I’m subscribed to the San Francisco Food and Wine Newsletter and they always have some great recipes in them.  One of the very cool things about their recipes is that they give you all the pertinent nutritional info. (i.e. calories, protein, carbs, sodium, etc.)

A recent recipes was for Portobello Mushroom Burgers paired with a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.  Sounds great considering I’m on a diet and this has to be less fattening than the real thing.  To boot, I like mushrooms so it doesn’t seem like I can go wrong.

Some good producers of Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs or at least my favorites are:

• Merry Edwards
• Dutton Goldfield Winery
• Rodney Strong
• DeLoach Vineyards
• L a Crema

Portobello Mushroom Burgers — Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
By Cindy Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

INGREDIENTS:

The onions:

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

The mushrooms:

• 4 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and gills scooped out
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for grilling
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 brioche hamburger buns
• 8 leaves butter lettuce
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS: For the onions: In a medium bowl, mix vinegar and salt in 1 cup of cold water. Soak the onions in vinegar mixture for about 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly.

For the mushrooms: Place mushrooms smooth side up in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, soy sauce, basil, oregano, garlic and black pepper. Pour over mushrooms and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, turning them over 2-3 times.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush grate with oil. Remove mushrooms from marinade and place on grill, reserving marinade for basting. At the same time, brush a bit of olive oil on the buns and toast alongside the mushrooms. Grill mushrooms 5-8 minutes each side, or until tender, brushing frequently with marinade.

Place a mushroom on the bun. Evenly divide the lettuce and feta cheese and build your burgers.

Serves 4

The calories and other nutrients absorbed from marinades vary and are difficult to estimate. Variables include the type of food, marinating time and amount of surface area. Therefore, this recipe contains no analysis. – of course the one I really like there is no nutritional info!

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Other recipes for Portobello Mushroom Burgers

• Emeril’s Portobello Mushroom – Blue Cheese Burgers
• Cheese Stuffed Portobello Burgers
• Portobello Burgers