L. and I were split on this one. We both felt that it was delicious, but L. felt that adding an actual burger to the dish would have taken it over the top, and I felt that the Pancetta added nothing and that I should have gone for a full on vegetarian burger. Either way, neither of us had any trouble choking ours down...
The garnishes are very important to the success of this dish. I used perfectly ripe avocado, tomatoes confits, and lots and lots of jammy, caramelized white onions. Use your favorite burger toppings and you won't go wrong! Cheese would work here as well.
4 Portobello tops, as close in diameter to your burger buns as possible
8 Pancetta rounds
4 brioche, or your favorite hamburger, buns
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tsps Dijon mustard
2 tsps red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
A tiny dash each of powdered clove, cinnamon and cardamom
Olive oil to brush the mushrooms
Garnishes to finish the burgers, as described above
Preheat the oven to 350.
Line a baking tray with foil.
Working from the side of the mushroom cap with the gills, remove the skin from the caps. Brush the top of each cap with a tiny bit of oil, salt and pepper well.
Place in a 350 oven for 10 minutes to bake while you make the BBQ sauce.
Combine all the remaining ingredients above except for the Pancetta and the buns in a skillet and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. As soon as the sauce has boiled, lower the heat and allow to reduce slightly until a thick glossy sauce ensues, about 5 minutes.
Cook the Pancetta until very crispy, either in a large skillet or layered between paper towels in the microwave for 5 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms from the oven, add the buns to the oven and turn off the heat. The buns will toast slightly in the residual heat. If you like a golden brown colored bun, do not turn off the heat and bake for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep an eye on the buns in the oven as they can go from golden to burnt very fast.
While the buns are toasting, gently add your mushrooms to the pan in which the sauce has been cooking. Allow to cook for 3 minutes so that the mushrooms absorb some of the sauce's flavors.
Remove the buns from the oven and layer each bottom with a mushroom cap, two pieces of crispy Pancetta, your garnishes, and top with a bit of the remaining sauce before topping with the crown of the bun.
#pork #vegetarian (delicious without the Pancetta)
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