Mushrooms are a vegetarian’s best friend. In many recipes they often substitute meat, because of their chewy texture. Here they play the leading role, rather than a substitute.
You need a griddle pan to grill the mushrooms. Even if you think you have enough stuff in your kitchen, do think about getting a griddle pan. They are super useful for grilling all kinds of veggies, tofu, and make grilled sandwiches. Alternatively, you could prepare the mushrooms on a BBQ, perhaps you will need to brush them with some extra oil so they don’t stick and burn.
Total preparation time: 20 minutes
Grilling time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 10 minutes or more
Makes 2 side servings:
3 portobello mushrooms, sliced
10 pitted black olives, halved
8 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked off the stem
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
sea salt and black pepper
Heat a griddle pan over medium heat. Without adding any oil, place the mushroom slices on the pan one at a time. You need to make sure they are not overlapping - perhaps you need to grill them in batches.
Stay close by and flip the mushrooms to each side - about 2 minutes each side.
In the meantime, place the chopped olives and sun dried tomatoes in a bowl together with the thyme leaves.
Once each side of the mushrooms is grilled, place them in the bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar to marinate the mushrooms. You need more than you think, don't be greedy! Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Toss well and let sit for at least 10 minutes, then serve still warm. Optionally you can also marinate longer and serve as a cold antipasti dish. The taste actually gets better over 1 - 2 days, so think about making a bigger batch.
Yummy!
