Mushroom steak with garlic sauce

“Whip up a herb butter to serve with these instead of the garlic sauce: a delicious lemongrass, chive and ginger one would be great”

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS FOR THE MARINADE

1 red chilli, finely chopped 1 tbsp maple syrup

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 lemon, juice only

8 portobello mushrooms

6 to 8 small bay leaves (optional)

2 red onions, thickly sliced and keep whole

FOR THE GARLIC SAUCE

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 shallots, finely chopped 100ml coconut milk

50ml vegetable stock

1 tsp chopped rosemary A medium handful of finely shredded spinach

1 to 2 tsps arrow root Rosemary sprigs, to garnish

METHOD

1 Preheat the barbecue to medium heat. 2

To prepare the marinade, place all the ingredients into a bowl and stir very well. 3

Spread the mushrooms out on a tray and brush the marinade over them. Leave for 5 minutes. 4

In the meantime, prepare the sauce, heat a saucepan on the barbecue and add a little rapeseed oil. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté until softened but not brown. 5

Pour in the coconut milk, vegetable stock and rosemary and simmer for about 5 minutes. 6 Add the shredded spinach and if it is too thin then add 1 to 2 tsps of arrowroot to 1 tbsp of water in a small bowl and mix into a paste. Stir into the sauce and let it thicken. 7

To cook the mushrooms and onions, thread 2 mushrooms onto each skewer. Thread the onions and bay leaves onto the skewers and brush with some of the marinade. 8

Brush with oil. 9

Place on the barbecue and press the mushroom skewers down with the back of a large spoon slightly – this creates a “meat like” texture. 10 Chargrill for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until the mushrooms are cooked, and about

4 to 5 minutes for the onions to be caramelised. 11

Sprinkle over salt and freshly ground black pepper. 12 Garnish with rosemary sprigs, serve on a board with the warm sauce.