Ingredients
- 4 portobellos
- 3 tablespoons black balsamic vinegar
- 1 onion
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 250 grams (8.8 ounces) cherry tomatoes
- A handful of pine nuts
- 4 tablespoons pesto (home-made or bought)
- 1 burrata ball (or mozzarella)
- Fresh basil for garnish
- Pepper and salt
- Oil for frying
For a vegan alternative to a classic turkey or meat roast, a dinner stuffed with vegetables is just the ticket! The portobello forms the basis of this blowout appetizer while the home-made tomato jam, the herbal pesto and the creamy burrata add that ultimate full of flavour touch!
The Caprese salad is without doubt the most famous among the Italian salads. The combination of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella make it work for every party or special occasion. By cooking this appetizer, we give a personal twist to this well-known flavour combination and we add the unique umami flavour of the portobello. We boil the cherry tomatoes and sweeten them a bit, giving them a delicious jam-like texture. You will immediately notice this is a fuss-free dish which is super-easy to cook and which is served in the blink of an eye, even tucking in the fiercest turkey lover at your Christmas holiday table!
Preparation
- Preheat the oven at 220 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Put the portobellos in a baking dish and drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season with pepper and salt and roast the portobellos for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven. Then take them out of the oven and let them cool down.
- Chop the onion. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes until the onion begins to brown. Then add one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and the sugar and stir well. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Finely chop or crush the garlic clove. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Then add the garlic and tomatoes and one tablespoon of water to the frying pan. Put a lid on the frying pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid from the frying pan and let it simmer until most of the moisture has evaporated and you get a kind of jam. Season with pepper and salt.
- Roast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they are light brown.
- Put a portobello on each plate. Divide the tomato jam over it and top the jam with the pesto. Tear the burrata ball into pieces and spread the pieces over the portobellos. Garnish the portobellos with the pine nuts.