Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal PlannerRecipe submitted by sunkid, 05/14/06
Big Italy Garden Portobello BurgerIngredients (use vegan versions): 1 medium sized portobello mushroom, destemmed and cleaned.
1 large burger bun, whole wheat recommended.
1 cup of spaghetti sauce, Ragu’s “Garden Veggie” (organic) recommended.
˝ cup of iceberg lettuce, shredded.
1-3 large cucumber slices, thin.
3-5 black olives, pitted.
1 onion, chopped.
assorted spices; Italian herb, ground black pepper, garlic salt, and so forth.
Directions:This sandwich, if made using the following guiding principles, is not only vegan (though you will need to ensure that your bread of choice is dairy and gluten free), but it is also notably nutritious, overall delicious, and a great way with which to introduce portabellas, or mushrooms in general, into your diet. Pursuing a theme of classic Italian minus the moo, I find this to be a very refreshing and surprisingly versatile satisfactory dish, one which I can proudly call my own.
To initiate the process, you will need to prepare an herb based oil solution, which can be done quite loosely using the following ingredients or in accordance with your own preferences. In a small bowl, combine 1-2 teaspoons of water, ground black pepper, Italian herbs, just a dash of garlic salt, and your choice of additional seasonings. (Note: If you intend to use black olives, as directed, later in the recipe, and happen to be drawing them from a can, you may also drain as much as a tablespoon of the juice at this point and add it to the mixture. Olive oil, pepper, and crushed garlic is also a feasible combination.) Stir with a fork and proceed.
Using either a cooking brush or napkin, daub the herb oil onto the portobello liberally. Once the mushroom is thoroughly coated and the cap offers a visible gleam, you may begin the next phase.
Place the mushroom in a heat-endurable dish and position it in the oven at 450* for 5-15 minutes, depending on how firm textured or "meaty" you want it to be. (Lengthier cooking equates meatier mushrooms.)
While the portobello roasts, pour the spaghetti sauce into a small pot and heat at low temperature. Slice the black olives and onions, adding them to the sauce as it simmers. Add Italian spices to taste and stir occasionally; if flavor is weak, add more herbs, if flavor is overpowering, add more sauce. (Experiment, but be cautious!) This would also be a good time to season your breading, which is of course optional.
Remove the mushroom from the oven and place it on a bun. If the cap, as portobellos often do, proves to be larger than the bread used, simply cut around the edges and shed the excess or overlapping portion of the mushroom.
Spoon generous amounts of sauce onto the mushroom, and add shredded lettuce, extra onions, or any other vegetable combinations you can fathom. (Spinach recommended, though Vegan friendly mozzarella would be perfectly suiting.)
Apply a medium amount of sauce to the second piece of bread, add a few cucumbers, and slam it down on top, finally finishing the Big Italy Garden Portobello Burger by SunKid.
Notes: Don't throw out the remaining sauce! Chances are you ended up shaving away a good deal of your portobello mushroom after sizing it with the bun, which would presumably be fairly small in comparison. If this is the case, you can make use of the leftovers by dipping the mushroom scraps in the sauce and simply munching; its surprisingly good. However, if you happened to buy particularly large buns and have no remaining caps, you can go garden-fresh crazy and add sauce to your burger as you eat it.
Serves: 1-2
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
