The Portobello Mushroom provides the best of both worlds for vegetable and meat lovers. Many consider the Portobello the king of mushrooms and I would agree, for those of you that don’t think fungi should be food, then the Portobello is a great mushroom to start with. They provide what anyone looks for in a mushroom, a deep earthy flavor, and also provide a meaty texture in a big package. They also come in smaller packages, what is currently being marketed as “baby bellas” or crimini mushrooms are simply immature Portobellos, and no, in this case, that doesn’t mean they think that girls have cooties. The large Portobellos provide a great canvas, much like a steak, with their own deep flavors, to grill and add your very own flavors to. This recipe will tell you exactly how to grill Portobello Mushrooms.
Today most supermarkets carry Portobello Mushrooms, like I said, they’re the King of Mushrooms. But hey, supermarkets carry nearly every food nowadays. Typically, I’d recommend 1 large Portobello for every person you are trying to feed, but it may be more or less, some people like more food then others, I’m guilty of this. If you don’t intend on serving them as a meal, they do make a great appetizer or serve as an excellent addition to salads. There are a few other items you’ll want to get at the store, but many of them you’ll already have at home:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/6 cup red wine vinegar, or any vinegar you prefer
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, or whole grain mustard
Juice of one Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
These are the components that will create the marinade. I find that this simple vinaigrette serves as an incredible and simple marinade for the delicious grilled Portobello Mushrooms. Feel free to use this vinaigrette with salads, bread, pretty much any food. To make the vinaigrette, add the vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the Olive oil as you whisk, it should end up looking sort of like the Italian dressing you buy in stores, only taste much better. Fresh food is always better.
When you take your Portobello Mushrooms out of their package, you will feel the compulsive urge to wash them. But please, please, don’t ruin them. Don’t wash them, you will water log them. Even if they are only under water for seconds, they will be waterlogged, and at this point, they want absorb any of the wonderful marinade you just made. If you see any dirt on them, brush it off. There are specific tools for cleaning mushrooms, but a dish towel or even a clean tooth brush work just as good, if not better for cleaning mushrooms.
Next, you want to remove the gills of the mushroom. You’re probably saying, “Gills! I thought I had fungi not fish” Well, mushrooms have gills, too. And Portobello Mushrooms have very large, thick, and black gills, if you don’t want to remove them, then you don’t have to, but they will likely turn anything you put the mushroom on a black color, including the marinade. To remove them, simply turn your mushroom so the bottom is facing up. If there is a stem, you should remove it now, too. Scrape the black gills off using a large spoon. Try not to break the mushroom.
Put the Portobello Mushrooms, now clean and gill-free, into a plastic bag. Pour in your marinade, seal the bag, and fondle to combine. Don’t get any ideas. Refrigerate for at least an hour, but overnight is great, too.
As your Portobellos are finishing marinading, preheat your grill to medium heat. If you are using a broil because you are unable to grill, then, well, turn it on. Now, comes the easy part. Throw your mushrooms onto the grill, or onto a broiler pan. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, and if you wish, halfway through the cooking on each side turn 45 degrees to create crosshatch grill marks. For those of you who aren’t into trigonometry, then that’s a quarter of a rotation.
Serve your Portobello Mushrooms while they are still warm. They deserve it as almighty King. They’re great on buns like hamburgers, in salads, or even straight up. That’s part of the beauty in Portobello Mushrooms, they’re so versatile. I really wish all food was this versatile, and all recipes were this simple and delicious.
