I have a mad crush on Yotam Ottolenghi. His book, Plenty, is so gorgeous that it's hard not to fall under his spell, smitten by caper mayonnaise and cardamom rice. I've had his book for a year now, but all we've done is lay around in bed together. What can I say, I'm a cookbook slut. This weekend, I finally committed: page 56, stuffed portobello with melting taleggio. Yes, it was a low commitment cooking date.
Unlike most stuffed mushroom recipes, these don't include bread crumbs among the ingredient list. Instead, the stuffing is a mixture of celery, onions, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, tarragon, and basil. Then topped with thin slice of creamy, salty taleggio. The celery in particular is a nice addition, giving each bite a soft snap.
I love stuffed mushrooms, and I like Yotam's bread-less version. The recipe calls for using big portobellos, but preferring the bite size versions, I used button ones, which made a tasty dinner next to a salad of arugula.
Oh Yotam, I think I'll see you again. Next time, for some black pepper tofu or Mee Goreng?
Hey, Yotam fans, please drop a line and let me know what I should cook next!
As I noted above, I used button size portobellos instead of large ones. Please note a few arugula files suggestions throughout and at the end of the recipe.
Stuffed Portobello with Melting Taleggio
From Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
4 large portobellos, stalks removed
6 tbs olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 small onion, diced (note: arugula files used 2 shallots
1 celery stalk, finely diced (note: arugula files used 2 stalks)
2 cups finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbs chopped tarragon leaves
4 tbs coarsely shredded basil leaves
3.5 ounces taleggio, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an oven tray with baking parchment. Place the mushrooms on the tray, tops facing down, drizzle with a little oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for about 15 minutes or so, until the mushrooms begin to soften. {note: the small button mushrooms took about 8 minutes}.
Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan and add the onion and celery. Cook on low heat for five to 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the vegetables are soft but have not browned. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, cook for a few minutes more, then remove from the heat and leave to cool down.
Once cool, add the parmesan, some of the basil, and the tarragon, to the mixture and season with freshly ground pepper (you can add a little salt, but not much because taleggio is very salty).
Pile the filling on the whole mushrooms and top with the slices of taleggio. Return to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the mushrooms are hot.
Transfer the mushrooms to serving plates and drizzle with some more oil. Garnish with remaining basil and serve straight away, alongside a green salad.
{Arugula Files Notes: This is enough mixture to fill four, large portabello mushrooms. If you choose to use the button size versions, you will have a lot of mixture left over. If you are using smaller portabellos, you can either reduce along the way, or freeze the mixture for another time!}
