Portobello Burgers + Shwarma

I am all about hamburgers. As a matter of fact, I have qualified myself as a hamburger connoisseur many a time. But I have another love. A fungi, one who shows up in my life whenever I need some extra joy. Mushrooms in general are a regular feature in my home. I've often got ziplocs of them frozen, ready to add in to a dish (and seriously, I just cook them down in water, put them flat in a baggy, and freeze them; perfect way to have quick access!).

When it comes to mushrooms, there's no shortage of choices. There's your standard white mushrooms, a common one in local groceries. There's also baby bella (aka crimini) mushrooms, which also are quite common locally. But the big boys are portobellos (or portabellos). They are large mushroom caps and work well kept whole or sliced thin. They have a subtle meaty flavor (seriously, I made Mushroom Cheesesteaks that were fantastic) and firm texture when cooked. Portobellos are a good source of protein, with over 2 grams.

In learning more about portobello mushrooms, I found out that mushroom farms operate very carefully because mushrooms can be mutated quickly. Portobellos are just your common mushroom, agaricus bisporus. In the 1920s, a Pennsylvanian farmer discovered the white mushroom variety, and believe it or not, the darker colored mushrooms (aka baby bellas) were thrown out. Wild!

So with that larger size, texture, and flavor capacity, trying a mushroom burger was a no brainer for me. I marinated the caps for about half an hour in some balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Rather than submerging them, I flipped the caps over and poured it into the gills, then coated the top of the caps.

To cook them, I used a griddle pan (and tossed some chopped onion in there, but that's optional). I cooked each side for 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms softened.

Once it was cooked, I served it on a lovely little brioche bun, topped with the cooked onions and cheese, and finished it with some sliced tomato and arugula.

It almost passes as a real burger! This thing was GOOD! 10/10 will make again.

At the end of the post, I also included some notes about how I used one of the caps to make a little portobello shwarma.

Diversify your mushroom offerings today!

Long story short, mushrooms are a delight. Maybe some hate the texture and won't even try. Maybe others are such die-hard meat eaters, they can't stand the idea of a portobello burger. But as a burger fanatic who has made it a mission to try different burgers wherever I go, I feel confident and calling the portobello a worthy opponent to chuck.

Portobello Burger Recipe

Ingredients:

3 portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions:

Marinate caps for at least 30 minutes in balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Heat a griddle pan or skillet to medium-high.

And a little bonus...

With another mushroom cap, I decided to try for a portobello shwarma:

1 portobello mushroom cap

Same marinade as burger

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

dash cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic seasoning

I sliced this one up and sauteed it for 5-7 minutes, then served it on a pita with tomato and tzatziki sauce.