Anissa Helou’s tomato vegetarian burger

Place the finely diced tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, press and mash them until you obtain a tomato pulp. It's best to do this by hand: if you use a food processor, the pulp won't have enough texture and will be too watery.

Add the very finely chopped onions and chopped herbs (mint and parsley), then lightly mash the mixture again with your hands before mixing in the olive oil.

Season with Aleppo pepper and salt, to your taste.

Next, add the flour and mix well: you want to obtain a thick, textured dough.

Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Pour enough olive oil into a large skillet to shallow-fry the burgers, then heat over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, drop heaping spoonfuls of the tomato mixture into the pan and spread them out to form thin patties. To achieve a perfectly uniform shape, you can use open, round metal molds. (Personally, I like the irregular edges).

Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until the patties are crispy and golden. Flip them over, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side until golden and crispy on both sides and cooked through.

Transfer them to a wire rack so they stay as crispy as possible.

Serve hot or at room temperature, just as they are. You can also make burgers by slipping them into small buns with a fried egg, parsley tahini sauce, or any other filling you like.