Double-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Sunday, October 3, 2010 Portobello
Portabello
Portabella
However you spell it, it’s still a yummy, big mushroom!
I have to admit that I had to look it up. Spelling is really not my forte.
The Wikipedia article on such mushroom states that all three spellings are common and accepted in different circles, so I guess I didn’t need to stress out about it. Although the food police should make a decision on the spelling and enforce it because it makes searching for a recipe quite difficult. Moving on…
So I bought a package of four of these lovelies. When I got them home, I wondered what I could do with them so that they would be as special as I think they are. I trolled a few of my favorite cookbooks and blogs, wiped the drool from my bottom lip, and decided to improvise!
I decided to stuff them with a rich, yummy cheese like my favorite layer of lasagna. But I know my husband would ask, “Where’s the meat?” So I decided to DOUBLE stuff them. That’s right. You heard me. Double Stuffed!!
Now, I know what you’re thinking… Portabellas are hearty enough to take the place of meat. That statement makes my veggie friends cringe. But this is Texas, and my man works really hard so he needs the protein. So here’s what I did.
Dice half of a sweet yellow onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Sauté in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil along with two links of sweet Italian sausage (casing removed).
I put the remaining sausages in a freezer bag to save for spaghetti.
You want to break up the sausages into small pieces as they cook. Be sure to cook the sausage all the way through. Your onions will get a nice brown, caramelized thing going on. This is good!
While the sausage and onions are cooking, you can get your portobellos ready.
Now what I'm about to ask you to do is a bit controversial, but I swear that the food police will NOT come and get you for it. Wash your mushrooms!
There, I said it! They won't soak up too much water with a quick rinse. I just can't stand the thought of not washing them despite what any "pro" says. It's just gross. IMHO
Blot them with a clean cotton towel to remove excess water. Gently pop the stems off and get ready to remove some gills. Gills are the dark brown thingies on the underside of the portobello.
They can be easily removed with gentle pressure using a spoon. Just experiment with the pressure you need to apply. Just be careful not to break those gorgeous 'shrooms! I gave mine a rinse afterward and a nice pat dry.
Then spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and place your mushrooms inside. I realize that there were 4 in the package but there are only 3 in the dish. I saved one really large one for my mushroom risotto to go with this dish.
Next I evenly divided my sausage mixture among the three mushrooms. It was just enough! It would've been fine if I'd kept that 4th portobello as well. These babies were generously stuffed!
I gathered a handful of sweet basil from my herb garden, picked the leaves, and washed them. Roll them up into a log and finely slice it. You've just made a chiffonade! Fancy, huh?
Toss your basil in a bowl with 1 egg, 2 cups ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of salt and some pepper if you want to. Stir it all up.
Then stuff it into all the nooks and crannies of those lovely 'shrooms! Really mound it up! I used all of it. Really.
Then as if it weren't enough already...
Sprinkle on a little more mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I love cheese!! Can you tell?
Pop these babies into a 375 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes.
You want the mushrooms to be cooked through, the cheese to be al melted and set, and the top to be a bit brown and yummy. Oh my goodness! I can see fights breaking out over the little brown edges that escaped into the baking dish!
They were so huge, that I actually served myself half of one. I made a simple mushroom risotto to go with supper. I also threw together a salad of baby spinach, walnuts, and mandarin oranges sprinkled with a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette.
The verdict? My husband said it was possibly the best thing he's ever eaten.
You should try it. I bet you'll like it. I'll be posting my risotto recipe soon, so stay tuned!
Keep lovin' and keep cookin'!
Reader Comments (2)
I have to tell you: Tonight, I was making Marinated Tomatoes and Basil (recipe on my blog), and my husband was doing the basil for me, and I told him to "Chiffonade" the Basil and he looked at me all funny-like. I thought he might be impressed, but he just said there is no point in fancy words for plain slicing. Well, *I* at least appreciated learning that new fancy word, so thanks!! :-)
LOL! Sounds like my husband! :0) Well, it never hurts to expand one's horizons. I guess I can't hide the fact that I've been a teacher for many years! ha ha!