Portobello Carpaccio with Grilled Tofu Steaks

Onwards with the BBQ experimenting.

My natural instinct when I hear BBQ is to buy portobello mushrooms. As I said, I love salads and dishes I can prepare in advance, and the Portobello Carpaccio in But I Could Never Go Vegan sounded perfect.

Similar, but not identical to my grilled balsamic portobellos, these portobello mushrooms are marinated and roasted in the oven. The marinade is Italian-inspired with dried herbs and a red wine vinaigrette. I suppose the barbecue could work, too, but the barbecue was for later in the day. Once the mushrooms were cool, you slice them super thin (and had I known what on a bias meant, I would have done more of a diagonal to the horizontal plane). Then I popped them in the fridge for a few hours prior to serving. A sprinkle of capers and rosemary finished this as a really fun appetizer, with portobello mushrooms masquerading as rare meat.

Because mushrooms alone do not make a meal, and I had used up most of my culinary energies, we opted for something so simple, I was worried it might not work.

I had seen Tiffany’s post about tofu cheeseburgers where she simply grilled slabs of tofu and called it a burger. She isn’t even vegan and loved it. I was intrigued so we tried something similar.

We cut up a package of super firm tofu into four slices, cut longitudinally, and grilled it. Nothing added, not even salt and pepper. Rob said it stuck a bit on the grill but otherwise it was perfect. Slightly smoky and a blank canvas to work nicely against the vibrant portobello carpaccio.

Next time, we might try oiling the grills or brushing the tofu with some oil before placing it on the grill.

What do you think? Have you grilled plain tofu before?

I am sharing this with Meat Free Mondays.

 

Portobello Carpaccio with Tofu Steaks
Inspired by But I Could Never Go Vegan (similar recipe seen at Keepin It Kind)

4 medium/large portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and gills removed
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp red wine vinegar
1.5 tsp Bragg Liquid Aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
2 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
1 tbsp capers, soaked and drained if salted
1 tbsp fresh rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Degill and destem your mushrooms.

2. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, bragg’s, oregano, basil, liquid smoke and 1 tbsp fresh lime juice. Use a pastry brush to coat the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms, gill-side down and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.

3. Roast mushrooms at 400F for 4 minutes, flip the mushrooms to be gill side up, baste with the remaining marinade and continue to bake for another 4 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Once cool to handle, cut the mushrooms in thin slices with a serrated knife cut on a diagonal (ie, on a bias) to give you a larger surface area. Top with any remaining marinade.

5. If not serving immediately, place mushrooms in the fridge. Mine were excellent after 6 hours.

6. Prior to serving, arrange on a plate. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp of fresh lime juice. Top with the capers and fresh rosemary.

Grilled Tofu Steaks

1 lb super firm tofu, cut longitudinally into 4 slices
1 tsp oil (we actually didn’t use it but it stuck on the grill, so this could be a good idea)
salt and pepper, to taste (again, we went completely nude but this would be a good idea)

1. Pat the tofu slices dry with paper towels. Using a pastry brush, brush the tofu on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. On the barbecue, on high, grill the tofu, turning once, until grill marks form and the tofu is heated through, about 6 minutes on each side.

Serves 4.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin