Photo: At least the cows in Burgundy have a pretty good life. This photo was taken near our house.
Trending now in France: burgers, American style. Often with a fried egg on top for a French touch (that's called a burger à cheval, because the egg is "on horseback".)
What's an (almost) vegetarian like me to do? The French surely eat more meat than in any country, except perhaps Germany. If you're eating at restaurants and you're a vegetarian or a vegan, prepare to stay hungry in France.
And yet, things have gotten much better since we've been here. Paris has vegetarian restaurants now, and there's even the odd vegetarian plate,on les cartes in the countryside.
I'm not a strict vegetarian–being married to an enthusiastic carnivore–but I try to be, simply because I'm an animal lover. At restaurants, I order veggies when it's possible, fish when it's not (but never lobster or crab. I can't bring myself to eat any animal that gets boiled alive). I find that many of the entrées (that's a starter in French) are wonderful vegetable concoctions, so often I'll order a couple of those instead of le menu.
Sometimes, though, you just need a good old fashioned burger. I would never buy a veggie burger at the grocery store (you couldn't find one in France anyway), but I've gotten pretty good at making them. They're so easy! I don't try to mimic hamburger, just to make a burger that's really tasty. Purée some black or red beans, rice, quinoa or bulghar as a base. Add roasted mushrooms, some walnuts or pecans, bread or cracker crumbs, and some spices. Fry in up in a bit of olive oil, put it on a bun with lettuce and tomato and avocado and a great sauce, and I'm pretty sure, you won't miss the meat. PHOTO RIGHT: No, these cuties are not on the menu. In France, à cheval means on horseback, or served with an egg on top when you're talking burgers.
If you want to just cut down on the amount of meat you eat or help save the planet, you will still certainly want to try Martha Rose Schulman's clever idea for stretching meat (or even seafood), which I've mentioned before. The perfect astuce (trick), it's not only a healthier alternative but a more delicious one. She calls it a mushroom base. She roasts mushrooms, throws them in the food processor, and mixes them in with the ground beef, chicken, or fish at a ratio of 1 part mushrooms to 3 parts meat, or even more. After all, burgers are often topped with sautéed mushrooms to amp up the flavor. It actually makes them so much tastier that the Resident Carnivore, also known as Ron, is asking for them.You can make a batch and pop them into the freezer. I even snuck them past my grand-daughter, who hates mushrooms, and she polished off two burgers in a heartbeat!
RECIPE: A Veggie Burger Even the French Could Love
These Black bean burgers have a bit of a tex-mex twist. For a red bean burger with grains which is equally good, see my 2014 post on le hamburger.
NOTE: I never cook veggie burgers on the grill. They are too lean. The flavor will be much better if you sautée them quickly in oil in a hot black skillet. They'll be done about the same time as your grilled burgers.
Two tips: First of all, you can also skip the bread and serve these with sour cream and avocado and salsa on top. Or even à cheval! And second, make a bunch and throw them in the freezer. Then you can impress your family with a hot lunch, almost as fast as you can make a sandwich.
Makes 4 burgers
1 15 oz can (425 grams) black beans, well drained
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
a splash of srirchia sauce
1 beaten egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Good quality hamburger buns, lightly toasted
Toppings: slice avocado, sliced cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, tomato, iceberg lettuce
Sauce: 2 tablespoons mayonnaise mixed with 2 tablespoons spicy salsa
Using fork or a potato masher, mash beans in medium bowl. They should be mushy but with some whole beans left. Mix in next 8 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Shape bean mixture into patties that fit the size of your buns–4 patties, for a standard sized bun. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a black cast-iron skillet, medium high heat. Fry patties about 3 minutes on each side. For 'cheesburgers': after you turn them over, put a slice of cheese on each pattie and cover skillet until it melts.
Spread buns with sauce; serve hot on buns with choice of desired toppings, above.
In the COMMENTS: Domino's guest post generated several notes from our readers' pets. Bonne année to all! But I was really shocked when I got a comment from Loulou, a tuxedo cat who has her own blog. She looks just like Domino! Cute photos and post, visit Loulou at Living with Loulou.
Favorite Reads: Who knew you could write an entire cookbook about a single dish: shrimp and grits? Nathalie Dupree did, and made it enlightening. I got a copy of Nathalie Dupree's Shrimp and Grits
And speaking of animals, I came across an interesting article this week called Is the Global Cosmetics Market Moving towards a Cruelty-Free Future?. They are, but some cosmetic companies are still testing on animals, in a cruel fashion. Check a list, before you buy!
It seems there has been a book written about my cat Domino (our December guest blogger). And I didn't even know it! Suzanne, in her comment, talks about the children's book Six-Dinner Sid
12 thoughts on “How to be a Vegetarian (presque) in France”
Looks yummy and is a healthier choice – Bonne Annee a vous deux!
I have two recipes to offer! The first is a chicken burger (you have to like cilantro; I realize the world is divided on this ingredient). It is delicious, and we grill it. The second is an AMAZING roasted cauliflower recipe. It takes about 50 mins to roast, and the aoli is so delicious you can eat it with a spoon. I think it would be great to serve small cauliflowers as a first course.
Roasted Cauliflower:
Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Almond, Anchovy, Cauliflower, Parsley Cooked 172 ratings
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAULIFLOWER:
1 large cauliflower
Olive oil
Salt
FOR THE SAUCE:
⅓ cup blanched almonds
6 to 10 anchovy fillets (optional)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for basting
2 teaspoons wine vinegar (white or red), more to taste
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, mint, tarragon, cilantro or a combination
½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and ground black pepper
Nutritional Information
PREPARATION
Heat the oven while you prepare the cauliflower: Place a heavy oven-proof skillet (a cast-iron skillet looks very nice) or a baking sheet in the oven and turn the heat to 375 degrees. Place a small pan of hot water on the floor of the oven, to create steam.
Break off and discard the outer leaves from the cauliflower. Cut off the bottom of the stem, and then use the tip of a small, sharp knife to cut off the leaves close to the stem. Carefully cut out the hard core of the cauliflower, near the bottom. Leave the main stem intact and make sure not to cut through any of the florets.
Rinse the cauliflower (leave the water clinging to the outside) and place on a work surface, core side up. Drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to rub over the cauliflower until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt.
Place the cauliflower on the hot pan in the oven, core side down, and cook until very tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. During the cooking, baste 2 or 3 times with more olive oil. It should brown nicely. If you have a convection feature, use it toward the end of baking to brown the crust.
Make the sauce: In a small frying pan, toast nuts over low heat, shaking often, just until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Soak anchovies, if using, for 5 minutes in cool water. Rinse and set aside on paper towels.
In a food processor, combine almonds, anchovies, garlic and butter and pulse until smooth. Mix in oil, then vinegar. Mix in herbs and red pepper flakes, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
When cauliflower is tender, remove from the oven. (If desired, run it briefly under the broiler first to brown the surface; there is no need to do this if you used convection.)
Serve cauliflower in the skillet or from a serving plate. Cut into wedges and spoon sauce around each wedge.
Chicken Burgers:
1 lb minced chicken
1/2 yellow onion chopped
2 tsp jalapeños diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 c chopped cilantro
2 avocados (optional)
Tomato slices
Burger buns
Combine everything except avocado & tomato. Oil grill and pre-heat. Form into 4 3/4″-1″ patties. Be sure patties are of uniform thickness. Grill 7 mins one side, 5 or 6 on the other, until center is no longer pink and they are nice and juicy.
Put on toasted buns and either put guacamole on top, or slices of avocado & tomato, or skip the bun & just slice some avocado & tomato on the side as a salad.
My son tells me that Poole often ear a burger with an egg on top as a hangover cure here in the US!
I have been a vegetarian for 23 years now. Turning to veganism. It is a fact that eating out when you are a vegetarian in France is difficult. A common misunderstanding is to think that if you are a vegetarian you must be on a slimming diet as well! And once a Maître D’ even asked me: “Madame prendra du vin?”.
Voyons, aussi longtemps que le vin proviendra du raisin, madame prendra du vin !
As designated cook for Christmas night, and all the family except two, out of 13, vegetarians, I made a fresh artichoke lasagne that will sit well with anyone, vegetarian or carnivore.
A layer of béchamel made with 2 egg yolks, a pinch of nutmeg and a half cup of Tomme Catalan or any soft mild cheese (taleggio, strachino), stirred in.
8-10 small artichokes, pared down to the yellow, tops cut off, stems cut off, sliced very fine and sautéed (then covered) in olive oil, garlic and mint with a splash of white wine until very soft, then chopped fine in the bowl of a food processor and added to the béchamel.
A layer of fresh lasasgne pasta sheets.
A layer of cooked and drained spinach or blette (Swiss chard), chopped fine and mixed with 2 cups ricotta, 2 eggs, and a tablespoon of sweet onion, grated.
Butter a large lasagne dish and start layering all of the above, repeating once and finishing with a layer of pasta on the top. Brush with olive oil and bake at 350/185 for 50 minutes, loosely covered with foil. In the last 10 minutes, dust with grated parmesan (reggiano), sprinkle with paprika and return to oven to finish baking. Serve with more parmesan.
From Rome, at Home, my book,
Thank you for the recipe Lynn. I’ve had veggie burgers, some are good, others not so much. The veggie burger sounds very good here. I don’t think I could ever be a vegan entirely. I love my veggies but on occasion I find a need for beef but only grass fed organic beef. Difficult to change being raised by a cattleman, old habits die hard.
This is a great post and wonderful comments from readers with some great ideas. I am new to the vegetarian world, but, as an animal lover, viewing a video of slaughterhouses and frightened animals waiting to die was enough to convince me I didn’t need meat to be healthy and happy! Thanks so much for the recipes, everyone!
Lynn, I very much enjoyed today’s post(as always!);so many interesting things(especially about sweet Domino!)and,of course, the recipes and Martha Schulman’s mushroom magic.
With gout,diabetes,and heart problems in our family,we really can’t any longer chow down
the way we used to.To make a little meat go a longer way, I have started using Bocuse’s idea–simmer some milk,infuse it with slice of onion,bay leaf,salt and pepper. Remove onion and bay leaf.
Toast some pieces of bread(the number according to how much milk you used);cut off crusts and tear into pieces.Soak it in the milk for a few minutes,then remove,squeeze out excess milk,and mix it into whatever meat you are using.I prefer ground,but have used it with leftover beef or chicken pieces(as for stuffed tomatoes).
I applaud you for mentioning to check the cruelty free list before buying cosmetics.(THANK YOU for this important reminder!)I have been doing this for quite while now,and never cease to be amazed at the companies whom I believed were participating but are not.
I remember those white cows while traveling through the French country side. They were pretty to look at! I didn’t eat much beef while in France though. There was always something new to try instead. Shrug!
The egg with the hamburger seems more Hawaiian than French though. They eat an egg with almost everything! I wonder if this wasn’t adopted from them?
Great post Lynn, a good recipe to make an keepin the freezer. Always more difficult to make something more interesting for the vegetarians at a BBQ, something to add to the grilled veg.
To make meat go further I have added whole chestnuts to stews and casseroles; the vacuum packed or tinned ones are fine and you can have them in your store cupboard. Useful when guests phone to say they have a couple staying, and is it OK to bring them to dinner, and you have already done the shopping.
Where do you find black beans in France? I live in the Dordogne and can’t seem to find them anywhere.
Your black bean burger sounds delicious, Lynn, and I’m so glad I told you and Domino about Six-Dinner Sid. Your grandchildren will love it, and it is a great read aloud book. I TRY to be an ALMOST vegetarian too. I do eat chicken and turkey occasionally, and a burger or steak now and then, but my entrée is almost always seafood when I go out, and when I do carryout. I do have to have my bacon though.