Mushroom kebabs: Meaty grilled flavor without the meat
When I first tasted this recipe for grilled mushrooms, said Ori Menashe in Bavel: Modern Recipes Inspired by the Middle East (Ten Speed Press), it “reminded me a lot of the meaty smokiness of Argentinian barbecue.” When cooked slowly 6 inches over a charcoal fire, the seasoned mushrooms end up juicy, smoky, and tender.
At Bavel, the Los Angeles restaurant that my wife and I created, I serve them atop a bright puree of spinach and lovage, “a minerally, almost salty green that tastes like a mix between overgrown parsley and celery leaves.”
Recipe of the week
Grilled oyster mushroom kebabs with lovage puree
1 lb oyster mushrooms
Grapeseed oil for coating
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp ground sumac, plus more for dusting 2 tbsp lovage puree (recipe below)
Slice mushrooms off the cluster, leaving a very small amount of stem intact. Using a metal or soaked wooden skewer, thread mushrooms through stem, gill-side down, alternating the tops of the mushrooms from left to right so they cook evenly. You should have two skewers with about 14 mushrooms on each.
Brush mushrooms with a generous amount of oil to coat, making sure to oil the gills. Lightly season with salt, pepper, and ½ tsp sumac per skewer.
Preheat a charcoal grill to medium heat.
Place mushrooms on grill 6 inches above coals and cook, flipping skewers every 2 minutes, for 8 to 14 minutes total, until edges start to curl and brown and mushrooms have shrunk significantly. Moisture will drip from mushrooms to the coals, creating smoke that adds flavor.
To serve, spread lovage puree evenly over center of a plate. Lightly dust puree with sumac and place mushroom skewers on top. Serves 4.
Lovage puree
2 cups loosely packed lovage leaves
4 cups packed spinach leaves
2-inch piece fresh turmeric, peeled, grated with a Microplane
1 garlic clove, grated with a Microplane 1 tsp kosher salt
cup crème fraîche
½ cup yogurt whey (see note below)
1 tsp ground cardamom
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot and fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch lovage in boiling water for 2 minutes, then add spinach and blanch for an additional 2 minutes. Using tongs, remove greens from pot and place in ice water for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a colander or fine-mesh sieve, drain greens. Using your hands, form greens into a ball and squeeze out most of the water. Place greens in a kitchen towel. Wring towel to remove as much liquid as possible until greens are almost dry.
Place greens in a blender and add turmeric, garlic, salt, crème fraîche, whey, cardamom, and 3 tbsp water. Mix on high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides when necessary, until mixture is smooth. If mixture won’t fully blend, add a little more water. Makes about ½ cup.
Note: Yogurt whey is the liquid obtained from yogurt when it’s drained.