What Did One Mushroom Say to the Other Mushroom?

I have these friends, Carlie and Charlie (they're Paul's friends, too). They love to cook. But what's so brilliant is that they love to cook the way we cook – fresh, simple, veggies included, trying new things. A couple of weeks ago, Carlie posted a picture of her dinner on Facebook. There, on the page, giving me a sultry, “come hither” look was an altogether scrumptious looking portobello mushroom burger on a broiled ciabatta roll. I...must...HAVE this! was my immediate thought. But how on earth would I get Paul to try an all-veggie entree? A large part of his food influence came from his family's roots in the South – fried food, fried in bacon fat, potatoes, and most important MEAT. Not too many peeps in the fam are real heavy into veg. When we first met, I started to introduce him to salad as a meal by topping them with barbecue chicken, or grilled steak. It was a turning point, and while he gets down with his veggie-self often, I had an extremely hard time envisioning him throwing a parade for my idea for an mostly-vegetarian meal.

But, as he often does, Paul surprised me. Not only was he up for trying it, he looked forward to it! Oh. My. Lanta. So, we set about procuring the needed ingredients for both the burgers and a side dish, a chickpea tomato and feta salad, the recipe for which I found in a magazine.

They were...DIVINE. They rocked. Hands down. Rocked. We started by marinating the mushrooms in a basil-parmesan vinaigrette for about an hour before putting them on the grill over low heat.

We had purchased a bag of take-and-bake ciabatta rolls, which we baked in the oven, but split and threw on the grill for the last few minutes. Our toppings included prosciutto, romaine lettuce, avocado, roma tomato, red onion and ranch dressing. 

As I made my plate, I could barely wait to take the first bite – it was heaven. The mushrooms were tender and juicy, the marinade perfectly complimenting their meaty texture and earthy flavor. The toppings were a perfect juxtaposition of texture and flavors – smooth, buttery, sweet, juicy, crispy, salty - and the ciabatta rolls were perfectly crisp on the outside, warm and tender in. I have had portobello sandwiches in restaurants – not one in memory held a candle to these(if I do say so myself).

The salad was not something I would typically choose to make or eat. Extremely simple, it consists of canned chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, lemon juice, feta cheese, salt and pepper(The recipe also calls for fresh parsley, but I have a hard time justifying the purchase of a whole bunch of parsley for one tablespoon).

Now, I'm not one to like whole chickpeas unless toasted and tossed in a salad. I love hummus and falafel, but whole chickpeas – it's a texture thing, similar to how I feel about navy/kidney/black/pinto beans. Yuck. But this salad just looked so beautiful in the magazine, I had to give it a shot. And surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. The crisp crunch of the cucumber, the sweetness of the tomato, the zing of the lemon and tang of the feta – it all balances really well. I didn't feel particularly urgent about having a second helping, but for me the first was a HUGE advancement. Don't expect to make a meal of just the salad. I got tired of the taste quicker than I expected.

Overall, it was a really light, delicious, but filling summer meal. I came to the conclusion that the meal really needed a second side to accompany the salad – it didn't feel like an entirely complete meal without another side. Perfect for the hottest days in summer when you want to keep the house cool. The ciabatta rolls could easily have been baked entirely on the grill, and the only other thing that needs cooked are the mushrooms. The versatility of the burgers is limitless – from the marinade to the toppings you choose, there are countless directions one could go with this entree, which is a massive factor in this dish being a repeat on our dinner table.

Here's the rest of what the man had to say:

I've been to restaurants where a mushroom burger is ordered and it never made sense to me. My logic is that if I am going to drop $8-$10 on a burger and fries, it will be made of red meat. I would suggest making this burger exactly as we did – use a crusty bread for a bun, and use toppings that will compliment this juicy, fungal patty that was strangely satisfying. I am sure there is a beer that would go well with this burger as beer is an excellent choice to wash down all food, but I think a red wine would best be suited to this. I still stand by the red meat rule at restaurants, but I would absolutely do this again at home.

Recipes:
There was no set recipe that we followed for the burgers. Just choose your marinade and soak for 20 minutes to an hour. Grill mushrooms for 10-15 minutes on each side. Choose your bread and toppings, dress and enjoy!

The salad is from a recipe I found in Everyday Food, which is a Martha Stewart magazine that I found at the local grocery store:

Chickpea, Tomato, and Feta Salad
In a medium bowl, combine 1 can(15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved, 2 ounces feta, crumbled(1/3 cup), 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves, and 1/2 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Season with coarse sald and ground pepper.