Walnut Pesto & Quinoa-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

2. First, cook the quinoa. Thoroughly rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Heat your olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add your drained quinoa and stir for about a minute until some of the water has evaporated. Add the stock and a pinch of salt and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and then continue cooking for 12-15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover your saucepan and let the quinoa stand for five minutes.

3. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the mushrooms. Remove the stems and place them gill-side-up on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking tray. Drizzle them with olive oil and massage with your hands to make sure the mushrooms are well coated. Cook them in the oven for about 8 minutes, until softened. Remove from oven. Once they are cool enough to handle, discard any excess liquid.

4. To make the pesto: Place the walnuts, basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and a pinch of salt in a food processor and blend until it forms a thick paste.

5. To assemble: Mix the cooked quinoa, pesto and capers together in a bowl. Next, pile the stuffing into your pre-cooked mushrooms, and top each with a slice of tomato. Season with salt and pepper. Return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and cook for a further five minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked. Serve with a big green salad.