“Falager” Sliders with Smoky Tomato Sauce

Falagers

In large bowl, place lentils, beer and 2 cups water. Stir together. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Slice just enough top off garlic head to expose cloves. Place in loosely fitted bed of foil. Drizzle with 1 tsp avocado oil and a bit of water. Bake in oven until cloves are soft when pressed, about 40 minutes. Remove and cool. Place roasted garlic in small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Once lentils have fully soaked, drain and place in large saucepan along with 3 cups fresh water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and, with lid ajar, simmer for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender but not mushy. Drain well and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, place lentils in food processor along with onion, cilantro, chickpea flour, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and cayenne. Pop roasted garlic cloves from their skins and add. Pulse until a coarse meal forms, occasionally scraping down sides of food processor with spatula. Texture should be like a firm, slightly chunky cookie dough. Do not overprocess to a smooth paste.

Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cover bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours to slightly firm.

Preheat oven to 400 F. With damp palms, shape mixture into 2 inch balls and slightly flatten into patties. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet in single layer.

If mixture is too loose, return to bowl and stir in a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time, just until it will hold together. Be careful, as too much flour will make patties dense. Lightly brush patties with remaining 1 tsp avocado oil.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes per side, or until golden. Serve with Smoky Tomato Sauce and toppings of choice (arugula and sliced avocados work well!) on slider buns, if using.

Smoky tomato sauce

In medium saucepan, heat oil. Add diced onion and sauté over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add beer to deglaze pan. Continue to cook over medium heat until beer is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes for flavors to blend. Add a little more chipotle sauce if you wish. Serve sauce chunky or puree in blender if you wish. Spoon over baked Falagers.