The elusive portobellos…

… well not anymore! As I have mentioned in my profile, we in India are deprived of many ‘foreign’ ingredients, most of them that are thought of as exotic. Until a few years ago, mushrooms were part of that group too. Even today, the mushrooms that are freely available now in every market are the button variety, the others still remaining largely elusive to the common man. What a lovely surprise it was, when yesterday, I noticed a packet of portobellos neatly sitting next to all the other exotic stuff at a vendor's in the local market. Right among the small piles of iceberg lettuce, broccoli, purple cabbage, cherry tomatoes and other things, were two packets staring at me. Skeptical about even asking the cost, I just picked up a packet. Rs 40. Not bad at all ($1 approx = Rs 53). Then I asked the vendor – “Kitne ka?” Rs 30! Yay! I wanted to dance right there, on the footpath (sidewalk), but soon realized that I needed to exercise control.

Since the dinner menu for that day was already decided, my mushrooms had to spend a day in the fridge. There was no way, however, that I was going to wait any longer than required. The dilemma – what should I make? I could stuff them, but my mushrooms were small. Sandwich? Naah, didn’t have the right bread. Considering I had stocked up on the salad ingredients too, it seemed the best option. Grilled portobello salad. My mouth was already watering.

The salad bed - just right!

Well. Dressing? Choices choices. Not that many. Used a bottled vinaigrette, or whip up something. Considering how much I enjoy the latter, there was no question. A bit of soy sauce, a little vinegar, salt and pepper. I was set. No wait, something to cut the acidity (ha ha I can use Masterchef words too :) Since I had no maple syrup, I used honey. Perfect.  
When marinating the mushrooms, I set out to make the bed for my salad. Once again, the exotic ingredient dilemma. I had lettuce – the one variety popular in Indian markets – iceberg. Right or wrong, I had to use it. Salad greens? None. I could use spinach, but wasn’t up to eating spinach tonight. Digging in the vegetable drawer, I found a perfect solution (well, at least for me!) Cucumber. Just peeled ribbons length wise, leaving the dark green skin on. Into the freezer to chill and provide crunch.

Sizzle sizzle

The 'Masterchef deglaze'

By then, I started grilling the mushrooms. (I saved the remnants of the marinade to use at a dressing over my salad. I used a simple grill pan on a stove top. A slight dash of olive oil. Yumm! Once my mushrooms were done, I realized that there was too much taste that was stuck on the pan, and all those episodes of Masterchef where they talk of ‘deglazing the pan’ came running back to my mind. My heart, nay, my taste buds, would not allow me to waste that! So I just threw in the  tomatoes (they were supposed to go in raw in the salad) and let them grill in the juices. After taking them off and setting them to cool, the Indian in me could not resist sprinkling a pinch of dried oregano over the tomatoes. Trust me, it went well with the whole dish! (I guess mixed herbs would do just as well.)

Not one to waste any bit of the taste, I even toasted my bread on the same pan. A light grill on each side. All I needed was a bit of assembly, and then dig in! Simple delicious. I can’t wait to chance upon a packet of shiitakes now!

 

Grilled Portobello Salad

Ingredients

Cooling off. Notice the 'Indianness'
- oregano on the tomatoes

Portobello mushrooms – 5-6 medium size
Tomatoes – 1 large
Iceberg lettuce (or any other you like) – 2-3 leaves
Cucumber – 1 large (you could substitute it with salad greens
Salt – a pinch
Crushed black pepper – a pinch
Olive oil – 1 teaspoon
Brown bread – 2 slices

For the dressing/ marinade

Salt – 1 teaspoon
Crushed black pepper – 1 teaspoon
Soy sauce – 2 tablespoons
Vinegar (you could use any you like) – 1 tablespoon
Honey – 1 teaspoon

Method
1. Stem the mushrooms and thoroughly wash them.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl and put in the mushrooms. Let them marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Wash the lettuce and chop it roughly to make a bed on your plate. Peel ribbons or strips of the cucumber to sit in the middle of the plate to make a bed for the mushrooms. Stick it in the freezer to chill.
4. Heat your grill pan, and grease it with a little bit of olive oil. Place the mushrooms on it to leave them to grill. Don’t forget to take in the aromas while they sizzle away. Season them on the pan, if need be. And turn them over to do the other side as well.
5. Chop the tomatoes in 1 cm cubes, while the mushrooms are on the grill.
6. Once the mushrooms are done on both sides, take them off pan, and throw in the tomatoes. Take them off when they are slightly charred and have absorbed all the juices. Don’t turn off the heat yet. Place the bread slices (halved into triangles). Grill until brown on both sides.

Pretty, ain't it

7. Now, assemble. Take out the salad bed from the freezer. You will need to season the lettuce and cucumber on the plate itself. Sprinkle a bit of pepper is you want. At this point, you could grate a small piece of ginger over it if you want. (I didn’t, since I thought of it only while I’m writing this!) Drizzle 1 tablespoon of dressing over it. Lay the tomatoes on one side. Slice the mushrooms and lay them on top of the cucumber bed. And place the toast on the side. Then? Do not wait one more minute. Just devour it!

The perfect bite

Notes:

I do feel that I should have used fresh lemon instead of vinegar. It would be refreshing in a summer salad. Well, there's always next time!