Chef’s Corner: Rishi Verma - Layered flavours

Vegetarian burger with pesto sauce and cottage cheese filling

The recipe needs a lot of preparation time but the result can be impressive.

In the mood to enter kitchen this weekend and impress your near and dear ones? Here is your chance then. And if you are a vegetarian, all the better. The recipe, sent to us by Chef Rishi Verma of Sattviko restaurant in New Delhi, needs a lot of preparation time but the result can be impressive.

Quad burger with grilled vegetables

Ingredients

4 slices tomato

5 slices aubergine

6 slices zucchini yellow and green

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

Method

Cut the vegetables in thin round slices, marinate them with the remaining ingredients.

Keep in a refrigerator for 3-4 hours so that the vegetables can take the flavour of the marination.

Once the vegetables are nicely marinated, grill them on a hot plate giving them some good searing on both the sides.

For grilled cottage cheese

Ingredients

50 gms cottage cheese, cut into thick slices

2 tsp Worchester sauce

2 tsp tomato ketchup

A pinch of salt

1/2 tsp pepper, crushed

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

Method

Marinate the cottage cheese slices in the ingredients and refrigerate for two hours.

Once marinated well, grill the cottage cheese steak.

Keep it aside.

For the pesto sauce

Ingredients

100 gms basil

10 gms pine nuts

10 gms Parmesan cheese

100 ml olive oil

5 gms salt

Method

Blend all the ingredients in a blender roughly. Take mixture out in a bowl and store it in a refrigerator.

For the burger

Ingredients

50 gms Focaccia bread (rectangle shape)

(You can buy the bread from any good bakery)

2 lettuce leaves

1 tbsp mayonnaise

Method

Take the bread and cut it from the centre, apply the pesto spread on both the sides.

Place a crispy lettuce leaf, and top it up with the grilled vegetables. Place a grilled cottage streak and drizzle with mayonnaise and close the burger with the remaining piece of bread. You can serve it plain, toasted or grilled as per your preference.

Chef Rishi Verma is with Sattviko in M-Block Market, Greater Kailash Part II, New Delhi. A firm proponent of the culture of eating fresh, healthy food without losing out on taste, Chef Rishi is involved in discovering new ‘sattvik’ dishes and implementing them in the restaurant’s menu.