During all my visits in Washington DC there was always a place where I loved to eat. Sometimes once per visit, and sometimes almost every day depending on how long I’d stay. My favorite thing there was the portobello sandwich which is entirely meatless, but has the amazingness of the best steak sandwich you’ve ever had.

This sandwich would symbolize a time well spent in a city that I love with people that are dear to me, so each time I have tried to get one for the way back to Bulgaria. Once I bought one and ate it on the plane from DC to Amsterdam, once i brought one all the way to Paris and ate it there, and last year I bought one and I managed to bring it to Bulgaria where I ate it at home with the greatest pleasure. It was like bringing a piece of an entire other world into your own.

Naturally since I have not been to DC in over a year, I tried to recreate one of my favorite dishes – the portobello sandwich!

I think it tasted exactly like the original, the only thing I could not match was the bread, but I just got another type of bread I really liked, that was fresh and great,

What you will need:

• bread buns of your choice and liking
• portobello mushrooms
• two red peppers
• spinach
• mozzarella cheese
• three gloves of garlic
• mayo or your liking (I used Hellman’s which is a little sweet)
• Mustard
• chilly powder
• one whole onion (optional)
• butter
• salt
• black pepper

 

Now, the first thing you need to do is roast your peppers.

Wash them well, and put them in the oven on a non stick tray for about 10 minutes, then turn them until they are evenly darkened all around. Take them out of the oven and out them in a zippy bag, and zip it. Set aside.

Wash your spinach and set aside as well.

Now, wash your mushrooms, and slice them. In a non stick pan melt some butter, add the mushrooms, not crowding them and sprinkle salt and black pepper. When they have browned turn them and add more butter. Put on a plate and also set aside.

Prepare your bread – half the buns and in the same pan you prepared the mushrooms melt some more butter (if you prefer you can use olive oil) put the bread in the pan with the side that was cut facing the heat.  Once they are golden you can remove and rub a halved clove of garlic on each half.

Prepare your sauce. For that you will need a cup of Hellman’s mayo, a table spoon of mustard, a clove of garlic, some salt and some chilly powder.

Take your bread, put the mushrooms on top, then add the spinach, add the peppers peeled and cut into strips, and finally the mozzarella ( if you chose to use onion too, that needs to be fried in the pan where you prepared the mushrooms and bread with a little bit of butter and a spoon of honey as well as some salt on very low heat for about 15 minutes, covered add it before the mozzarella).

Put the halves of the bread that are covered with mushroomy-peppery goodness in the oven along with the bread halves that only have the garlic on them. Once the mozzarella has melted you can take out of the oven, add the mayonnaise sauce and make into a sandwich.

Enjoy!:)

K.