The vegetarian dish at the BBQ that nobody approaches cautiously and everyone finishes.
There is a particular challenge with vegetarian dishes at a BBQ — they need to feel like they belong on the grill rather than like an afterthought that has been accommodated. These do not have that problem. Large portobello mushrooms grilled cap side down over medium-high heat until the edges are charred and the caps are tender and yielding, filled with a mixture of finely chopped Smoked Sun-Dried Kalamata Olives, crumbled feta, toasted breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, and enough olive oil to bring everything together into something dense and savoury and deeply flavoured.
The Kalamatas are the right olive for this recipe and it is worth understanding why. Sun-drying concentrates their natural intensity before they are ever smoked — by the time they come out of the jar they are meaty, deeply flavoured, and easy to pit and chop finely, which is exactly what this filling needs. Their smokiness deepens further when the filled mushroom goes back on the grill. The feta melts into the filling just enough to bind it without disappearing. The breadcrumbs on top catch the heat and turn golden.
Serve as a side alongside grilled meat, as a starter before the main event, or as a vegetarian main with a simple salad. They hold their heat well and can be assembled up to two hours ahead and grilled to order.
Serves 4 as a side or starter, 2 as a main · ~35 minutes · Grill required
Ingredients
— 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed and reserved
— ¾ cup Fume-eh Smoked Sun-Dried Kalamata Olives, pitted and finely chopped
— 150 g good quality feta, crumbled
— ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
— 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
— 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
— 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
— 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
— 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
— Zest of half a lemon
— ½ teaspoon chili flakes
— Freshly cracked black pepper
— Flaky sea salt
To serve
— Fresh herbs — parsley, oregano
— Lemon wedges
— Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Method
1. Finely chop the reserved mushroom stems. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan over medium heat and sauté the chopped stems with a pinch of salt for 3–4 minutes until softened and most of their moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Combine the finely chopped Smoked Kalamata Olives, crumbled feta, sautéed mushroom stems, grated garlic, parsley, oregano, thyme, lemon zest, chili flakes, and a generous crack of black pepper in a bowl. Add the remaining olive oil and mix until the filling comes together into a cohesive, slightly moist mixture. Taste — it should be intensely savoury, smoky, and herbed. Fold in half the panko breadcrumbs.
3. Brush the mushroom caps generously with olive oil on both sides and season with a pinch of flaky salt and pepper. Heat your grill to medium-high. Place the mushrooms cap side down on the grate and grill for 4–5 minutes until the caps are charred at the edges and beginning to soften. Flip and grill gill side up for a further 2 minutes.
4. Remove the mushrooms briefly from the grill and divide the filling evenly between the four caps, mounding it generously — do not underfill, the filling should be heaped above the rim of the mushroom. Scatter the remaining panko breadcrumbs over the top of each filled mushroom.
5. Return the filled mushrooms to the cooler side of the grill, close the lid, and cook for 8–10 minutes until the filling is heated through, the feta has softened into the filling, and the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp. Watch them in the final few minutes — the difference between golden and burnt breadcrumbs is about two minutes at grill temperature.
6. Transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with a thread of good olive oil. Scatter fresh herbs over the top. Serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside for squeezing.