Steak used to be one of my favorite foods. As a child, I would go with my mother to the butcher and she taught me, like her father taught her, how to pick the best cuts. Anytime I was in a restaurant, even if the menu had a million choices, my only choice was between the steak and chicken (my ultimate favorite food).
I loved everything about steak – the taste, having to cut into it with a knife, how it tasted when it was broiled or grilled – everything. So when I became vegan, that was definitely a food I missed and needed to veganize.
Of course, I started with seitan. I’ve made seitan roasts, pot roast, “Chicken-Fried” Seitan Steak and a big Seitan Steak with Beurre Blanc Sauce. Then I made steaks with tofu like my “Chicken-Fried” Tofu Steaks. Of course, steaks can be made from vegetables too like my Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Steaks.
Mushrooms are probably the first veggie you think of to sub for beef and yet I had never made mushroom steaks. I’ve made Portobello Seitan Stroganoff and Philly Cheesesteaks with portobello mushrooms that were so good, I could eat them every single day!
So this time I decided to just make steaks out of the whole Portobello caps. I prepared them similarly to how one would cook steak. After cleaning out the gills and removing the stems, I seared the caps on both sides in a hot pan.
Then I removed them and sauteed some onion, garlic and the chopped up stems. I deglazed the pan with Vegan Vine White Wine and proceeded to make the sauce using all the flavors that would be reminiscent of beef – tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, and paprika. Lots and lots of umami going on here.
After the sauce simmered and reduced, I cooked the caps in the sauce for just ten minutes which made them soft and juicy – but not too soft. I still wanted to need a knife to slice them.
Besides the sauce, I made caramelized onions and mashed potatoes that got a lot creamier when I added 4 oz. of Tofutti Cream Cheese to them. And some green beans for the vegetable. Tom always makes fun of me because even though our entire meal is made out of vegetables, I always insist on a vegetable side dish.
The Portobello steaks were chewy yet tender and full of so much flavor. Tom said it tasted frighteningly like steak but softer. The whole meal was incredible. I think the word “outrageous” was used.
If you’re craving a steakhouse meal made with compassion, this is the meal for you. Enjoy!
Portobello Mushroom Steaks with Caramelized Onions and Balsamic White Wine Jus
GF
For the caramelized onions:
4 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
For the steaks:
4 Portobello mushroom caps with stems
6 Tbs. vegan butter, divided
1 shallot or ½ onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup Vegan Vine white wine
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
3 Tbs. tomato paste
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. vegan, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
or 1 Tbs. gluten-free soy sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. black pepper
2-3 cups vegetable broth
Kosher salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion slices and saute until just starting to soften. Lower the heat to medium and season with garlic and black pepper. Cook, tossing often, until the onions have shrunken and browned considerably. It should take about 20-30 minutes. Season with salt, remove from the heat, and set aside.
Clean the gills out of the mushrooms and slice off the stems. Chop up the stems and reserve. In a large saute pan that has a lid, heat 2 Tbs. vegan butter over medium-high heat. Place the mushroom caps in the butter. You may have to cook them in batches. Sear the caps until just browned and softened, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining butter to the pan and saute the shallot or onion for 3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine and allow it to mostly cook out, about 4-5 minutes.
When most of the wine has evaporated, whisk in the mustard and tomato paste. Cook for a minute to activate the flavors. Add the balsamic vinegar and the Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce). Whisk to combine. The sauce should already taste meaty. Mix in the thyme, paprika and black pepper.
Add in the broth and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid reduces somewhat, about 15 minutes. Return the mushroom caps to the pan and cover. Let cook for 5 minutes, gently turn the caps over and cook another 5 minutes.
Remove the caps from the sauce and turn off the heat. Melt 2 Tbs. vegan butter into the sauce. Serve the mushroom steaks on plates topped with the caramelized onions and jus.
The “V” Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.
- For the caramelized onions:
- 4 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
- For the steaks:
- 4 Portobello mushroom caps with stems
- 6 Tbs. vegan butter, divided
- 1 shallot or ½ onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
- 3 Tbs. tomato paste
- 3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. vegan, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- or 1 Tbs. gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth
- Kosher salt to taste
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion slices and saute until just starting to soften. Lower the heat to medium and season with garlic and black pepper. Cook, tossing often, until the onions have shrunken and browned considerably. It should take about 20-30 minutes. Season with salt, remove from the heat, and set aside.
- Clean the gills out of the mushrooms and slice off the stems. Chop up the stems and reserve. In a large saute pan that has a lid, heat 2 Tbs. vegan butter over medium-high heat. Place the mushroom caps in the butter. You may have to cook them in batches. Sear the caps until just browned and softened, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan and saute the shallot or onion for 3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine and allow it to mostly cook out, about 4-5 minutes.
- When most of the wine has evaporated, whisk in the mustard and tomato paste. Cook for a minute to activate the flavors. Add the balsamic vinegar and the Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce). Whisk to combine. The sauce should already taste meaty. Mix in the thyme, paprika and black pepper.
- Add in the broth and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid reduces somewhat, about 15 minutes. Return the mushroom caps to the pan and cover. Let cook for 5 minutes, gently turn the caps over and cook another 5 minutes.
- Remove the caps from the sauce and turn off the heat. Melt 2 Tbs. vegan butter into the sauce. Serve the mushroom steaks on plates topped with the caramelized onions and jus.
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