Roasting large, flat mushrooms in the oven captures their natural flavour in its entirety. A rub of olive oil, a little salt and pepper and twenty minutes on a medium-high heat is all it takes to achieve simplistic perfection. I created this dish around that desire for simplicity, with the addition of beans and leaks, some dill and a few shavings of vegan parmesan. These accompaniments can be cooked within the time it takes to roast the mushrooms, making this dish an ideal twenty-minute treat for when you don’t want to overfill yourself.

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Prep time: 5 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes.

Gluten-Free

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Mushrooms:

8 large Portobello mushrooms

Enough olive oil for brushing

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Beans:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large leek, sliced

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3 cloves garlic, chopped

A generous splash of balsamic vinegar

A few sprigs of fresh dill, chopped

A small splash of water (if needed)

Salt and pepper to taste

To Top:

A few shavings of vegan parmesan (use a veg peeler for this)

A few torn dill leaves

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Coming Soon:

Vegging Out: The Taste of Plant-Based Eating.

By Richard Church

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Method:

Preheat the oven to gas 7/220C/425F.

Lay the mushrooms out on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the olive oil. Turn them on their backs so that the flesh and stem are pointing up and then season with the salt and pepper. Place in the middle of the oven and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the bean mixture. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok and cook the sliced leeks for 3-4 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Add the drained cannellini beans and cook for 5 more minutes. Put in the chopped garlic and give it another 2 minutes, then add the balsamic vinegar and the dill.

Allow most of the liquid to be absorbed, but still leave them a little wet (you can add a splash of water here if they get too dry). Turn off the heat and season with the salt and pepper.

Divide the beans between 4 plates and then place 2 of the roasted mushrooms on top of each. Finally, add the vegan parmesan shavings and a few dill leaves. Serve immediately.

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