Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Italian Sausage
When I first started cooking professionally in 1979, even getting fresh button mushrooms was exciting. These days, portobello mushrooms, and any number of other exotic varieties, are practically an everyday item. When it comes to portobellos (which, mercifully, have remained fairly inexpensive), you can buy just the caps, but I like to buy whole mushrooms so I can use the stems to “beef up” the stuffing. Any favorite stuffing recipe will work here, but this spicy Italian sausage mixture is my favorite because it provides the perfect counterbalance to the earthiness of the mushrooms. Serve this with a simple tomato sauce, lemon butter, or just a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar. Sautéed broccoli rabe and a twirl of angel hair pasta turn it into a complete meal. Bring on the chianti!
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Portobello Mushrooms
Italian Sausage Stuffing
Preparation
Portobello Mushrooms
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and rosemary. Wipe the top of the portobello caps with a damp cloth or paper towel. Using a spoon or paring knife, scrape the gills from the mushrooms (see below). Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of the mushrooms with the marinade. Salt them lightly and bake, gill side up, for about 5 minutes, or just until they start to wilt. Set aside.
Italian Sausage Stuffing
Step 3
Cook the sausage in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until no longer pink. Remove from the heat, drain, and place in a medium bowl. When it is cool, break up the sausage with your fingers. Return the pan to the heat and pour in the olive oil; swirl to coat the bottom. Add the onion, pepper, and portobello stems and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Add the zucchini and stir to combine. Cook another 3–5 minutes, until the zucchini has released its liquid. Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with the sausage. Stir the mixture and let it cool for 5 minutes, then add the egg, bread crumbs, optional ricotta, and herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Mound the filling onto the portobello caps and top with grated cheese. Place them in a baking dish and bake immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to several hours.
Step 4
When ready to serve, bake at 400°F for 10–12 minutes (20 minutes if the mushrooms have been chilled), until the filling is heated through and the cheese is golden brown.
Cleaning Portobellos
Step 5
I love portobellos, but a pet peeve of mine is the way the gills tend to bleed when they cook, making everything dark and muddy-looking. I avoid this by getting rid of the gills altogether. Hold the mushroom, gill side up, and scrape the gills off with a spoon or paring knife held parallel to the mushroom surface. It’s best to do this over a bowl or the trash, as it is a messy operation. Then proceed to use the mushroom in whatever way the recipe calls for. It’s an extra step, but to me it’s worth it.
