Grilled Portabella BBQ with a side of Grilled Broccoli

Grilled Portabella BBQ

I was talking to my mom the other day and she said she had made barbeque. We call it bbq, but some of you may know it as sloppy joes. I got a huge craving…I loved her bbq and I haven’t had it in probably two years. Then I remembered that Rachel Ray made a veggie version. I read her recipe but I liked my mom’s version better, I called my mom and asked her what was in it but I didn’t get exact measurements so I just eyeballed it all and added what I thought should be in it. This recipe is only for 2-3 servings so I would get a big pack of portabella mushrooms if you plan on making it for more people.

Ingredients

2 large portabella mushrooms

½ a medium onion diced (any kind you like)

½ a medium pepper diced (I used a red bell)

2 cloves of minced garlic (you could also grate it in or use a garlic press but keep in mind the smaller the chop the less cooking time)

Evoo (enough to coat the mushrooms and enough to sauté the veggies)

1 tbs butter

2 tsp spicy brown mustard (or whatever mustard you have)

1 ½ tsp of brown sugar

2 tbs of white vinegar (you can use red wine if that’s all you have but I like traditional bbq with cider, malt or white vinegar)

Salt and pepper to taste

Enough ketchup to make a sauce about 4 times around the pan (try to use natural ketchup made with sugar or agave not high fructose corn syrup)

I used silverware instead of measuring spoons so they do give different measurements, however when you are cooking, especially a sauce like this you do not need to be exact. First wash your bellas (everyone says with a damp paper towel, however I watched Alton Brown, he’s part scientist part chef and he did an experiment and washing them with water and giving them a good scrubbing does not cause them to take on water so wash away. Plus they grow mushrooms in manure so I suggest using a lot of water). After drying them (I kept the stems on for this recipe), I drizzled them with evoo and salt and pepper. I cooked my bellas on the grill to give them a meatier flavor. Grilling also helps get rid of some of that moisture content. I grilled them on a foil grilling sheet that contours to the grill, I believe we get them at Lowes. My husband and I started using them to reduce grill cleaning although, everything tastes better right on the grill. They are great for strict vegetarians/vegans because meat products and veggie products alike do not touch the grill. These take about 5-7 mins on each side depending on the heat of your grill and the size/thickness of your mushrooms. Let them out there to grill but check on them especially if this is the first time you are grilling this season. Then in large pan add enough evoo to coat the bottom of the pan and 1 tbs of butter (butter really brings out the meaty flavor of mushrooms, but if you want to keep this vegan leave this out and sub in a non-hydrogenated spread), put on the pan on med-high. Once the butter has melted into the oil add your onions and peppers to the pan and sauté for about 5 mins , stirring frequently. Then add in your garlic, turn your burner to medium-low. I find that garlic burns really easily so if you mince it or fine chop it and add it later to your cooking it works much better than adding it right away. Don’t forget to add some salt and pepper. Sauté that until the onions are translucent and the peppers and garlic are soft. This should happen while you are taking the mushrooms off the grill. Let them cool enough to handle, and then chop them to bite sized pieces. Add them to your pan and mix with the veggie mixture, turn the burner down to low. (Keep in mind I am using a gas stove and gas and electric cook differently so make sure you get a good feel for your stove before you start cooking and unfamiliar recipes). Then add your mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar. Cook until the sauce is thick and rich. You can put this on a roll or a bun and eat it like a beef bbq sandwich, you could make a toasted garlic bun and eat it open faced, or eat it as is. I really wasn’t in the mood for a bun and I didn’t have any Ezekiel buns or rolls in the freezer so I just ate it without it, and it definitely satisfied my craving. You can also top it with whatever you top your bbq with, pickles, cheese, or whatever your heart may desire.

To make this for 2 meat eaters just sub out a ½ lb of ground beef, turkey, or chicken for the 2 portabellas Then you would brown the meat with the veggies and you would also reduce the amount of evoo and admit the butter, unless you like butter then go ahead and add it. My mom always used ground beef, but use whatever meat you like. If you want to make a whole lb of meat just double all of the other ingredients. I didn’t make the meat version for Dom because he has a ton of leftovers from this weekend and we both hate wasting food.

Grilled Broccoli

Ingredients

2 small stalks of broccoli ( I would make more if I was feeding more than 2-3 people and depending how much you like broccoli, it’s great left over)

Evoo

Salt and pepper to taste

I made grilled broccoli for my side. Yes you heard me grilled broccoli, it was amazing. I make roasted broccoli in the oven all of the time, but I always manage to set off the fire alarm. So I figured grilling it would be a good alternative, especially since Rigley really hates the fire alarm. Plus I was using the grill for the portabellas anyway. First wash and dry your broccoli stalks. You can grill them with the large stalks by quartering the broccoli if you like, but I don’t like the large stalks and that takes a lot longer to cook. So I just segmented the broccoli into little “trees” trying to keep them about the same size. Then I put them in a bowl and tossed them with evoo and salt and pepper. You want to use enough evoo to coat the broccoli, you’re going to need a lot more for broccoli since there are a lot of edges that can stick and burn. I sometimes add Italian seasoning or other herbs but I wanted really simple grilled broccoli so I didn’t add anything. To grill them I used a special grill pan that is designed for fish and veggies and just has little holes in it so the food doesn’t fall into the grill and cause a fire. If you do not have one of these simply use foil straight on your grill or a foil pie pan. You want to keep them uncovered. With the grill on high (to get it started), then reduced to medium, and then low on their side I’d say they took about 10-15 minutes to cook, but you really want to watch veggies on the grill, if it is not hot enough they’ll cook for so long that they turn into mush, if it’s to hot they burn. I like my roasted broccoli a little brown, but if you want yours less brown I would blanch them first in salted water and then just grill them on low for a few minutes to get the grilled flavor. You can top the broccoli with parmesan or your favorite hard cheese, lemon juice/ zest, or a nice rich sauce would do, but like I said I wanted to keep it simple. Oh and Domenick doesn’t eat broccoli so I try to make it when he’s not around or I make some other veggie for him.