grilled portabella and bulgur salad "sandwiches"

the yumcoast has just arrived back from a bachelorette weekend in chicago. we had a fabulous time and ate lots of wonderful food, but now it's time to get back into the swing of things and start cooking again!

when i first saw the photo of this dish in gourmet, it took me a second to realize that the grilled portabellas act as the bread in this "sandwich" with the bulgur salad as the filling. i think this is a great summer dinner. it's filling but not heavy and the tomato vinaigrette bursts with flavor. as suggested, we served this over spicy arugula with cool avocado slices on the side. the prep time takes a little while and if you're grilling in a grill pan (like me) you probably have to do several batches to get everything cooked, so plan ahead to allow yourself some time.

grilled portabella and bulgur salad "sandwiches"
(gourmet, june 2009; serves 4)
ingredients for tomato vinaigrette:
1 large garlic clove
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes

ingredients for salad:
8 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed
1 small red onion, cut lenthwise into 1/2 inch think wedges (keeping root end intact)
2 medium yellow bell peppers, quartered lenthwise
1 medium zucchini, halved lenthwise
1 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup medium bulgar
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 cups arugula
1 avocado

to make vinaigrette, with motor running, drop garlic in food processor and finely chop. add tomatoes, parlsey, oil, vinegar, rosemary, red-pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and pulse until tomatoes are finelly chopped but not pureed.

to make salad, peel skin from portabellas pulling from the edge of the mushroom toward center. gently scrape off gills from mushrooms with tip of a spoon. toss portabellas with 1/2 cup vinaigrette in a 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish and let stand, turning occasionally, 20 minutes.

prepare grill or grill pan for medium heat.

push 1 wooden pick into each onion wedge to secure for grilling. toss onion wedges, bell peppers, and zucchini with oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. oil grill rack, then grill vegetables, covered, turning occasionally, until tender (6-8 minutes for bell peppers, 6-10 minutes for zucchini, 8-12 minutes for onion, 12-15 minutes for portabellas).

transfer portabellas to a plate and remaining vegetables to a bowl as cooked. cool slightly, then remove wooden picks and coarsely chop onion, bell peppers and zucchini.

while vegetables cook, pour boiling hot water over bulgur with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and let stand until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender, about 5 minutes. drain in a sieve if any water remains.

add vegetables to bulgur with pine nuts and remaining vinaigrette and toss.

put and handful of arugula on a plate. top with upside down portabella. pack bulgur mixture into a cup measure and unmold on top of portabella. top with another portabella, right side up. serve with avocado slices.

-d