As a way to celebrate the Fourth of July, Kate and I had a get together with a bunch of camp friends. Julie and Dave were the hosts and we were able to enjoy a fabulous evening in their wonderful home. Seeing as how I had just purchased a new cookbook, I thought I would try out one of my new recipes to have for a vegetarian option at the cookout. The new cookbook that I got is Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates and it is divided into mini chapters for different celebrations. One of them is for the Fourth of July. I chose to make the Portabello Burger Fireworks because it’s an easy meal and they get cooked on the grill.

Portabello Burger Fireworks - Bleu Burger with Dijon Marinade

INGREDIENTS:

6 whole portabello mushrooms

Dijon Marinade

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

Bleu Burger

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 red pepper, thinly sliced and roasted

PREPARATION:

Rinse and stem the mushrooms. Pat the caps dry with a paper towel. You won’t be needing the stems, so they can go in the compost or you can use them for stock.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the Dijon Marinade. Place the mushrooms in a glass or ceramic baking dish and then spoon the marinade over the top of the mushrooms. The mushrooms should marinate for at least ten minutes, but the longer they marinate the better.

While the mushrooms are marinading you can thinly slice the red pepper and then in a small pan with a tablespoon of olive oil you can roast the peppers on low heat until they are shiny and soft.

Once you’re ready to start grilling, put the mushrooms hollow side down on the grill for between five and seven minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the grill. With the hollow side of the mushroom up, fill each mushroom with blue cheese and then place red pepper slices over the top of the cheese. Carefully return the burgers to the grill for another five minutes. Remove from the grill and place on your bun or roll of choice. Enjoy.