Monday, July 11, 2011

Oh, Portabella, How I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

Did I just work classic poetry into my blog?  Yes.  Yes, I did.  Hmm.  Pairing up foods with poems sounds like a future blog post in the making. Wink. Wink.

The other day a friend emailed me asking what she should do with her Portabella mushroom.  I quickly responded with lots of ways.  One of my personal favorites is to bake it, but grilled and sauteed are equally nice ways.  Here's a recipe for baked Portabellas.  I had this for lunch today, but scarfed it down before I could snap a pic so I borrowed one : )

Photo Credit

Baked Portabellas
1 to 2 Portabella mushrooms, wiped clean and stems cut short
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or unsalted butter, about a tablespoon
Kosher Salt, to taste
Balsamic Vinegar, to taste
Thin slices of a hard cheese such as Parmesan or Manchego

Place cleaned Portabellas, face up (as shown in the above image), in a casserole dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drizzle with olive oil or dot with butter.  I like to get the oil on the top and bottom of the mushroom so rub the caps with my hands.  

Sprinkle with salt, maybe somewhere between a pinch and half a teaspoon, and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven.  The mushroom will turn dark in color.  Top with grated or shaved cheese towards the last few minutes of baking.

Serve hot.  

I love Portabellas because they are so yummy and versatile.  You can grill them after prepping the same way that I did in my recipe, instead of baking.  You can also stuff them when baking.  I have a recipe for Crab Stuffed Mushrooms that could be excellent inside these.  Slice a grilled Portabella and serve them in a taco with all the accouterments you want or place this baked version between a whole wheat hamburger bun and top it with feta, grilled red bell pepper slices, and spinach leaves for a nice veggie burger.  I could go on; the varieties are endless.  What a great way to enjoy a meat-free meal?!

Have a great week,

The Kitchen Witch

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2 comments:

GardenOfDaisies said...

You have so many good ideas for using portabellas! I have never tried to make them myself, but sometimes order them at restaurants. Later this week I'm meeting some friends at a little place nearby and I know they serve a portabella burger... I think I'll get that.

Marguerite said...

Love portabellas, especially grilled and stuffed with crab meat! Your baked ones sound delish! Thanks for sharing!