Portobello au Poivre Recipe

Meet the meatless cousin of steak au poivre, a classic French recipe that coats a seared filet mignon with coarsely cracked pepper. Mark Bittman swaps in thick portobello mushrooms for a veggie-based way to enjoy the same technique. You’ll love the thick coconut milk sauce drizzled over the top—it makes the dish feel extra indulgent. If you can’t find green peppercorns, substitute lots of cracked black pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.

Portobello au Poivre

Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon green peppercorns in brine, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped, or 1 large shallot, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves
Salt
Thrive Market Organic Ground Pepper
1 (13.5-ounce) can Thrive Market Organic Coconut Milk
4 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
4 large portobello mushroom caps, or 6 small (about 1 ½ pounds total)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Crush the green peppercorns on a cutting board with the side of your knife. Put the jalapeño or shallot and garlic into the food processor and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped but not puréed. Add the coconut milk and green peppercorns and pulse once or twice just to combine; taste and adjust the seasoning.

Put 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut oil on the mushroom caps, then sprinkle both sides with salt and lots of pepper. When the oil is hot, put the mushrooms in the pan, taking care not to crowd them (if they’re very large you might be able to fit only 2 at a time). Cook, undisturbed, until browned and crisp on the bottom, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter.

Pour the peppercorn sauce into the pan and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the hot sauce over the mushrooms, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Reprinted with permission from Dinner for Everyone by Mark Bittman, copyright © 2019. Photography by Aya Brackett. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.