Mushroom kebabs with spinach puree

Grilling oyster mushrooms over medium heat renders them juicy and smoky, as the water drips from them onto the coals to create the smoke that flavors them. These are served over a bright green, herbaceous puree of parsley, spinach and yogurt. (The original recipe called for the herb lovage instead of spinach; feel free to use it if you can find it.)

The mushrooms are best eaten freshly made, but they can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. The puree can also be refrigerated for up to 1 week; freezing is not recommended.

Grilled Oyster Mushroom Kebabs With Parsley-Spinach Puree

2 cups loosely packed fresh parsley (leaves and stems)

4 cups packed baby spinach leaves 2 /3 cup plain whole milk or

nondairy yogurt

1 (2-inch) piece fresh turmeric,

peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided use, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 pounds oyster mushrooms

½ cup grapeseed oil Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground sumac, divided use

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and fill a large bowl with ice water.

Blanch the parsley in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then add the spinach and blanch both together for another 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the greens to the ice water and leave until they are cool enough to handle. Drain the greens in a colander or fine-mesh strainer, removing any ice. Using your hands, form the greens into a ball and squeeze out as much water as possible. Transfer the ball to a kitchen towel, and wring it out until the greens are almost completely dry.

Transfer the greens to a blender and add the yogurt, turmeric, garlic, ½ teaspoon of the salt and the cardamom and puree until smooth. (Add water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, if needed, to help the mixture blend.)

Prepare your grill for medium heat. Alternatively, you can cook these in stove-top grill pan.

Slice the mushrooms off their cluster, leaving a very small amount of stem intact. Using four metal or soaked wooden skewers, thread the mushrooms through the stems, gill-side down, alternating the tops of the mushrooms from left to right so they cook evenly. You should end up with four full skewers.

Brush the mushrooms with a generous amount of oil to coat, making sure to oil the gills. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper and ½ teaspoon of the sumac.

Grill the mushrooms for 2 minutes, then flip the skewers and continue to grill, flipping every 2 minutes, until the edges start to curl and brown, the mushrooms have shrunk significantly, and the stems are soft to the touch, about 8 minutes total.

Spread the puree evenly on a platter. Lightly dust the puree with the remaining ½ teaspoon of sumac, place the mushroom skewers on top (or remove the mushrooms from the skewers, if desired, and place over the puree), and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving (1 skewer, 1/3 cup puree) contains approximately 370 calories, 11 g protein, 30 g fat, 20 g carbohydrate (6 g sugar), 7 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium and

7 g fiber. Carbohydrate choices: 1.5 Recipe adapted from “Bavel” by Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis (Ten Speed Press, 2021)