Winter finally seems to have arrived, and the garden is now covered in a beautiful layer of shimmering white ice crystals. What’s left of our crops is waiting patiently for spring, but despite the frost, the herbs in the herb spiral are still going strong. This dish, with its earthy and juicy grilled portobello and a tangy, spicy parsley and jalapeño salsa, is quick and easy to make and can be eaten as a side or appetiser. If you’re not a fan of very spicy food, or if you’re planning to eat this pesto by the spoonful, you can remove the seeds and the white membrane on the inside of the chilli. Leave them in and be prepared for a fiery treat. This recipe will make more pesto than you’ll need for two mushrooms, but it keeps well in the fridge and makes a great accompinent to roasted vegetables, pasta, couscous, white beans, and even fish.

Ingredients:

for the pesto:

1 green jalapeño

a medium bunch of parsley, leaves only

1 small clove of garlic, crushed

a pinch of ground cumin

2 tbsp olive oil

1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar

a pinch of salt

for the grilled mushrooms:

2 portobello mushrooms

sunflower oil

flaky sea salt

• Put all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor or blender and blitz them until everything is well mixed.
• Alternatively, if you don’t have a food processor, chop garlic, jalapeño and parsley very finely and mix with the vinegar, oil, salt and cumin in a bowl.

• Heat a grill pan on medium to high heat until it is very hot. Add a bit of sunflower oil and grill the portobello mushrooms on two sides until they are tender and have a nice griddle pattern.
• Sprinkle the mushrooms with flaky sea salt, dot them with a few dollops of the spicy pesto and serve and eat straight away.

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Welcome to Cuisine d’Eli! My name is Elizabeth and I’m a personal chef and caterer based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Contact me for more information and bookings.