Portobello Steaks and Butter Bean Mash

We’re not mad about calling vegetables a “steak” or “burger” or “schnitzel,” because it feels as if you are trying to pass them off as something else, something superior. Vegetables are great simply as they are. In fact, they are the best! Sometimes, though, using a meaty name helps you understand what’s going on and how delicious it is. Our portobellos aren’t trying to be a steak, they are simply as good as any steak (with mash), if not better; in just the same way as our Romano pepper schnitzels are as delectable as any other schnitzel. What gives the mushrooms their verve is the chiles and spices and all the flavored oil that coats them.

You’ll make more oil than you need here; keep it refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks, to spoon over grilled vegetables, noodles, meat, or fish. Serve this with some sautéed greens, if you like.

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

Portobello Steaks

8 medium to large portobello mushrooms (about 1 lb 7 oz/650g), stems removed
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, peeled and cut into 6 wedges (1 cup/150g)
4½ tsp chipotle flakes (or 1–2 whole chipotle chile, minced to yield 4½ tsp)
1 red chile
4 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
1 tbsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 2⁄3 cups/400ml olive oil
1 tbsp flaked sea salt

Butter Bean Mash

1 × 1 lb 9 oz/700g jar good-quality large butter beans, drained (2 2⁄3 cups/500g; Brindisa Navarrico large butter beans or cook your own)
4½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
½ tsp flaked sea salt

Directions

For the steaks: Preheat the oven to 350°F/150°C fan.
In a large ovenproof saucepan, for which you have a lid, combine the mushrooms, garlic, onion, chile flakes, red chile, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, tomato paste, olive oil, and salt and stir to mix. Arrange the mushrooms so they are domed-side up, then top with a piece of parchment paper, pushing it down to cover all the ingredients. Cover with the lid, then transfer to the oven for 1 hour. Turn the mushrooms over, replacing the paper and lid, and return to the oven for 20 minutes more, or until the mushrooms are very tender but not falling apart. Use a pair of tongs to transfer the mushrooms to a chopping board, then cut them in half and set aside.
Reserving the oil, use a spoon to transfer the onion, garlic, and chile (discarding the stem; don’t worry if you scoop up some of the spices and oil) into the bowl of a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Return the blitzed onion mixture to the saucepan, along with the mushroom halves, and place on medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, for all the flavors to come together.
For the mash: While the mushrooms are cooking, put the beans into a food processor along with the lemon juice, olive oil, water, and salt. Blitz until completely smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and cook on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring, until warmed through.
Divide the mash among four plates. Top with four mushroom halves per plate and spoon in a generous amount of the reserved oil and its accompanying aromatics (you won’t need all of it, though as noted above). Serve at once.

Excerpted from Ottolenghi Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage