The mushroom, of course!
August 17, 2011 5:58 PM   Subscribe

I've always loved portabella mushroom sandwiches with roasted red peppers and some goat cheese. This week I discovered I also love portabella pizzas - substituting the mushroom cap as the crust of the pizza. Can you tell me more portabella recipes I might love?

Preferably vegetarian. Thanks!
posted by corn_bread to Food & Drink (22 answers total) 32 users marked this as a favorite
 
Well, this is just sort of a variation on the "portobella pizza" idea you mentioned, but portobellas stuffed with goat cheese + other complimentary things. Broil it so the cheese gets a little bubbly and crusty. Mmm. Though honestly in my opinion, this is even better with small mushroom as a finger food.
posted by threeants at 6:00 PM on August 17, 2011


Response by poster: I'm not opposed to hearing about recipes with smaller mushrooms either. Let's just open the thread up to awesome vegetarian recipes with mushrooms in general.

I am however trying to avoid carbs.
posted by corn_bread at 6:08 PM on August 17, 2011


If you aren't making your own mushroom soup, start now.
posted by paulsc at 6:10 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Portabella carpaccio! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/PORTOBELLO-MUSHROOM-CARPACCIO-1216354
posted by Maisie at 6:10 PM on August 17, 2011


Was about to post this in the vegetarian lasagna section! I haven't tried it but I've never been disappointed in anything by the Barefoot Contessa.
posted by la petite marie at 6:13 PM on August 17, 2011


I take portobello mushrooms, marinate them in vinaigrette dressing for a few hours, and then grill them. We're fond of the Kraft Tuscan Italian dressing, and also their Asian Sesame dressing, but any type of vinaigrette will do. Toss them on the grill for maybe 10 minutes or so, and serve warm. If you don't have a grill, then preheat the oven to 350F and roast them on a baking pan.
Whatever leftovers we have my wife will chop up and use to garnish a salad the next day. Quite tasty.

Since you mentioned other mushrooms, another favorite is to take a container of button mushrooms and marinate them for a day or so in whatever Italian dressing we happen to have around. Put those on your salads, or just eat as a snack.
posted by ralan at 6:15 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


la petite marie: I DID post it in that other question. I have tried it and tend to make it for groups of people coming to dinner. It's incredible.
posted by atomicstone at 6:19 PM on August 17, 2011


Rich, no-cream wild mushroom sauce from the kitchn. It's good.

Also, if you like roasted red peppers/mushroom sandwiches, you should try eggplant spread. (Roasted eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, garlic.) Trader Joe's makes a good one, but my favorite is Zergut (available in a twin pack (of course) at Costco).
posted by phunniemee at 6:20 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


atomicstone - sounds like I'll have to try it!
posted by la petite marie at 6:30 PM on August 17, 2011


This isn't so much a recipe, but one of my favorite things to take to work for lunch is a combination of roasted mushrooms and eggplant, served over whole grain pilaf with a sprinkle of parmesan. Mmm yummy.

Slice everything to whatever size appeals, put a dash of salt on the eggplant, wait a few minutes and press a clean cloth over them to soak up excess liquid, brush with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Roast 10-15 minutes at 375.
posted by charmcityblues at 6:56 PM on August 17, 2011


Slice the caps into long slices or big chunks, saute in olive oil for a few minutes.

Add in lots of chopped garlic and some sliced artichoke hearts. Stir till just warm.

Drizzle in some more olive oil.

Put in a bowl and eat with a good crusty bread.

Alternatively, toss with pasta and add some freshly grated parma cheese. Some canned or freshly diced tomatoes and basil would not be amiss.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 7:14 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Oops, yeah, I usually use high protein pasta and you can measure it out (instead of mixing it all in) to avoid getting to many carbs.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 7:18 PM on August 17, 2011


Ooh, time for my favorite low-carb dish: portabella salad.

On a plate, put a pile of spinach leaves, some crumbled bacon, chopped egg if you like it, and maybe some roasted red peppers.

In a skillet, heat up roughly equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil, plus some thyme and minced garlic. Throw a mushroom or two (depending on the size of the mushrooms and the size of your hunger) into the pan, and let it cook until it's warm throughout, golden brown in places, and has absorbed some (but not all! [this is important]) of the vinegar and oil.

Place a slice of brie (or your favorite melty cheese) atop each mushroom, cover the pan, and leave it alone for a minute to melt the cheese. Place the mushrooms atop the spinach, and drizzle it with the remainder of the pan juices, which will now become your dressing. The spinach leaves will wilt slightly at the heat of the dressing--this is the desired effect. Eat it quickly, before someone else shows up and wants some.


For the last few summer, I've put up marinated baby portabellas, as well, though there's no reason it wouldn't work with roughly chopped big portabellas. (Recipe cut and pasted from my blog, here.)

7 pounds small mushrooms
1/2 c lemon juice
2 cups olive oil
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 Tbsp oregano or thyme
1 Tbsp pickling salt
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, cut into quarters
30 peppercorns (all black, or a mix of colors)

Wash the mushrooms, removing and discarding the stems. Put the caps into a pot with the lemon juice and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer five minutes. Drain the mushrooms.

Mix together the oil, vinegar, oregano, onions, and salt in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Place a quarter of a garlic clove and a few peppercorns into each half-pint jar. Pack the mushrooms into the jar, then fill the jars with the oil-and-vinegar solution, leaving about a half inch of headspace. Put on the lids and tighten the rings.

Process in boiling water for 20 minutes.

These are great on sandwiches, heated and tossed with pasta, served on little antipasto trays, whatever. The first year I made them, I only made two little jars, and I regretted it sorely, because they are *delicious*.
posted by MeghanC at 7:57 PM on August 17, 2011 [3 favorites]


Serve it like a veggie steak! In a jar, shake together a clove of garlic, some oil, and some soy sauce. Brush on to the cap end, then pour the rest on to the gills. Leave to marinate for about 30 minutes or so, then grill.
posted by Gilbert at 8:04 PM on August 17, 2011


Like ralan, we marinate ours in dressing (the Kraft roasted red pepper italian dressing is usually our go-to for this), and then grill on our George Foreman. Serve on a crusty roll spread with garlic mayonnaise, and top with jarred roasted red peppers and a slice of provolone cheese. Yum.
posted by katyggls at 8:38 PM on August 17, 2011


Portobello Fajitas

4 or 5 large portobellos
1 large red bell pepper
1 medium red onion

Marinade:
3/4 cup mild beer (Bock is nice)
1/2 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
5 or 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

To serve:
12 flour tortillas, warmed
guacamole, salsa, cheese, and sour cream as desired

About an hour before starting a fire, marinate the vegetables: Discard stems from portobellos. Slice them into 1/2-3/4 inch-thick slices. Remove stem and seeds from the pepper and slice into strips slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. Peel onion, slice in half from top to bottom, then slice into half circles. Separate the onion into half-rings.

Whisk together the beer, olive oil, cumin, salt and garlic slices. Pour over the vegetables. This works best in a ziptop plastic bag as it will let you squeeze out the air and keep the vegetables completely in the marinade, but you can use a casserole dish, too. Turn over the bag or toss the vegetables at least once while they're marinating.

Start coals. When the coals are ready, drain the vegetables. Grill on a grill pan until they're tender. It's okay if they blacken slightly. If they don't seem to be cooking quickly enough, drop the lid on your grill.

Serve with tortillas and other fixin's and let everyone put together their own. Serves 4.

To make these indoors: Preheat oven to 425 F. Slice vegetables as above. Instead of marinade, toss them with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil (I don't measure), 1/4 teaspoon each cumin and salt, and 3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a baking pan and broil until tender, tossing once or twice, about 30 minutes.
posted by zinfandel at 8:41 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Slice the portabellas, then brush on each side a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and oregano/basil and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Either grill, saute, or bake in a grill pan. When it's almost cooked, top with mozzarella cheese and let melt. It's delicious!
posted by bookdragoness at 11:56 PM on August 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


It's a damn shame about the carbs, because my portobello shepherd's pie is fantastic.

Chop and saute some vegetables with a bit of bite (onions, green beans, bell peppers, garlic shoots if you can get them) and add a little bit of vegetable stock at the end. You want them to still be crispy.

Rub the outside of the mushrooms with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip them over, so the gills are showing, and laddle some of the veggies into each mushroom cap. Top with leftover mashed potatoes, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes on a baking sheet with a lip so the juices don't spill out. With the size of the mushrooms, you're looking at one mushroom per person, with a nice salad on the side. I tend to season the filling with thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper, though you could do something different.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:28 AM on August 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


I don't see why you couldn't make that shepherds pie with mashed cauliflower.
posted by padraigin at 6:11 AM on August 18, 2011


Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches with Cranberry Dijon Mustard. Easy and good. Best with a dark toasted bread--my favorite's Russian black bread.
posted by ifjuly at 10:28 AM on August 18, 2011 [2 favorites]


Also, you mentioned carbs, but in case: Beth Hensperger also has a mushroom lasagna that involves like 4 kinds of mushrooms, including meaty stuff and then strong woodsy stuff (portos with shiitakes and wood ear and chicken of the wood, say). So good. I think the mushrooms are even in the sauce too.
posted by ifjuly at 10:29 AM on August 18, 2011


My mom sautés chanterelles and fiddleheads together in butter. Perhaps the most delicious food in the entire world. You could put it on angelhair pasta, or since you're avoiding carbs you could just declare it to be a salad and eat it as is.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:12 AM on August 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


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