mushroom burger

They say this burger is not just another burger... It's the deluxe edition! A vegetarian burger with marinated and grilled mushrooms. The truth is, if you're fed up with the original version or just want to try a new recipe, this one is definitely worth it.

The originality of the dish is not only in the fact that it is made with mushrooms as the main ingredient, but also in the fact that they are marinated and served with a very tasty tomato and onion sauce. I am convinced that it will become a regular at your informal dinners.

For both the bread and the mushrooms, we used the ribbed iron griddle . Made of iron, because it reaches a much higher temperature than the non-stick ones, and that helps to retain the flavour and to toast and roast in a moment. On the other hand, we chose the ribbed one because it is the way those aesthetic lines remain marked on the roasts, but you can use the smooth grill in exactly the same way: the lines will not remain marked but it will be just as great in flavour.

Le Creuset round grill grate

Ingredients (for 6 people)

• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• A few sprigs of thyme
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt
• 6 mushrooms (Portobello)
• 6 hamburger buns
• 6 slices of cheddar cheese
• 100gr of arugula

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 red onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3 large tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. To make the tomato sauce, finely chop the onion and crush the garlic (you can do this with the side of a knife blade, pressing down on it). Cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
2. Mix the onion, garlic and tomato in a bowl with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with basil, pepper and salt. Cook in a pan over low heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, thyme leaves, pepper and salt in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the mushrooms and let them marinate for about 15 minutes.
4. Cut the burger buns in half and place the halves on the grill , cut side down, until golden brown. Once removed, place the mushrooms on the same grill to grill.
5. Spread a little tomato sauce on half of the burger bun, add a slice of cheddar cheese, the roasted mushrooms and arugula. Top with the other half of the bun and serve immediately.