Receta Pork and Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Mark Bittman
Flexitarian
Mark Bittman is one of the most thoughtful of food
writers. He calls himself a Flexitarian,
which he defines as a “moderate, conscious eater” whose goals are “a diet that
is higher in plants and lower in both animal products and hyper processed
foods, the stuff that makes up something like three-quarters of what’s sold in
supermarkets.” The term “Flexitarian”
goes back to 2004 when it referred to vegetarians who, while eating mostly vegetables,
began incorporating meat or fish. And it
also included people who were moving in the other direction, away from
meat-heavy diets into a more vegetarian focused one. Bittman expands that to
included whole grains and grains. I
think “Flexitarian” describes exactly what I try to do in our home kitchen. And
I think it incorporates ideals that most of our readers try to achieve. I’ve already taken some further steps in this
direction. I haven’t cut pasta out of
our diet but I have changed the amount of it I cook in a single meal. We are down to the equivalent of ¾ cup of
dried pasta per serving. Do we miss
it? Not for a minute. You get more sauce
this way. We also eat meatless meals
with some frequency. Now Bittman makes the point that when you do eat meat, you owe it to yourself, and your conscience to find meat that represents the best of the best in every way: From the way the animals are raised, to what they are fed and how they are brought to market. It's vital to know where your food comes from. In this case, national brands like Neiman Ranch may be twice as expensive as supermarket pork, but by cutting back portion size, you may find them equal in cost and un-equalled in value. So today’s post, while hardly meatless, cuts way down on
the amount of meat per serving. And what
takes its place?
As in many vegetarian dishes, the meat substitute is the
mushroom. In this case, the giant Portobello comes into play. Truthfully, all by itself, the Portobello
makes a great ‘meaty’ burger. We almost
always include them in any Burger Party we have. They’re a huge hit just simply grilled
alongside the hamburger patties. But
here they’ve been elevated, that is if you are a meat lover. 4 ounces of ground pork, seasoned with garlic and your choice of rosemary, fennel seed or parsley are tucked into a
- mushroom that’s been ‘de-gilled’. You
- grill them exactly the same way as you’d do any burger. They can go onto a grill pan or a barbecue
- grate or even into a skillet. You can
- them serve them on regular hamburger buns or, as I did, on whole grain Kaiser
- rolls. The toppings are left up to your
- imagination but all the old favorites can pressed into use—tomatoes, onions,
- mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles—whatever you’d put out with regular hamburgers. It’s a wonderful way to cut back on meat
- without giving it up altogether. Here’s
- the recipe:
- Recipe for Pork and Portobello Burgers from Mark Bittmann in the New
- York Times
- Timing: 30 Minutes. Serves
- 4. Can easily be halved.
- 1
- tablespoon minced garlic
- 1
- teaspoon minced fresh rosemary, fennel seed or parsley
- Salt
- and ground black pepper
- 4 large
- portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
- 4
- burger buns or Kaiser Rolls
Any burger fixings you like
Prepare a grill; the heat should be medium-high and the rack
about 4 inches from the heat.
Combine the ground pork, garlic, rosemary and a sprinkle of salt
and pepper. Use a spoon to lightly scrape away the gills of the mushrooms and
hollow them slightly. Drizzle the mushrooms (inside and out) with olive oil and
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press 1/4 of the mixture into each of the hollow
sides of the mushrooms; you want the meat to spread all the way across the
width of the mushrooms. They should look like burgers.
Grill the burgers, meat side down, until the pork is well
browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook until the top side of the mushrooms are
browned and the mushrooms are tender, another 6 to 8 minutes. If you like, use
an instant-read thermometer to check the interior temperature of the pork,
which should be a minimum of 145 degrees.
Serve the burgers on buns (toasted, if you like) with any
fixings you like.