I love cooking mushrooms over an open fire like this. They’re so juicy and satisfyingly smoky. You’d be happy just eating them on their own, but it’s pretty easy to make more of a meal of them with some freshly wilted garlicky greens and some crunchy crumbs.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Photography: Andrew Montgomery
Season: Year-Round
Ingredients
4 large, open cap portobello mushrooms
4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
200g (7oz) chard or spinach, washed, coarser stalks removed, roughly chopped
a handful of coarse breadcrumbs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
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Get your fire going – when the flames have died back and it’s glowing away nicely you’re ready to cook.
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Set a grill over the embers and place the mushrooms, gill-side down, on the grill and cook for 3–4 minutes. Turn them over, trickle over half the olive oil and season them all over with plenty of salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms for a further 5–8 minutes or until they are looking tender, dark and delicious. Meanwhile, place a large, heavy pot on the fire next to the mushrooms. When it’s hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic. Allow the garlic to sizzle for a minute or two then add the chard or spinach and some salt and pepper. Cook the greens until they have all wilted right down and all the liquid they’ve given up has evaporated.
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Pile the hot cooked greens onto the mushrooms. Wipe the pan out, set it back over the heat and add the last of the olive oil. Sprinkle in the breadcrumbs and toast them with a pinch of salt until nice and crispy. Sprinkle the crunchy crumbs over the spinach-topped mushrooms and serve at once.
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