Seared Royal Trumpet Mushroom Bánh Mì
Try this new take on a banh mi with 2 different kinds of mushrooms.
Ingredients
For the mushroom pâté:
½ cup walnuts
¼ cup olive oil, plus more to taste
1 pound button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 small can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the pickles:
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks (about ⅛-inch thick and 3 inches long)
1 small daikon radish, cut into matchsticks (about ⅛-inch thick and 3 inches long)
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
½ cup rice wine vinegar
1 ½ cups water
For the sandwiches:
1 pound royal trumpet mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
Flaky sea salt
4 hero rolls
Vegan mayonnaise
2 jalapeños, stemmed and cut lengthwise into eighths
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Preparation
1. In a small bowl, cover the walnuts with hot water and let soak for at least 2 hours.
2. Once the walnuts have finished soaking, in a large sauté pan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the button mushrooms and sauté, stirring, until they have released their liquid and are starting to brown, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the sautéed mushrooms and their liquid to a food processor. Add half of the can of white beans. Drain the walnuts and add to the food processor, along with the thyme, oregano, and lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture is finely puréed. Drizzle in a bit more olive oil to taste and purée until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. In a large bowl, combine the carrots, radish, sugar, and salt. Using your fingertips, massage the sugar and salt into vegetables to dissolve. Add the water and rice wine vinegar to the bowl and stir to combine, then pack the vegetables and pickling liquid into a quart-sized mason jar. The pickles can be used immediately, or for best results, refrigerated in the sealed container at least overnight or for up to 1 week.
5. Cut the royal trumpet mushroom stems into 1 ½-inch-thick coins. Score the flat surfaces of the mushroom coins in a crosshatch pattern, going only about ⅛-inch deep.
6. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom coins, flat-sides down. Cook, working in batches as needed, until cooked through and deep golden brown on each of the flat sides, about 4 minutes per side. While searing, season with flaky sea salt on both sides. Feel free to throw the caps in the pan while the coins cook—these are delicious, too.
7. While the mushrooms sear, slice the rolls in half and scoop out the insides, being careful to not break the rolls. Spread one side of each roll with mayonnaise and the other side as much of the mushroom pâté as you like. Place in a 400ºF toaster oven for a minute to get the rolls warm and crispy but not brown.
8. Divide the seared trumpet mushrooms among the rolls. Top with the jalapeños, cucumber, cilantro sprigs, and pickled carrots and daikon and serve.
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