Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

I still cannot believe that I lived 24 years of my life without fresh mushrooms. This perfection of nature was not widely available in Brazil when I lived there, so I was very excited to try it when I moved to the U.S.  I have not been able to stop eating it since the moment I took a first bite! 


This recipe I am sharing today is slightly adapted from a lovely Italian cookbook and it is one of the many ways I enjoy eating mushrooms. I love the fact that this Portabella caps are incredibly flavorful and that they are NOT filled with all kinds of mysterious ingredients, but simply with chopped button mushrooms, shallots, garlic, cheese, egg, bread crumbs and herbs. Simply delicious. I highly recommend it! 





This dish can be served hot or at room temperature. I recommend substituting the large Portabella mushrooms for Baby Bella mushrooms if you want to serve this at a cocktail party! 

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Serves 2 


Ingredients


2 large Portabella mushrooms
3/4 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 button mushrooms
3/4 tablespoon of butter
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon of white wine
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup of fresh bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon (and a little more for garnishing) of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped


Directions


Preheat the oven to 350F. Wipe the Portablella with a damp cloth or paper towel, remove and discard the stems and rub the caps with a little lemon juice. Wipe the button mushrooms and chop them finely, then mix the remaining lemon juice.


On a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter, add the shallot and garlic and cook  until golden in color, about 4 minutes. Add chopped mushrooms and wine and cook until mushroom is tender (about 4 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat and add Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, cream, tarragon and parsley. Season with a few pinches of salt and freshly ground pepper (have a little bite of it so you can judge how much salt you need).


Lightly grease a baking sheet, or cover it with parchment paper. Lay the mushroom caps over the baking sheet and fill them with the filling. Bake for at least 20 minutes or until Portablella is tender.


Recipe slightly adapted from The Food of Italy cookbook.


Visualize:


To make the fresh bread crumbs I simply place some slices of white bread in a food processor and pulse it until you obtain crumbs. Set aside.

Clean Portabella mushrooms, remove steams, and rub caps with a little lemon juice:

Clean button mushroom, chop them finely and mix with remaining lemon juice:

Heat butter, add onion and garlic and cook until golden in color. Add button mushrooms and wine and continue to cook until mushroom is tender:

Remove pan from the heat and add cheese, bread crumbs, fresh herbs, cream and egg. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste:

Lightly grease a baking sheet or cover it with parchment paper. Place Portabella mushrooms on the baking sheet, add the filling and bring it into the over to cook until mushroom cap is tender (about 20 minutes or more).

Here is how they look after cooked:





Serve it hot or at room temperature. Garnish with the remaining parsley (or tarragon) and top with Parmesan cheese.