These meaty, flavorful mushrooms are marinated in Italian dressing and gussied up with fresh vegetables and cheese, then stuffed and grilled to perfection! They’re the perfect burger for your vegetarian friends and are great for “Meatless Monday” grilling.
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS • COOK TIME: 8 MINUTES
4 portobello mushrooms
1 (16-oz [473-ml]) bottle Italian salad dressing
1 small bunch fresh parsley
1 small bunch fresh oregano
1 cup (113 g) Parmesan cheese, shaved
½ cup (115 g) butter, at room temperature
4 sandwich buns
1 head romaine lettuce
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 large tomato, sliced
Before firing up your grill, prepare the mushrooms. Remove the stems and, if necessary, use a spoon to scrape some of the mushroom out of the cavity. Rinse the mushrooms.
Marinate the mushrooms in the Italian dressing for at least 1 hour and no more than 4 hours.
Finely chop the parsley and oregano, and mix together. Wrap the herbs in paper towels and run them under cold water. Squeeze the water from the paper towel. Repeat a second time. Mix 2 tablespoons (5 g) of herbs with the Parmesan cheese.
Prepare your grill at 325 to 350°F (163 to 177°C) for medium heat.
Place the mushrooms on the grill, with the cap facing up, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip them cap-side down. Fill the cap with the Parmesan cheese mixture.
Butter the buns and place them on your grill. After 1½ minutes, rotate the caps a quarter turn. Cook another 1½ minutes, or until done. Do not burn the caps. Crisp the buns and remove after about 1 minute.
Place the mushrooms, cheese-side up, onto the buns. Chiffonade the romaine, lightly oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then put it on a grill pan in a mound. Toss the romaine to get a light char, about 2 minutes. Pile the romaine on top of the mushrooms. Add sliced tomato, then the bun and serve.
*See photo (top right corner).
OPERATION BBQ RELIEF IN ACTION
At the onset of the 2012 BBQ competition season, I never expected to make the Sam’s Club finals, nor did I know anything about Operation BBQ Relief. As the competition season drew to an end, on Friday, October 12, I found myself seeking shelter from a thunderstorm at the Sam’s Club finals. Finding refuge under an outdoor pavilion, a fellow competitor, Stan Hays, and I started chatting. He began to tell me about Operation BBQ Relief, the organization he helped found, and all the amazing things they had already accomplished. Being a Famous Dave’s Franchisee, I told Stan I would see how I could get our organization involved. At the time, I did not realize how quickly that would happen.
On October 29, Hurricane Sandy came barreling up the East Coast. Once the skies cleared, I found that my home and all six of my restaurants were unaffected. But I saw the devastation all around me and on the news. I knew that I was the lucky one, and I needed to do something. I was sure OBR would mobilize, and I emailed Stan to see what I could do and how I could help. I assembled some food supplies, packed my bags, hooked up my Southern Pride trailer to my truck and Wilbur’s Revenge was on the move.
I arrived in Brick, New Jersey, and had one of the greatest experiences of my life. I was part of a team that was helping real people in real need. We cooked meals for 10,000 people over the four days I was there, and I was never prouder to be part of an organization. I made some lifelong friends, despite sleeping on a gym floor and in my truck during a Nor’easter. When I left Brick, I knew I had made a difference and I knew OBR had a bright future.
—DAVID MARKS, Wilbur’s Revenge