Seared Portobello Mushroom Steaks with Leek-and-Juniper Wine Sauce
Lynley Jones
Portobello mushroom caps seared and simmered in a juniper and leek-infused white wine sauce.
Ingredients:
Seared portobello mushroom steaks with leek-and-juniper wine sauce made in the Adventure Kitchen.
1 medium leek
2 teaspoons white miso
One half-cup dry white wine or dry French vermouth
4 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed, brushed clean with gills intact (see notes)
Neutral high-heat oil
Coarse salt such as Diamond Crystal (if using table salt, use half as much as indicated throughout)
Ground black pepper
5 juniper berries, crushed with a fork
2 tablespoons minced parsley, plus more to garnish at the end
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions:
1) Remove the stem and fibrous green parts of the leek, then dice the remaining white and tender green parts into roughly quarter-inch pieces. You need about 1 cup of diced leeks for this recipe (you can save the rest, along with the stem and tougher green parts, to make soup or stock another time). Put the diced leeks in a large bowl, fill with cold water and swish them around to allow any dirt or sand to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Leave the leeks in the bowl of water until you’re ready to use them.
In a separate small bowl, whisk the miso into the wine to make a slurry.
2) Brush the mushroom caps on both sides with 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle all over with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Warm a skillet over medium-high, then place the mushrooms in the dry skillet, gill side up. Season the gill sides with ground black pepper to taste. Sear the mushrooms for 3-6 minutes, until the underside is browned, the mushrooms have begun to soften and liquid has begun to accumulate on the gill side. Reduce the heat to low and transfer the mushrooms to a plate, keeping them gill side up.
Juniper berries have a slightly sweet note, with a piney-floral aroma that adds a warm complexity to lots of dishes, especially in fall and winter.
3) Add 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet, then toss in the juniper berries. They should sizzle right away and become fragrant within about a half a minute. Use a slotted spoon or your hands to remove the leeks from the water and transfer them to the pan, still wet. (Be careful, there will be a lot of steam and there may also be some splattering oil depending on how hot your pan may still be!) Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss everything together until the leeks begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to high and pour in the white wine. Use a wooden spatula to scrape up any browned bits as you deglaze the pan.
5) When the wine has reduced by about half, toss in 2 tablespoons of parsley and return the mushrooms to the pan, gill side down this time, resting them on the leeks. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook mushrooms at a bare simmer for about 2-4 minutes, until they’re soft and cooked through.
To serve, remove the mushrooms and arrange them on a serving platter, gill side down. Stir the lemon juice into the leek mixture, and spoon it over the mushrooms and garnish with an extra sprinkle of minced parsley.
Notes:
I originally published this recipe to share with our Spice Club LIVE Zoom cooking class in January 2023. Our featured spice was juniper berries, and we made two recipes with them: this pork chop recipe, and this portobello mushroom alternative.
I love portobello mushrooms, and I especially like that they have the size and shape and meatiness to stand up as a meat substitute in so many dishes. So I decided to play up that meatiness aspect by searing them and serving them as “steaks” in this recipe.
In the end, this recipe turned out so tasty I wouldn’t even miss the pork chops! The natural savory flavor of the mushrooms is enhanced by the white miso, which contributes a lot of umami-oomph.
The other thing I did here was to leave the mushroom gills intact. Many recipes call for scraping them away, but in this recipe they darken the wine sauce nicely and contribute a nice depth of flavor.
Juniper berries are a great ingredient to pair with mushrooms as well as turkey, duck, venison, pork and other flavors that make you think of fall and winter. When you taste juniper berries, the first thing you notice is a hint of sweetness, followed by a piney-floral aroma that evokes cozy cold-weather foods.
Spices and ingredients used in this dish:
Organic. Juniper berries are harvested from evergreen junipers in fall and winter. They have a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor with a piney-floral aroma. Crush them slightly and use them with brines and meat, in cocktails, or to add an herbal note to something sweet.
1/2 cup sized jar.
Organic and fair-trade. We get our flavorful organic peppercorns from India. They’re bright and aromatic, with a nicely balanced flavor. A great stealth ingredient to take your everyday cooking up a notch. 1/2 cup-sized jar.
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More recipes using juniper berries:
Explore more Adventure Kitchen recipes…
A grown-up sauce to elevate waffles or pancakes with aromatic juniper berries. Floral and intriguing, a little sweet (but not too much), with hints of pine and lots of natural charisma. Check out the Notes section for more about juniper berries and tips for success.