Tomato and Olive Stuffed Portobellos

Portobello mushrooms are an obsession of mine.  In fact, ANY sort of mushroom is an obsession of mine.  While in NYC two weeks ago, I ordered an appetizer of polenta, stuffed with Gorgonzola, topped with roasted mushrooms and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  It was amazing.  Drool worthy.  I have been thinking about making it at home ever since, but to be honest, it's amazing how quickly time moves.  I haven't had much time to whip up any masterpieces in the kitchen lately.  I feel as though most of the things I have been cheffing up have been easy, on the fly, weekday meals.  I'm really craving a night in the kitchen, followed by a dinner I am proud of, served to a deserving soul.  But honestly, when the weather is awesome, wouldn't you rather be out dining al fresco?  Or enjoying a glass of wine on the water?

As usual, I digress.  Back to the homemade portobello mushrooms.

Tomato and Olive Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms (as adapted from Eating Well.)

•2/3 cup chopped plum tomatoes

•1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (or mozzeralla)
•1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
•1 teaspoon minced garlic
•2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
•1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/8 teaspoon dried
•1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
•4 portobello mushroom caps, 5 inches wide
•2 tablespoons lemon juice
•2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

You can grill or broil these - so pick your method and fire it up. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cheese, olives, garlic, 1 tsp of the olive oil, pepper and rosemary into a bowl. 

In another bowl, combine 1 tsp of the olive oil, lemon juice and soy sauce.  Remove the stems from the caps and wash well.  You can spoon out the gills if you want, but I like these, so I just wash them well.  Pat dry.  Cover in marinade, brushing both sides and toss onto the grill or into your broiler.  Grill until soft, about five minutes. 

Drain any liquids from the caps and then stuff with your tomato/olive mixture.  Back into the broiler or grill they go.  Cook long enough for cheese to melt.

And dinner is served!!  I love arugala, so I served mine with a messy side salad.  I love this vegetarian option.  It's filling and tasty and best of all, very low in calories.  The kalamatas add a nice salty touch and surprisingly, the soy marinade holds up well through the cooking process. 

Creamy Morel Mushroom Soup

The sauteed mushrooms were great, but I wanted to try making a soup with the freshly picked morels. Again, you'll want to really clean the mushrooms and soak them in salt water for about an hour.

I modified this morel soup recipe here.

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes (or 2 large), peeled and halved
1 leek, cleaned and sliced (toss the dark leaves)
2 cups water
2 T butter
2 cups fresh, chopped morels
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream


Start by adding the sliced leek, halved potatoes, and the water to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Boil for 25 minutes or until the veggies are tender.


While you wait, in a frying pan or cast iron skillet, heat your butter on medium heat. Then, add your chopped morels and salt. Keep mushrooms moist with dashes of wine. Keep stirring. Then, after 15-20 minutes, mix in the chicken stock.


No, go back to the leek and potatoes. Those can be blended in a blender or food processor. When smooth, return the mixture to the Dutch oven or soup pot. Then, toss in the morels and liquid. Simmer for 10 minutes, and then finally add heavy cream. Stir.


Season with salt and pepper. Serve!

Mushroom Hunting

I've been intrigued by mushroom hunting ever since I read Omnivore's Dilemma. Have you read it? No? You should.

The BF took me out hunting for morels mushrooms (morchella esculenta) a few weeks ago in Red Wing, MN, and it was really fun. It was a challenge to find the first morel, but from there, we found lots of them! I'm glad that we found them because I just read that they've been hard to find this year. The BF taught me about the spores and how to properly pick the mushrooms without disturbing future growth.

Readers, are you mushroom hunters?

Here (below) is how we ate our mushrooms during the first meal. I'll post a soup in the near future.

First, you should wash the mushrooms thoroughly and soak them in salt water before cooking.


We modified this recipe.

Ingredients:
Morels (washed and cut in half)
Eggs (the amount depends on how many morels you pick)
Saltine crackers (again, the amount depends on how many morels you can find)
Butter (again, it depends)

Start by beating a couple of eggs. You can always add more eggs if you run out. This is your egg wash. Dip the mushroom halves in the egg wash.



Then, crush about 1 row of crackers to start (add more as needed). Dip the egg-washed shrooms into the crushed crackers.

Once completed coated, they can be sautéed in a pre-heated skillet with 3 tablespoons of butter. We had to keep adding more butter, but I think it's because we had a lot of morels.

Serve!

If you do not own wooded property, you can tag along on guided tours in Minnesota. An event called Fun with Fungi is scheduled for June 18th in Maplewood, MN.

Fun fact- morels are the state mushroom of Minnesota.

Mushroom Risotto

In December, I went to La Morra in Brookline Village for their $25 Sunday Prix fixe menu.  They change the menu each week, and the week that I went happened to be fried chicken week.  I am not a huge fan of fried chicken, so I wanted to double check with the server that the chicken was NOT like KFC (maybe more upscale fried chicken?) .... to which he replied, "Yes, exactly like KFC!".

Not the best way to sell in a meal.  Really?  Exactly like KFC?  That's like going to a solid Mexican joint and saying it's exactly like Taco Bell.

Either way, part of this Prix-fixe menu included a mushroom risotto, which was hands down some of the best risotto I have had in a long time.  Maybe ever.  Since this night in December, I have been desperately wanting to recreate this dish in my own kitchen.  I finally learned how on a winter weekend in NH, from the fabulous Mike DiMella.  Here's my adaptation from what I learned from him. (Mike knows how to cook- little recipe shunning bastard that he is. I want him to teach me more things.)

Mushroom Risotto:

• 1 shallot, sliced/chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• chopped herbs, such as thyme and sage
• 2 cups mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
• arborio rice
• chicken stock, about three cups
• red wine (optional)
• olive oil/butter as needed
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• butter 

Heat a saucepan or dutch oven on medium high heat.  Add butter (or oil, if you want to be on the healthy side) and saute the shallot, garlic and herbs for approximately three minutes.

Saute mushrooms in a separate skillet until soft.  Remove, set aside.

Add arborio rice to the shallot/herb/garlic mixture - I used approximately 1 1/2 cups, dry.  Add as you see fit and saute in the butter/shallot mixture.  Mix until the rice turns opaque from the oil/butter - should only take a few minutes.

Add 1/4 cup of red wine, or chicken stock.  I used leftover red wine.  The point is to cover the rice, and then some.  Reduce heat to medium.  Consistently stir, so the rice doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.  Once the liquid reduces, add another 1/2 cup and continue to stir.  You should continue this process for approximately 20 - 25 minutes.  This gradual addition of liquid and reduction helps give the rice its creamy nature.

Once the rice is cooked Al dente, stir in mushrooms and then add in two tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  These two ingredients are the key to making the risotto rich.

I was super impressed with a) how easy this was to make and b) how delicious it was.  I feel uber confident in my abilities to make any sort of risotto now.  It's not by any means a low-calorie meal, however, it is filling and incredibly tasty.

Love learning new things!! Enjoy!

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

Happy Martin Luther King Day!  Hope you are all enjoying a day off! 

Vegetables, when done right, can be a meal in and of themselves.  I find that portobello mushrooms are a really filling and satisfying substitute for meat.  Tasty, low calorie, animal friendly - what's not to love?

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Portobellos (as adapted from Eating Well)

• 4 large portobello mushroom caps
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped kalamata olives
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup prepared marinara sauce

 

Check out these beauties!  These are large portobellos that I picked up from Trader Joe's (LOVE that place!) I think they were 2 for $5 and each package contained either 2 large or 3 medium mushrooms.  Make sure you properly clean your portobellos - even in their gills - and then remove the stems at the base.  If you are careful, the stem will gentle tear from the base using your hands.  Pat dry and get as much water out of the gills as you can.

 

It's time to roast these beauties - 450 degrees, cap side up on a greased baking sheet for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.  I think mine only took approximately 15 minutes - my small oven is temperature finicky I guess. 

 

 

While those mushrooms are roasting, start mixing your ingredients.  Throw all ingredients, except the marinara, in a bowl and mix well. 

 

I am a sucker for a really really good marinara sauce - can eat it by the spoonful.  This one shown in the picture was a disappointment.   It was part of a 3 pack I bought at Costco a long, long time ago, when I actually had a membership.  It was a very tomato-y red sauce and it's flavors just didn't do it for me.  While I love making my own red sauces now that I know how easy they are, I don't turn my nose up at store brands.  I think some of Ragu's chunky sauces are excellent for a quick and easy night.  Don't judge me for that.

 

Side note on red sauces:  many, many years ago, I once wanted to cook a fancy dinner for a then-boyfriend.  If memory serves me correctly, I chopped up some green peppers and threw it in a saucepan with a jar of Prego.  Then I served over angel hair.  And probably put some of that green Parmasean cheese on it.  Of course the green peppers barely softened and cleared added nothing to the sauce.  SO FANCY.  I mean, who doesn't love crunchy green peppers in a jar of Prego?

 

Go ahead and judge me for that one!

 

 

Check on your portobellos.  I was sad to see mine had shrunk a fair amount while roasting, but that's to be expected.  They will probably be filled with water, so carefully tip each one over the sink to drain.  Be careful not to ruin the cap OR burn your hands.  Pat the tops dry with a paper towel.

 

 It's stuffing time!  Are you ready!?

 

Layer the mushroom caps with a bit of marinara and then a heaping thing of the spinach ricotta mix.  Don't be shy - fill 'er up!

 Now that's how you stuffed a mushroom cap!  Top each with remaining Parmesan cheese.

 

Finally, put back into the oven and heat for 10 minutes until heated thoroughly and the parm on top is lightly browned.

 

And VOILA!  Instant dinner!  This recipe made two servings.  One for dinner that night and one for lunch the next day.