grilled field mushrooms with garden pesto

Annie… are you reading this?  now put down your newly purchased ‘phallus’ pepper-mill and repeat after me…’ cooking is a pleasure not a chore…cooking is a pleasure not a chore…’ and now open that bottle of red and pour a HUGE glass for yourself and prepare to make these very simple but excruciatingly tasty pesto mushrooms…

today is muggy… not nice.  No sun, just clouds… thousands of those goddamn thunder-flies that get under your skin, crawl up your nose, into your ears and seem to do the tango… horrid.  today is really for sinking into a cold pool then going out for a late dinner on some Mediterranean shore… but alas, here we are in Belleau and the field mushrooms are calling.

Poor Annie from The Reluctant Vegetarian has her ‘spawn’ and many friends to stay and needs to impress (god knows why) with some vegetarian dinners, so I thought she could do these little beauties… I’ve made them before on this blog but they suit a summer evening so well and the ‘garden’ pesto really should be called a ‘fridge’ pesto because it’s anything you have in there whizzed up with some nuts and cheese… the dish works well for multiple numbers because it’s so easy and repetitive and everyone gets one.

I’m using courgette and spring onion this time, along with basil and rosemary but you can use any variation of garden herb or nuts for that matter… walnuts work very well.

Take your large mushrooms and place them in a heavy oven-proof dish, drizzle them in olive oil, salt and pepper and lightly grill them on both sides… just until they are juicy but still firm… don’t over do it, they’ll get some more one the topping is on…. take them out from the grill and let them cool slightly whilst you make the pesto…

… whizz up whatever greens you have, with some oil, garlic and the pine nuts, then grate some strong cheese into it and mix it all up and spread it onto the gill-side of the mushrooms and grill to a golden perfection!

Serve with a light salad and relax in the knowledge that the full-on taste sensation will make those that eat it think you are a trained chef who just happened to be their mates mum…

eat and of course, enjoy!