More On Mushrooms (Keeping It Simple)

Portobella and Gruyère Sandwich ~ a simple, simply-delicious sandwich featuring a portobella mushroom with gruyère and a few seasonings which you’re sure to have on hand.

I did a little research on mushrooms while writing this post. Now I know that a portobella (aka portobello) mushroom is “a very large, rich-flavored cremini mushroom”. Conversely, a cremini* is “an immature portobello* mushroom, eaten before the cap has opened”. (Source)


PORTOBELLA AND GRUYÈRE SANDWICH


Ingredients...

portobella mushroom
extra virgin olive oil
liquid aminos
salt and pepper
garlic powder

shredded gruyère cheese

sandwich “thin”


Direction...

1. Rinse and wipe the portobella. Peel the outside (top side) off the cap and scoop out the dark underside with a grapefruit spoon.

2. Sauté portobella in a small amount of EVOO, 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and sprinkle each side with liquid aminos (may substitute Worcestershire sauce), salt, pepper and garlic powder.

3. Serve on a sandwich thin with as much shredded gruyère as your heart desires. If you want more melt in your cheese, grill the assembled sandwich in the same pan you used to sautè the portobella.

PREVIOUS POSTS USING MUSHROOMS


Portobellas and Porcinis at their finest

Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Sala’s Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf

Sala’s Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf

An acorn squash sat on my counter as I waited for inspiration. One acorn squash, one recipe, two servings ~ there it was on the internet, straight from the kitchen of my blogging friend Sala at Veggie Belly.

All I had to do was run (walk, actually) to the nearby supermarket and buy cremini mushrooms.

Sala’s recipe also invites the optional addition of halloumi cheese. Because of the price tag on this cheese and my mid-month financial balance, I decided to forgo this semi-hard cheese made from a mixture of milks. I’ve savored halloumi on past occasions, including a stop at Nando’s Peri-Peri in Maryland, so I can assure you it’s well worth the price if you choose to add it.

You can find Sala’s complete, original recipe and her beautiful photos here.


Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf ~ 2 Servings
(based on a recipe by Sala @ VeggieBelly.com)

Ingredients...
1 acorn squash (I recommend picking out a rather large one)
1-1/2 T. ghee
1/2 tsp. powdered cinnamon
2 whole cloves
5 oz. (about 2 cups) chopped cremini mushrooms
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup long grain brown rice
salt, to taste
Optional ~ Wild Mushroom & Sage Infused Olive Oil


Directions...
1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut squash in half. Scrape out membrane and seeds. Bake on parchment lined baking sheet, cut side down, 30 minutes or until squash is fork-tender.
3. When squash is done, cut off tips so that squash sits up steadily.
4. While squash is baking, heat butter in large, deep skillet. Add cinnamon and cloves and let sizzle for 30 seconds.
5. Add mushrooms and cook without stirring on medium-high heat, till mushrooms brown.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, rice and salt. Stir for two minutes.
7. Add 1 cup water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer till rice is done, about 50 minutes.
8. When rice is done, but not mushy, turn off heat and let sit covered 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Discard cloves.
9. Spoon pilaf into baked squash cavities and serve immediately. (If the squash needs reheating, do so in a microwave before adding the pilaf.)

I mentioned that I left the halloumi cheese out of Sala’s recipe. I also skipped the dried cranberries or raisins. This dish was absolutely delicious without them, although I have no doubt it would taste just as good with either or both!

On my other blog, Corning NY Step by Step, I wrote about the little shop where I bought Wild Mushroom & Sage Infused Olive Oil. This turned out to be the perfect topping when I drizzled some on the Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf.

MUSHROOM GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

I absolutely love food blogs and am subscribed to about a dozen. Tis the season for cookies and other desserts, with a few “healthy” foods in between, for most of them. I have to admit to the same addiction to sweets for this Christmas season.

Today I’m going to back up a week or so to when I made the most delicious Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich. I first saw this sandwich on Closet Cooking - a blog by Kevin in Canada. Be sure to take a look at what he has to offer. These men sure can cook and not just meat and potatoes!

You should see me when I try out someone else’s recipe. Unless I’m absotively sure I’ll be making the recipe numerous times (such as those that include chocolate), I run back and forth to my computer to find out what the next ingredient is and what to do with it.

Meantime, I have a notebook with me in the kitchen and I make notes on what I do different and what I discover about the original recipes.

According to my notebook, I made this sandwich twice. Kevin, if you can be decadent, I can be even more decadent. I’ll tell you and our readers about it in a minute. Meantime, here’s the original recipe and some photos of my version which is not as gooey, melty looking as Kevin’s.




Kevin’s Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients...

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1/4 cup white wine or broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
1 cup fontina or gruyere, shredded
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
4 slices bread
2 tablespoon butter


Directions...
Melt the butter and heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minutes.
Add the cremini mushrooms and saute until the start to caramelized and turn golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the wine, deglaze the pan and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat and let cool a bit.
Mix the cheese into the mushrooms.
Butter one side of each slice of bread and place 2 in the pan buttered side down.
Top each with 1/4 of the mushroom mixture and finally the remaining slices of bread with the buttered side up.
Grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Okay, so that’s Kevin’s version and here are my notes about my first endeavor:

*The gruyere was expensive, so I purchased the fontina. Good choice, a yummy cheese. The parmigiano reggiano was very expensive, so I ended up choosing a mix of parmigiano reggiano and pecorino romano.

*I made one sandwich the first time using a bit less than half the cheese. That’s a lot of cheese! My bread slices were big, so my version doesn’t overflow as much as Kevin’s did.

Here’s my first sandwich...


The next night, I made another sandwich. Be still, my heart. I added a bit of crushed red pepper flakes, just a small amount on the end of a teaspoon. I like a bite of heat, not an overwhelming mouthful. I also added a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese. That’s full fat cream cheese, not lite or fat free!


You’ll notice that the cheese did not melt as much as it did in the first sandwich. Probably because I took it out of the pan sooner than before so it wouldn’t get as brown.

So there you have it. If you’re not totally overloaded on coma-inducing, sugary treats and cholesterol-laden entrees, give Kevin’s Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich a taste. Thanks, Kevin, for letting me use your idea!


******

Step by Step in the Kitchen is now on Facebook. Take a look and "Like" the page. I'll be posting extra notes and photos there.

and

Visit my other blog ~ Corning NY Step by Step, a pictorial view of the City of Corning NY.