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This recipe is one of the best examples of how carefully-treated vegetables can create some of the tastiest, most satisfying dishes possible. For this recipe, mushrooms are treated like a piece of meat, being the steak of the dish. They're lightly marinated with balsamic vinegar and olive oil before being quickly seared off to create a gorgeous crust.
To accompany the mushrooms is simply steamed quinoa, spinach and tomatoes sauted with garlic, and the homemade pepper jelly. The dark meatiness of the mushrooms is complemented gently by the soft earthiness of the quinoa and the piquant spinach and tomatoes laden with garlic. The tangy, sweet-sour pepper jelly brings all those flavours together into delicious harmony and is a great example of a homemade chutney improving everything else on the plate.
Quinoa is among the healthiest grains on Earth, containing all the same amino acids that can be found in animal proteins along with a bounty of fiber, iron, magnesium, and other minerals. All that protein and fiber means quinoa is very filling, and when paired with the hearty mushroom steaks, the whole dish is sure to leave to you feeling full and satiated.
Mushroom Steaks
Too often, the term steak is reserved exclusively for cuts of meat. But there are a great number of terrific vegetable steaks that offer the same big, bold satisfaction as a piece of meat.
One of the best vegetables to turn into a steak is mushrooms. They naturally have a very meaty, earthy flavour which leads to a sense of satisfaction. When making mushroom steaks, big portabella caps tend to be best but shiitake mushrooms with the stems removed will also work. In a pinch, you baby portabellas or small white mushrooms will work just fine in this recipe.
With the portabellas, take a spoon a gently scrape out the dark gills underneath. The gills are perfectly edible, but they make the dish look a little muddy. You don't have to get rid of 100% of the gills, but scrape some of them out to keep the dish a bit cleaner.
Portabella Mushroom Steaks with Quinoa, Sauted Vegetables and Red Pepper Jelly
This is a satisfying, high-protein meal that will fill you up without weighing you down. The deep flavours of mushroom, quinoa and spinach are paired with sweet-sour pepper jelly for a bright and elegant dish.
Ingredients
Red Pepper Jelly
- canola or vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 large red bell pepper (, diced fine)
- 1 white onion (, diced fine)
- 4 cloves garlic (, minced)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (, tied up into a bundle with a bit of twine)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
Mushroom Steaks
- 8 portabella mushroom caps (, rinsed and with the bottom gills scraped out)
- 3 tbsp dark balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (, picked)
- canola oil for cooking
Quinoa and Sauted Vegetables
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (, halved)
- 2 cloves garlic (, thinly sliced)
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Red Pepper Jelly
- Heat the canola or vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a saucepot. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should release some of their liquid but not be browned.
- Add the vinegar, sugar, and water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until it reaches a thick, jelly-like consistency. Leave in the pot and set aside until ready to serve.
Mushroom Steaks, Quinoa and Sauted Vegetables
- Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and picked thyme leaves in a bowl. Rub the mixture onto the mushroom caps and marinate the mushrooms for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, begin cooking the quinoa.
- Put the quinoa into a pot with the water and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is soft and fluffy. When its done cooking, lightly fluff it with a fork.
- Heat a large drizzle of canola or vegetable oil over high heat in a large sautedpan. Add the mushroom steaks and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes per side or until a dark brown crust forms, remove from heat. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and return to medium heat. You may need to work in two batches depending on the size of the pan.
- Heat the butter over medium-high heat in the same pan that you cooked the mushrooms in. Add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, and spinach. Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium-high heat or until the spinach has wilted and the tomatoes have started to burst. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat the pepper jelly back up. To serve: scoop about cup of the cooked quinoa onto a plate, top with two mushroom caps, serve a small scoop of the spinach and tomatoes on the side of the plate and spoon about two tablespoons of the pepper jelly across the top of the mushrooms. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Substitutions
1 large red bell pepper: 1 large yellow bell pepper or 1 large orange bell pepper
cup apple cider vinegar: cup red wine or white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons dark balsamic vinegar: 3 tablespoons apple cider, red wine, or white wine vinegar
8 portabella mushroom caps: 8 shiitake mushroom caps, 2 pounds baby portabella mushrooms
4 sprigs fresh thyme: teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved: 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved, 1 cup diced Roma or globe tomatoes
2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves: 1 cup frozen spinach, 2 cups chopped kale
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