CELEBRATING HERTIAGE DAY!
In 1974, the first Monday of August was made an official provincial holiday to recognize and celebrate the varied cultural heritage of Albertans. Businesses can choose whether or not to recognize the day as a general holiday, which most do.
Our choice of meal for today are some special beef burgers on Portobello buns. Mushrooms are often cooked and served as a meat substitute in today’s ‘plant based’ society. Large Portobello mushrooms are the general size and shape of hamburger buns so using them to sub for buns seems only logical. I guess you could say they are the earth’s natural burger bun!
I have fond memories of my first introduction to a Portobello ‘burger‘. It was in the quaint little village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, located about 190 km (120 miles) from San Francisco.
Some 35 years ago, actor Clint Eastwood, was elected mayor of Carmel for a two-year term. During that time he opened a restaurant/bar there called the ‘Hogs Breath Inn’. You had to enter it through a long cobblestone alley/corridor. The outdoor patio was nestled between the restaurant and the bar. A massive wall mural and numerous stone fireplaces all added tremendously to the wonderful ambiance. It was here that I first tasted a Portobello Mushroom Burger.
This version , the Portobello mushroom seemed to have been marinated and then grilled on a barbecue. On top of it were some battered onion rings, lettuce and tomato. All of the came in a grilled ciabatta bun with pickles and a side dish of your choice.
In the case of today’s blog recipe, we are using the mushroom cap as the bun. The guacamole is a great accompaniment to the beef burgers along with smoked Gouda cheese, tomatoes and the mushroom ‘buns’.
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SERVINGS
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- 1 large avocado, pitted & mashed
- 1 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp cilantro paste This is found in the fresh herb section in a squeeze tube.
- 454 gm lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp EACH dried basil & thyme
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1 large Roma tomato, sliced
- 80 gm Smoked Gouda cheese, grated or sliced
Ingredients
Portobello Caps
Guacamole
Beef Burgers
Extras
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Rate this recipe!
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- Preheat oven to 400 F. & place rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with foil paper & set aside.
- Brush the mushroom caps (top & bottom) with Italian dressing & place them, gills side up , on the lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes then flip them over & bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- When mushrooms are ready & the juices have been released, remove them from the baking sheet. Place them on a wire to drip off a bit.
- On a piece of plastic wrap, mash avocado with lime juice, salt, garlic, onion & cilantro. Fold plastic wrap over guacamole & set aside in fridge.
- Preheat barbecue grill (or roast burgers in oven).
- In a bowl, combine all burger ingredients & mix well. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal parts & shape into patties. Grill patties 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Divide cheese between patties & allow to melt.
- Top each of the 4 mushroom caps with some guacamole, a burger patty & tomato slices. These are definitely the kind of 'burger' you want to eat with a fork & knife. Of course you could always squeeze the whole thing in a ciabatta bun!
