Portobello mushrooms | Bewitching Kitchen

As I mentioned before, one of the few shows I still enjoy in the FoodTV Network is the series “Best Thing I Ever Made“. The list of dishes I’d like to make from that show is shamelessly long, but I keep tuning in and making the list longer. This meatless take on stroganoff is another great recipe by Alton Brown, featured in the episode “Updated Classics“. Heads up: the fact that it is meatless does not make it a light meal! The sauce is very rich with cream and goat cheese, the Portobello mushrooms play the meat part better than I expected.

MUSHROOM STROGANOFF WITH GOAT CHEESE
(from Alton Brown, Best Thing I Ever Made)

12 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 Portobello mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch green onions, sliced and white bottoms and green tops separated
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
14 ounces beef broth
8 ounces sour cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
fresh parsley leaves, minced, to taste

Cook the noodles al dente, according to package instructions. Melt the butter in a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Increase the heat to high, add the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute until they darken in color, soften and give off their liquid, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the white parts of the green onions and saute 2 to 3 minutes.Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Cook until the flour disappears and the fond on the bottom of the pan turns dark brown, about 1 minute.

Deglaze with the beef broth. Bring to a simmer and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, and then add the sour cream, goat cheese and black pepper. Stir to combine, and then partially cover and bring to a simmer to warm through, 2 to 4 minutes.Drain the noodles, add to the pan and stir to combine. Garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I had no idea that one could find some episodes of FoodTV on the net, without interruption for commercials. If you want to see Alton in action, click here. He used an interesting method to cook the pasta, starting it in COLD water. I wanted to try it, but completely forgot about it and cooked my noodles the normal way. Check the link for the recipe in the FoodTV site for his version, or watch the episode in which he explains the rationale for doing it this way.

This was a very substantial and filling pasta. It could be a vegetarian-friendly entrée if you skipped the beef broth and used a veggie broth instead, but I don’t think it would be nearly as good. I used home-made beef broth from our freezer. I actually like to call it “liquid gold”. It’s labor-intensive to prepare, but it does shine in a recipe like this one. It gave amazing depth of flavor to the Portobello mushrooms. This would be a wonderful dish for a dinner party, by the way. The sauce can be made in advance, all you have to do is cook the noodles and awe your guests… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Tomato Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: Gamberetti con rucola e pomodori

THREE YEARS AGO: Flirting with Orzo

The month of March brought a little too much snow and cold to The Little Apple, but we escaped to warmer weather for a week, arriving from Brazil right before the last Monday of the month. Why is the last Monday of the month so important in the food blogging world? Well, by now you should know it’s The Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! This month, with all our activities and travel, it was a bit of a stretch to participate, but I’m very glad I did. I was paired with a blog I had not visited before, The Saturday Evening Pot. The host is a trained chef, and that immediately got the adrenaline pumping in my system as I browsed his site in search of recipes. He cooks for a family of four: himself, his wife, and two kids, but to make things a lot more interesting they have food sensitivities that need to be taken in account. Not an easy task. He does so beautifully, though, and in his site you will find extensive nutritional information for all recipes and plenty of advice for adapting recipes in case you face similar issues. I highly recommend a visit to The Saturday Evening Pot. It did not take me very long to choose a recipe, because I’ve been thinking of trying stuffed Portobello mushrooms for quite some time. Great opportunity to go for it, wouldn’t you say?

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM CAPS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO
(from The Saturday Evening Pot)

3-4 large Portobello mushroom caps
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
4-6 ounces crumbled goat cheese
3-4 slices prosciutto

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using a small dinner spoon, remove stems from mushroom caps and scrape out brown ribbing on underside of mushroom caps. Lay mushroom caps, stem side up, on sheet pan. Brush each lightly with olive oil. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until mushroom browns lightly.

While mushrooms are baking, take each slice of prosciutto and cut using a chiffonade pattern. Set aside.

Remove mushrooms from oven and turn oven setting to broil. Drizzle each mushroom cap with a small amount (approximately 1/4 teaspoon) of balsamic vinegar. Spread vinegar evenly with the back of a spoon over inside of mushroom cap. Place one slice shredded prosciutto in each mushroom cap and sprinkle goat cheese on top of prosciutto. Place sheet pan under broiler and melt cheese until lightly browned. Remove and serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Delicious recipe, we will definitely be making this over and over and over, adding all kinds of goodies on the Portobello base. My only modification was to use fig balsamic vinegar, but other than that, I followed his recipe to a T. Three mushrooms were more than enough for Phil and I, we even had half of the small one leftover. We enjoyed them as our main dish, next to a little spaghetti with olive oil and lemon zest. You may notice there is no salt in the recipe. Both goat cheese and prosciutto can be very salty, particularly when you roast them, so make it as written and see how you like it. I love salt, but did not miss it. For a full vegetarian version, sun-dried tomatoes could replace the prosciutto, or a mixture of black olives, roasted red bell peppers… this is a nice basic method to improvise according to your mood.

If you want to see the other recipes made by friends in my group, click on the blue frog that is smiling at you at the bottom of the post.

ONE YEAR AGO: Orange and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

TWO YEARS AGO: Pistachio-Walnut Sourdough Bread

THREE YEARS AGO: Cottage Loaf and Yeasty Dogs