When wild mushrooms are not in season, my next favorite mushrooms to cook are Portobello with their slightly sweet and slightly earthy flavor and dense, meaty texture. They work particularly great for stuffing.
Portobello mushrooms come in different sizes and the choice will depend on how you plan to serve them: as an only appetizer, as one of many appetizers or as a side dish for entrée, say, steak or grilled poultry. For parties, choose smaller mushrooms as they make a perfect finger food.
I stuff them with a variety of fillings, but they always contain fresh herbs and some sort of cheese – chèvre, gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, feta or parmesan – to bind the ingredients together.
I’ll give you several of my most favorites fillings.
Here’s one in details. You will need:
- 4 large or 12 baby* Portobello mushrooms
- 8 oz chèvre or feta cheese (or take 4 oz of each)
- 5-6 Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
- 1 Tbsp basil pesto or more to taste
- 3-4 basil leaves, rolled into a tube and thinly sliced
- Several sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped (about 2-3 Tbsp)
- Black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Olive oil, to taste
- Salt
*When Portobello mushrooms are young and small, they are called Crimini (aka Cremini). A baby Portobello is a stage between Crimini and Portobello with mushroom cap diameter about 2.5-3 inches.
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Twist of the stems and discard or reserve for later use. Scrape out the gills, if you feel like it. It’s not necessary but make the stuffing cavity larger. The easiest way to do it is by using a grapefruit spoon, the one with serrated edges.
In a bowl, mash chèvre or feta thoroughly with a fork. Add sundried tomatoes, olives, basil leaves, basil pesto, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir well.
Brush the exterior of the mushroom caps with olive oil and place in a baking dish. Divide the filling between the mushroom caps.
Put into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through and the filling is melted and golden brown. If you have a convection mode, turn it on. My new stove has it and everything cooks faster and browns better when I use it.
More favorites: Prepare the mushrooms as in the above recipe and fill with one of the following. Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes.
1. Crumbled gorgonzola, olive tapenade, fresh rosemary, chopped sweet red onions (optional). Arrange all the ingredients in portobello caps generously brushed all over with a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This one is my number one filling, though majority of my friends like the following one the best.
2. Mashed feta cheese mixed with chopped fresh dill, chopped fresh mint, minced garlic, black pepper, and a pinch of ground cinnamon
3. Minced prosciutto cooked in butter, mixed with chopped parsley, chopped fresh sage, panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan and grate gruyer cheese
Comments