I recently came across a recipe for Mushroom and Mozzarella burgers which involves oven baking a large field mushroom adding a slice of mozzarella and popping into a bun with home-made tomato salsa. And yes, as much as I love the idea of the slippery mozzarella sitting so snuggly alongside an equally slippery mushroom I felt it was a shame to put this in a bun as you may well lose the beauty of all the textures amidst a lot of grainy density.
So here is my version, which would indeed work well alongside a hunk of sourdough bread, however I feel the mushroom need to take centre stage.
You need – mushrooms (white button ones work well), mozzarella, garlic, olive oil or butter, red pepper, tomatoes, fresh basil, black pepper, white wine vinegar
First heat the oil in a small pan and sauté garlic, red pepper and tomatoes. Add a splash of water, cover the pan and allow the salsa mix to soften whilst you prep the mushrooms.
Take the stalk out of the mushrooms and nestle a square of the cheese into the cavity. Add a little oil to a large frying pan and a crushed clove of garlic. Sauté the mushrooms flat side down in the butter. Pop a lid on and continue to sauté for 5-10 minutes until the mushroom is soft but not soggy.
Check the salsa mix is softened. Turn off the heat. Pop the mixture into a small dish, cut basil leaves up finely and add to the mix with a little salt, black pepper and a little white wine vinegar. Use sparingly, taste test and add more seasoning if required.
Serve with extra basil leaves and mop of the juices with your favourite bread. So good.
