Memorial Day Weekend
Portobello Burger Recipe
Golly, it’s a dreary day here in the Blue Ridge Mountains! It’s been raining intermittently for the past week. The ground is saturated, the Swiss chard is happy but the tomatoes and peppers seem bogged down by the damp. Even our dog seems uninterested in venturing out of doors.
Still, it’s the holiday weekend, which means there’s a bevy of outdoor events and it’s looking as if the weather might just clear up in time for us to enjoy them. There’s a Native Plant Sale in Roanoke, Staunton Jams is happening tomorrow, and the Charlottesville Arts Festival is taking place today through Sunday at IX Art Park.
Not to mention backyard grill outs galore.
We never grilled when I was kid. I’m not really sure why. We were definitely a meat-and-potato-salad kind of family, but my parents didn’t own a grill —even the cute three-legged kind, and we never grilled or packed picnics on our frequent trips to the park (although we did bring snacks for the geese). Occasionally we would go to an event where someone had grilled food but the American dream of summer; flipping burgers over a hot grill, wasn’t something I experienced until college.
My senior year, I lived in a cooperative house (a building owned by the university but managed by students). Our spring semester, one of our housemates requested we use part of our house budget to purchase a small charcoal grill. That last semester of college, we grilled with friends off our front porch, solo cups of too-sweet-sangria sloshing in hands, the smell of burgers getting just the right amount of char, the porch swing always a little overburdened by students sprawled across it…Our last day of classes we hosted a large gathering and flipped burgers, turned skewers and listened to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind and the newly released hit, The Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine (some of those tracks have aged better than others…). It is one of those golden moments that hangs in the back of my memory and as my first real grill out, it’s a good one.
Now, my husband and I grill often: chicken skewers, North Carolina shrimp we purchase at the weekend market, and a whole lot of vegetables. Instagram feeds will be full of burgers and hot dogs heaped high with toppings this weekend. For those looking for a vegetarian option, here is my favorite easy grill night dinner, Marinated Portobello Burgers. Sometimes we make sides, sometimes we grill onions and peppers to go on top of the burgers, and sometimes we just add cheese, mayo and ketchup. Dressed up or down, I always find this to be a satisfying —if messy— meal. We made this recipe last night with a side of sautéed Swiss chard (did I mention how happy the chard in our garden is?) and some pickled asparagus spears.
Marinated Portobello Burgers
4 Servings
Ingredients
4 portobello mushroom caps, washed and stems trimmed
Marinade:
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Suggestions for Serving
Buns, Provolone cheese, lettuce, grilled onions, fresh tomatoes, mayo/aioli & ketchup
Directions
Make the marinade: place all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the mushroom caps and toss in marinade to coat them. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let mushrooms marinate at room temp for 2 hours.
Heat your grill to medium high. Remove mushrooms from marinade, reserving the marinade. Place mushrooms on grill and cook for approximately 15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the caps), turning the mushrooms every few minutes and brushing with reserved marinade if they appear too dry. While the mushrooms cook, toast buns on the grill. Once the mushrooms have softened, remove from heat and build your burger. I often use the leftover marinade as a salad dressing the next day or whisk it into some mayo for an aioli for the burgers.
Whether you grill in your backyard, attend an event, or order take-out from your favorite local joint, I hope you enjoy this holiday weekend. I’m Lisa, publisher of Edible Blue Ridge. Thank you for reading our newsletter. Feel free to comment or leave a reply and, if you feel so inclined, please share this newsletter with family and friends.