Stuffed Portobellos Make Great Side Dishes
During the summer, inventive grill cooks look for ways to incorporate their abilities into side dishes and appetizers to complement the flawlessly grilled steak or rotisserie chicken.
The portobello mushroom is ideal for appetizers or a side dish when combined with a filling or stuffing.
The Portobello Mushroom
Portabella mushrooms are another name for portobello mushrooms. The portobello mushroom is a larger form of the crimini mushroom that has grown larger than 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
Whatever the chef labels it, the mushroom is a good grilling ingredient.
The portobello mushroom, as opposed to the smaller bulk white and Italian brown mushrooms, has a greater diameter and a somewhat flatter surface to which fillings can be put.
Preparing the Portobello
Preheat the grill to medium heat, roughly 400 degrees Fahrenheit or a little hotter. The stems are frequently minced and added to the stuffing mixture when preparing smaller mushrooms for stuffing.
The stem is normally removed and discarded from portobellos. Most stems will snap straight off the mushroom cap with a little twist. Then, using the edge of a spoon, scrape away the gills.
Washing the mushrooms with water is not recommended, although a simple brushing with a towel can remove anything that is not part of the mushroom.
Brush both sides of the cap with high-smoke-point cooking oil, such as canola or safflower oil.
Ingredients
- Portobello mushrooms, stems, and gills removed
- Pico de gallo salsa
- Feta cheese, crumbled
Grilling the Portobello Mushroom
- Grill the mushroom, cap side up, for four to five minutes over medium heat. Remember that the longer the mushroom is cooked over a flame, the meatier the texture will be.
- Cook for another three or four minutes after flipping the mushroom.
- Once the mushroom has been turned over, the chef can either add the stuffing mixture or wait until the mushrooms have been removed from the grill. The filling is added when the mushroom is turned over in the recipe described here. In this manner, the filling warms up alongside the mushroom.
- Grill for three to four minutes before removing from the heat and serving.
Notes for Preparing Pico de Gallo Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Pico de gallo salsa can be made or purchased ahead of time by the backyard chef. The flavor of pico de gallo salsa generally increases after it has rested and marinated in lime juice.
- Grill the mushroom for about four minutes, cap side up, as described above.
- Then, flip the mushroom top over and stuff it with pico de gallo.
- Top the pico de gallo with roughly a teaspoon of crumbled feta cheese. The salsa’s sharpness of cilantro and onion, paired with the jalapeno spice, complements the cheese’s texture.
- Close the top and continue to cook for another three to four minutes.
- Remove the mushroom from the grill when it is completely heated and serve it cap side down.
Because this filled mushroom is huge, it can be cut into fourths or sixths and eaten with chips or a cracker. It’s also a great side dish to go with nicely cooked steaks.
Some stuffed mushroom recipes call for the mushroom to be withdrawn from the grill once it is fully cooked before adding the filling. You can also use a pre-cooked mixture as a filling.
Pico de gallo, on the other hand, can be added during the final minutes of cooking, as stated above, or after the mushroom has been withdrawn from the grill. The cook can choose between a cold or warm filling.
