Portobello peach burgers

“Although over the years we have made several different versions of veggie and bean burgers, patties and cakes, nothing is quite like a grilled portobello mushroom burger. It is the simplest, most natural and delicious piece of food you can put inside a burger bun. It is big, chewy and actually strikingly burger-looking and when heated it releases moisture and becomes all flavourful and juicy. We like to top our burgers with mashed avocado, fresh tomatoes, sprouts and some kind of fruity salsa. Here we have replaced the salsa with peaches that are grilled with the mushrooms.”

Portobello peach burgers Credit: Johanna Frenkel

• makes

  6

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 6 portobello mushrooms
• 6 peaches
• 6 wholegrain burger buns
• 100 g pea sprouts
• 5 small tomatoes, sliced
• 5 small spring onions, sliced
• 1 small handful fresh thyme leaves

Marinade

• 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 rosemary sprigs, 1 sprig leaves picked, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• juice of ½ lemon
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Guacamole

• 4 ripe avocados, stoned
• 3 small tomatoes
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 garlic clove, crushed 
• juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

Clean the portobello mushrooms by carefully removing dirt from the caps with a kitchen towel or cloth; use a little water if necessary. Cut off the stems and discard. Pat dry. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones.

To make the guacamole, roughly chop the avocados, tomatoes and parsley. Put them in a small bowl with the garlic and lemon juice, and mash everything with a fork. It should be mixed but still a bit chunky. Set aside.

To make the marinade, pour the olive oil into a small bowl. Add the chopped rosemary, thyme, garlic and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use the remaining rosemary sprig to brush the mushrooms and peaches with the marinade.

Preheat a chargrill pan over high heat and grill the mushrooms and peaches for 3–4 minutes on each side or until charred and tender. Alternatively, you can barbecue them. Use the rosemary sprig to brush the marinade over them as they cook.

Slice the buns in half and toast them lightly on the grill. When done, place a big dollop of guacamole on the bottom bun, add pea sprouts, tomatoes, spring onion, thyme, one mushroom and two peach halves. Add the top of the bun, and insert a cocktail stick to hold it all together.

Recipe from Green Kitchen Stories, by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl, with photographs by Johanna Frenkel (Hardie Grant, $49.95, hbk).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.