Wednesday, April 15, 2015

M is for Mushrooms - A to Z Challenge 2015

Mushrooms are not a very unusual food, but I came across the Mushroomsrecipe below which made up my mind for me. There are so many mushrooms available to us these days. My favouPuffballrite is probably Portobello because it reminds me of the field mushrooms my mother and I used to go and pick when I was a kid. We’d go to a cow field around 5 a.m. I think, certainly whilst it was still dark, to pick them. Being dark you had to be careful what you were trying to pick and sometimes despite having grown over night, they could already be full of maggots, but when you got them home and cooked them, the Shaggy Maneflavour was out of this world. In this part of Canada we can also get puff balls which I have only tried once, (a friend brought one in from their fields). It was delicious but very large although not as large as the one in this picture. There is also the Shaggy Mane which has to be picked whilst young as they become more toxic as they get older. There are toxic look-a-likes I believe. I have never had the courage to pick mushrooms in the wild in Canada in case I made a mistake. I would have like to go with an expert.

Tomato and Olive-Stuffed Portobello Caps

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Portobello caps make excellent mini casseroles. Here, they hold a tomato, cheese and olive stuffing that grills up to a smoky perfection. Serve them with whole-wheat couscous and a mixed green salad for an easy meal.

Tomato-&-Olive-Stuffed Portobello Caps

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup chopped plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 4 portobello mushroom caps
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Instructions

Step 1
Combine tomatoes, cheese, olives, garlic, 1 teaspoon oil, rosemary and pepper in a small bowl.
Step 2
Preheat grill to medium.
Step 3
Discard mushroom stems. Remove brown gills from the undersides of the caps using a spoon; discard gills. Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over both sides of the caps.
Step 4
Oil a grill rack (see Tip). Place the caps on the rack, stem sides down, cover and grill until soft, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and fill with the tomato mixture. Return to the grill, cover, and cook until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes more.
Tips
To oil a grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

48 comments:

  1. I love mushrooms, but I don't know if I'd have that same feeling if I'd picked them out of a cow field and covered in maggots. Ew! I want to erase that image from my memory.

    Scribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge

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    1. We didn't pick the ones covered in maggots of course. Fresh from the field they are so flavourful

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  2. I absolutely love mushrooms and unfortunately in India you do not get anything else apart from the white button ones.

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    1. What a shame. The different varieties are so delicious to eat.

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  3. I love portobellos for the same reason. We used to go mushroom picking when I was a child, too. They were introduced by the early colonists, or so I believe, and there's not much as good as freshly picked field mushrooms.

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    1. You are so right Helen. I do miss being able to pick them. Although I don't think I would be so keen to get up before the crack of dawn.

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  4. Hi Jo - I love field mushrooms - they're so good and can be used as is, sliced, or as you described stuffed with some delicious goodies - this recipe looks just up my street ... I went mushrooming in South Africa and we picked very funny ones - I'm not sure I was all that happy ... but I was a good guest and ate them!!! A learning curve ... just one I haven't repeated ...

    Thinking about Helen's comment above .. they could have been grown in/on the ships as they sailed across the Atlantic ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Presumably if you were a guest, they knew what to pick. I would love to go mushrooming with someone who knew what they were doing.

      Interesting thought, they could have grown them in the bilges. Dark enough and probably wet enough.

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  5. I also went mushroom picking as a kid. Even for morels. My grandmother would can them, we would get so many. I love mushrooms, any kind there is. I hate it when you order pizza and someone asks for 'no mushrooms'. What? I have a great recipe for stuffed portabellos that I should post one day.

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    1. You certainly should post it Denise. I too love mushrooms although the white button mushrooms don't have a lot of flavor. Never heard of anyone canning mushrooms before but I guess one can buy canned mushrooms in the stores.

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  6. Not a fan of the mushroom. They need to be sliced or diced really small for me to eat them, and at that I'll only touch white ones from the grocery store. And I think I would just die if I saw one loaded w/ maggots. That'd put me off them forever.

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    1. I bet Russell eats them though. We didn't touch the maggoty ones of course.

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  7. I've only recently started eating mushrooms. Hated them all my life until a few months ago I ate them in an antipasta salad. Now I love them.

    v

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    1. Think what you have been missing Stephen. You'll have to take a wormhole back to when you were younger and catch up.

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  8. Covered in maggots? I'll pass on gathering mushrooms and just buy them from the story.

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    1. Everyone has fixated on the maggot part. If you had ever tasted a field mushroom you would see the difference. They are so much better.

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  9. The local council has sprayed the verges where field mushrooms used to grow. I feel aggrieved every day when I walk by - no more free mushrooms for me.

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    1. What about in the fields themselves Bob? That's where we used to go.

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  10. My wife can't stand mushrooms, so naturally we don't buy them very often. Every now and then we'll make something with them and I chop them up to a near-microscopic level so you can't tell they're in there. :)

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    1. That's a pity. I think it's Arlee's wife who is the same with Arlee loving them. Luckily Matt and I mostly like everything.

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  11. Ah mushrooms! My mother, being Russian, knew just what kind of mushrooms to pick. It's almost a religion in Russia to go mushroom hunting. And, I played a bad mushroom in the play, Sleeping Beauty. Four years old, big coolie hat painted red with big white spots, and a white gown without sleeves. In 'Russian which rhymed I said, "I am a bad mushroom and I have been here a long time." Ah, memories.

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    1. There are lots of old tales out of Russia about people going mushroom hunting. I hadn't realised that was your background. Where was the play staged, on this side of the pond?

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    2. When I talked about Russian Food for "F" I forgot to mention that we were there during mushroom season. We ate a lot of mushroom soup but I never took a picture.

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    3. I assume it was a good mushroom soup.

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  12. I've looked for mushrooms in the wild twice, and both times it was in France with people who knew what they were looking for. I would never try that on my own! I too, love portabellas, especially baby ones that I've sauteed up to put on my salad...I am going to try that recipe! Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

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    1. Yes, the French would know although I am told that young French women are no longer learning to cook. Such a shame. In all my time in France I never once had a bad meal and now it's apparently going the way of the rest of the world. Quel horreur. We get puffballs here, I would think you would get them too surely?

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  13. Can't say I'm much of a mushroom aficionado, although I don't mind them. Mary tells stories of how she, her mother, and her grandmother (who was from Lithuania) would go out in the forest preserves around Chicago and pick mushrooms. Grandma knew the ones that were good and the ones that would make you sick, probably not a bad thing to know.

    John Holton
    Blogging from A to Z 2015 Cohost
    The Sound of One Hand Typing

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    1. No you are right, not a bad thing to know. I like the wild and the portabellas best, more flavour. The Lithuanians would know, same as the Russians, very much part of their heritage.

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  14. I love mushrooms. We made a mushroom pasta last night with white mushrooms, portabella, morels and chanterelles. So good.

    --
    Tim Brannan, The Other Side Blog
    2015 A to Z of Vampires
    http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/

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    1. That does sound good. Why didn't you invite me?

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  15. I love mushrooms but I have never seen those mushrooms here in the Niagara Region. Maybe I am not looking hard enough. The recipe is one I will have to try

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    1. I cannot imagine you wouldn't be able to get them, you are not that far away from me if you are in the Niagara region.

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  16. I love adding sliced mushrooms to broccoli soup along with chicken seasoning and red peppers. Mushrooms give it that crunchy texture when everything else has softened. Thanks for the tasty new recipe Jo.

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    1. How very innovative, never thought about that. Glad you like this recipe.

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  17. I've never eaten wild mushrooms but I think the ones I buy in the supermarket are quite bland compared to the way I remember them when I was a kid. When I was pregnant I had a very strong craving for mushrooms and cooked them with everything every night. They're very good for you aren't they.

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    1. Wild mushrooms that I have eaten have a much stronger flavour. That's why I like portabellas.

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  18. Oh, I do love a mushroom - and I don't even need a magic one :)

    And Portobello's are my favorite, but I can only eat one with a steak, so it has to be a special occasion for me to buy a pack of two :)

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    1. Me neither. I know what you mean about eating them with steak. We like to do that as well. However, I am going to splurge and try this recipe.

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  19. Oh GMD, that looks delicious. I love, love mushrooms. I can't get my daughter to try them at all. My biggest mistake was telling her they're fungi. Sheesh. You know I'm not really a picky eater, but I've never been crazy about Kalamata olives. Don't know why. Could I replace them in the recipe with the green ones I love so much?

    Love you!! Hugs.

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    1. How old is your daughter, maybe she will like them later on. I am sure the olive change won't matter that much, I love all olives myself. Not a lot of food I don't love that's why I have to diet so much LOL

      Love you too and hugs to you.

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  20. That recipe is making me hungry! I love mushrooms.

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    1. Great food and I love stuffed mushrooms too. I will definitely be trying this.

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  21. That looks like a very tasty recipe! How fun with the memories of collecting mushrooms with your mom! My grandfather knew how to tell the poisonous mushrooms from the edible ones; definitely an art to have!

    betty

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    1. I wish I knew more about collecting field mushrooms. The shaggy manes are delicious but are poisonous once past a certain age.

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  22. Hubby is a major mushroom fan, he would LOVE this! :-)

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  23. I'm addicted to mushrooms!
    To the extent that I have them with my Chicken burritos, instant noodles, tomato soup and sometimes, in a Chicken stir fry!

    Fellow #AtoZChallenge blogger.
    Mithila @Fabulus1710
    http://www.fabulus1710.blogspot.in

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    1. That does sound like an addition Mithila. Not one you need to worry about though LOL

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