips, and those that don’t. As long as the divide leaves the chips on my side of the chasm, I’ll be a happy muncher.) I’m topping the whole thing off with a slice of cheddar and a cute tea-sandwich toast setup. You can further enhance this Brit-fare experience by adding a dollop of chutney.
Without further ado:
Serves: Makes 10 small “burgers” feeding 3 - 4
Time: 1 hour
Salt and Vinegar Chip Crusted Mushy Pea Tea Sandwich “Burgers”
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
2 medium carrots, cut into small dice
2-3 Tbsp finely minced onion
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
2/3 cup oatmeal
1 cup salt and vinegar chips, crushed very fine
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Accessories: toasted bread with the crusts cut off (or buns), sliced cheddar, lettuce, tomato, grainy mustard, ketchup/chutney/marmite.
Steam the carrots for a few minutes then add the peas and cook until tender.
Drain the veggies, put them in a bowl with the onions and mustard and blend together lightly with a hand-blender or food processor. Mix in the oatmeal.
Shape the mixture into small patties. Coat with the chips; pressing chips into the patties.
Heat some olive oil over medium high heat and brown the burgers for a few minutes on each side.
Assemble each burger with chutney and mustard spread on a half-slice of toasted bread (with the crust cut off, of course) topping the burger with lettuce and tomato.
May 17th, 2007 09:36
uuummm.. YES! I think I need those pea burgers.
that bfast.. omg.. I assume you’ve seen Trainspotting… it reminds me of the breakfast they were eating when Spud (was that his name?) enters the room with the dirty sheets… oy..
May 17th, 2007 09:49
‘Spag Bol’ has always really ,really upset me as well.
May 17th, 2007 11:02
Well, as Vanessa’s roommate, sister and official taster of all Vanesscipes meals, this meal once again reminds me how pleased I am with these life roles. “Mushy pea burgers??!” I asked her with disgust when she brought up the idea. And, of course, again, I was proven wrong. These were mushy, crunchy, tangy, comforting, and downright delicious all at once. The only downside - they’re a bit too smooshy to be called burgers. Tea sammy’s is much more appropriate. Yummy with either Grey Poupon OR chutney - to celebrate either side of the British cuisinal history. Enjoy. And pass the beer.
May 17th, 2007 13:43
Melody - so funny! There are just some things I don’t anyone can grow to love.
Queenie - it’s just plain wrong.
Sis - sorry to scare you. I’ll try something that sounds more, well, tasty, next week.
May 19th, 2007 09:07
The name turned me off at first (sorry, I’m not a big commenter), but those look good adn worth a try.
I’ve never been to England, so I’ve never heard of mushy peas.
May 21st, 2007 10:05
chips on a pita? strange…but probably very good!
May 21st, 2007 14:55
How wonderful! I love salt + vinegar chips but have never thought about cooking with them. I also have good and bad memories of British food… and a strange love/hate relationship with the English breakfast- it’s repulsive, but I constantly daydream about veganizing it and gobbling it up. Num!
May 28th, 2007 11:31
Te he he !
I cant eat mushy peas any more since a bad experience at University (in England) : one of my flatmates ate through a pile of them and a couple of hours later took a call of nature.
I cant describe in words the pungent smell that we had to endure for the next few days/weeks and we all had the impression that the odour stuck to our clothes.
I think your recipe would solve the problem though : I am mainly talking about the fluo-green kind you buy from a chip shop…
(Thanks for the backlink BTW)
May 29th, 2007 12:30
Mar - I was a bit aghast at the phrase “mushy” in relation to food myself. especially peas!
Megan - it’s a total carb-fix
Bazu - I try not to eat chips as a snack, but I like to add them to a main dish for fun and crunch. I love beans with all my heart - it’s just not what I crave at breakfast. Gimme some granola or a bagel spread with PB. num!
Paul - I’m really glad you wrote that after I was up to my elbows mushing peas. The green color at some chip shops can be truly shocking.