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Portobello Carpaccio with Chimichurri Sauce

It’s funny, I spend my workdays creating interesting and creative recipes for you guys. But when it comes to the meals I make for myself, they’re usually incredibly simple. A can of pinto beans + half an avocado + corn tortillas = lunch on most days. But then, sometimes I like to get creative in the kitchen and develop artistic stuff just for fun. This recipe is one of those times. It’s not exactly a practical way to feed the family, but wow does it taste amazing.

“Carpaccio” is thinly-sliced raw beef (insert yucky face) often eaten as an appetizer, but here we’re making something similar by thinly slicing portobello mushrooms, marinating them in a maple/soy/miso sauce, and baking them until crispy. Then, we’re slathering them with an Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce, which is almost like a South American parsley-based pesto that is traditionally spread over meats (mushrooms in this case). As a fun Saturday afternoon project in the kitchen, you won’t be sorry you made this one.

Portobello_Carpaccio

Makes 2-3 appetizer servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 large portobello mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons miso paste (optional)

Portobello Carpaccio

Step One

Slice some mushrooms! These mushrooms will shrink greatly in the oven, so you don’t want them paper thin, but also not thick slabs which will never get crispy. To do this, either use a mandolin slicer or simply a kitchen knife to carefully cut them evenly. Note: make a lot more than you expect to need, they shrink down more than you could imagine.

Portobello Slices

Step Two

Make the marinade. Combine the red wine vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, and miso in bowl and whisk until incorporated. The exact proportions aren’t super important, and you can omit the miso if you don’t have it on hand.

Step Three

Carefully add the mushrooms into a gallon-sized zip-top bag and pour in the marinade. Seal and gently roll the bag to evenly coat the mushrooms. Then, stick this in the fridge for at least an hour, up to 4 hours.

Step Four

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Once marinated, remove the mushrooms from the bag and arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray covered in parchment. Bake for about 25 minutes or until they have browned but not burned. Watch them closely because they go from “perfect” to “charred” in a heartbeat.

Step Five

To serve, arrange as shown on a platter and spoon chimichurri sauce (below) over top. They make a great appetizer, but should be served as soon as possible because they cool quickly.

 

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

 

Chimichurri Sauce

Makes 1+ cup

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups parsley
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • Sea salt & black pepper to taste

In my experience, every chimichurri sauce is a little different. The ingredients listed above are classic, but their exact proportions always vary. If you feel like you want more garlic, for example, feel free to adjust the recipe to your own taste. The only thing I did differently from the traditional recipes is that I used much less oil to make it healthier — you’ll never notice the difference.

To make, simply combine all ingredients into a food processor and pulse repeatedly until the parsley is broken down evenly and you have a sauce that resembles the one pictured – pureed but not completely smooth. Again, this is kind of like a parsley pesto.

In addition to spooning this over perfectly roasted mushrooms, it tastes amazing on pretty much anything. I tossed some into black beans for tacos, dipped tortilla chips into it, and even put it on ice cream (just kidding about that last one) 🙂

Portobello Carpaccio

23 Comments

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  1. i laugh at the yucky face insert.. as much as we try to be open to the meat eaters. is is difficult to justify the purpose for eating meat.. the non meat options are endless. lets keep up the crusade!
    caren

  2. I tried the recipe out. It was a delicious marinade. I wished I would have watched them more carefully..a few of my pieces charred :(. Trial and error. Next time I will make sure to take them out sooner!

    • Ah, yes. They can go from “undercooked” to “charred” very quickly 🙂 It can be tricky, especially as the outer pieces are likely to char more quickly than those towards the center.

      • I will def try it again..this time watching it more carefully :). Do you have any 4th of July Recipes for this weekend?

        • The veggie burgers I just posted this week are what I’m planning on making for the 4th of July! 🙂

  3. Thanks for this recipe. I will definitely try it.
    I have been making “Pestos” or “chimichurris” out of any greens and herbs in my fridge, counter, basket. I usually use ‘greens’, lots of garlic, onion, Mediterranean Pink Sea Salt, fresh pepper, grapeseed or avocado oil (but not too much), then blend or pulse. It is sooo good!
    I eat it plain right out of the jars, top veggie pastas, put in smoothies and hot/cold soups. spread on homemade or other bread type products including cactus tortillas, homemade garlic naan; use as dip for homemade beet, sweet potato chips, and more. I do not add cheese or nuts due to calorie counts, but occasionally add crushed/pulsed pretzel or cracker pieces for some texture/bulk. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes, even though some have 12 or more ingredients. 🙂

  4. Andrew, this was absolutely amazing! I let the portobello’s marinade for several hour. We all loved this so much!

  5. OMG!!! If you haven’t tried this you must! It is like an orgasm in your mouth!!!! So bursting with flavor and so intense!!!!! Who could ask for anything more?

  6. This sounds so good. I noticed that in the marinade ingredients you list 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, but in Step 2 you say to use rice wine vinegar. Does it matter which is used?

  7. This looks so great Andrew! I had been looking for recipes as have become a gluten free vegan due to tons of food allergies and intolerances. I am so glad to have found your website! Your recipes are so inspiring and am drawn back to cooking again Thank you for doing such an amazing job!!!

  8. this Vegan appetizer is totally awesome! Thank you for sharing this to us. , Let me also share something, I also follow one website which talks about vegan food and fitness,

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