These were a bit of an experiment which turned into a huge success! We had them for dinner topped with hummus and salsa (or hot sauce or tomato sauce depending on your age!) with some steamed broccoli. Also were a great breakfast the next day sandwiched into some sourdough with avocado and tomato.
- 700g potatoes (peeled weight)
- 1-2 cups dry breadcrumbs (I used a sourdough crust, pulsed in food processor, toasted in oven, then pulsed again into a fine crumb)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 T tahini
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 leek, halved lengthways, washed and finely sliced
- 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
- 100g chopped mushrooms
- 1 medium carrot grated
- ½ cup frozen baby peas
- ½ cup frozen sweet corn
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
- ½ t paprika
- ½ t turmeric
- ½ t coriander
- 1 T soy sauce
- 5 cubes frozen spinach defrosted and squeezed dry
- Peel your potatoes and put into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil.
- Meanwhile, prepare your other vegetables (and breadcrumbs if necessary.)
- Blend the chickpeas with the tahini in a food processor until mostly smooth, a few chunks is ok.
- Put the onion, leek, cabbage, mushrooms, carrot into a large nonstick frying pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently until softened, adding a splash or two of water if starting to stick. Stir in the herbs and spices and soy sauce and cook until very soft and most moisture evaporated. Turn off the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line a large baking tray with paper and place inside.
- When your potatoes are just tender, drain well and mash until smooth.
- In a large bowl combine the potato, chickpeas, the cooked veggies, frozen peas and corn, and the spinach. The mixture should be very thick and quite difficult to stir. Hands are easier if it's too hard! Can be refrigerated at this stage until you're ready to cook them.
- Take large spoonfuls and shape into patties, then coat in breadcrumbs.
- Cook a batch at a time in a dry frying pan over a moderate heat for a few minutes until crispy on both sides, then transfer to your baking sheet in the oven whilst you cook the rest. Bake them in the oven for a further 15 minutes. I managed to get 14 cakes.