This is a quick and delicious recipe which you can enjoy as a starter, or have as a main dish, with a salad, rice or roasted sweet potato wedges accompanying it.
Portobello mushrooms have such a great texture, and when you remove the central stem they are just made to be filled! An excellent alternative indeed to the traditional toasted slices of ciabatta bread.
The filling is based on the classic 4-ingredient-bruschetta: tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil.
I prepared my version as a main meal and wanted a little more interest hence I added some red onion, black olives and feta. All a matter of taste.
There are loads of different takes on this traditional recipe: added balsamic vinegar, rocket leaves, Tuscan beans, lemon, shallots…and lots more.
Personally I loved the filling without vinegar as it let the basil, garlic and tomatoes really show off their flavours.
Serve the bruschetta at room temperature – or if you prefer a warm meal, heat the filled mushroom briefly in the oven before serving.
Serves 4
4 Portobello mushrooms
4 tomatoes, diced
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 large red onion, finely chopped
12 basil leaves – more if you like!
12 black, stoned olives, chopped (optional)
Feta cheese (optional; crumbled on top just before serving)
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method:
Mix the tomatoes, garlic, onion, olives, torn basil leaves, salt and ground pepper in a bowl and let rest at room temperature whilst you prepare and bake the mushrooms (about 30 minutes).
Lightly clean or brush the outside of the mushrooms to get rid of any dirt. Place in a 150 degree oven, face down (mushroom dome up!) and coat well with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and fill with the tomato mixture. Either serve straight away with a crumbled feta topping, or if you prefer your bruschetta warmed up, place the filled mushroom back into the hot oven for 5 minutes. Remove then add a few more fresh shredded basil leaves and the crumbled feta before serving.