“… the hunks of the mushroom world …”
When I think of portobello mushrooms, I think of granola chicks dancing around in a wheat field with their underarm hair braided down to their hips. I think of vegans giving me hell for publishing a post about lamb or chicken. I think of chin hair and scant moustaches on an old hippie dame. Ah, such visualizations! But. I. Being a libra also am a woman who appreciates the beauty of most anything. And that includes an ol’ hippie chick and an ol’ portobello mushroom. How can you not appreciate the beauty of this:
I mean, look at the lines. Look at the detail. Look at the colouring and the shadow and the shape of this mushroom. It. Is. A. Stunner. This Portobello. Yup.
Hippie chicks with moustaches and braided underarm hair: I hear you now.
I saw these guys in the market and I caught my breath. First thing I did was compliment the Local Veggie Market Maven on such a great addition to her recent veggie line up. She heartily agreed on their perfection and was impressed as I filled my paper bag up to the brim with these handsome brown hunks.
The hunks of the mushroom world. Sigh.
And not only do they look good, but damn! They taste good! So much talent.
My inspiration comes from vegetable guru Yotam Ottolenghi’s stuffed portobello with Taleggio cheese. My adapted version uses Havarti – an easily available cheese – as well as home made oven roasted tomatoes as opposed to YO’s sun-dried tomatoes. Slow oven roasted tomatoes are the easiest thing in the world to make and add flavour to so many dishes. They are not quite as intense in flavour as sun-dried tomatoes, but they do take a bit of time in the oven though. If you are hanging out at home for a few hours, I would highly recommend that you make your own slow roasted tomatoes. So. So. Worth. It.
When all of your ingredients come together, I promise that this will be the perfect dish to serve as an appy or to a guest who is a vegetarian. It’s also exceptional as a main for anybody as it’s remarkably filling.
And most importantly, your best granola hippy chick friend will approve.♥
- For The Slow Roasted Tomatoes
- 6-8 Roma tomatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt
- For The Stuffed Portobellos
- 4 large portobello mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 cup slow roasted tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes for more intense flavour), chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 small yellow pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
- 4 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 6 oz Havarti cheese, sliced (equals about 160 gram package of pre-sliced cheese)
- For The Slow Roasted Tomatoes
- Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees c. and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Thinly slice tomatoes and remove seeds if desired. Spread the slices on your prepared baking sheet sprinkle with Kosher salt and drizzle with ¼ cup olive oil.
- Roast tomatoes for 2½ hours. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- For The Stuffed Portobellos
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees c. and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove stalks from the mushrooms and save for another use. Using a damp paper towel, gently clean each mushroom. Place on baking sheet, season with Kosher salt and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms start to soften.
- Next, in a medium sized skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat and add the chopped onion, celery and pepper, season with Kosher salt and pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the onions become translucent and the peppers begin to soften. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute, then add the chopped sun-dried or slow roasted tomatoes.
- Let all the flavours meld for another few minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the tarragon, 4 tablespoons of the basil, the Italian parsley and the Parmesan cheese.
- Set aside and let cool.
- When cooled, divide the mixture on top of the four mushrooms and top with equal amounts of Havarti cheese.
- Return to the oven and let bake for about 10 minutes or the cheese melts.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of basil over each mushroom.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Adapted by a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty
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