Edible Paradise

INGREDIENTS:

6 large Portobello mushrooms
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup red wine (or red wine vinegar)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2  tablespoon minced fresh thyme
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, de-germed, and minced
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Water if necessary
-OR-
2 cups balsamic vinaigrette (see recipe for Balsamic Marinated Mushrooms)

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 425F°.

Pour the vinegars into a non-reactive bowl, and add the herbs, garlic and pepper. Allow to macerate 20 minutes.

Whisk in the oil in a steady stream, or use an immersion mixer. This is what is known as a “slack” dressing and will not fully emulsify due to the ratio of oil to vinegar.

Taste the marinade. If it is really sharp, add a little water to dilute some of the sharpness.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and reserve for a different use.

If the gills are dark, remove them using a spoon or table knife. Hopefully you selected Portobellos that have pale pinkish gills and a decurved cap lip, so this will not be necessary.

Put the mushrooms into a non-reactive container that will hold the mushrooms closely, and pour enough marinade on the mushrooms to get them wet, but not submerged. Tilt the container to ensure the mushrooms are coated.

Cover and refrigerate. Check after a half-hour to see how much marinade has been absorbed. If a lot has been, add more to the container, and toss to immerse other parts of the fungi.

Check again after another half-hour, then allow marinating for at least two hours, and not more than six. If allowed to marinate too long the mushrooms start to break down.

When ready to cook, remove from the marinade and drain the mushrooms a few minutes. Cook in the center of the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until tender. (I used to use pie pans to cook these in at the restaurant where I featured this dish.)

Serve. I like these on a soft bun or roll with a little homemade mayonnaise, butter leaf lettuce or arugula, and a couple slices of garden fresh tomato. They are also good cooled, sliced, and added into panini with some buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and arugula.

Leftover mushrooms can be used in pastas, salads, sandwiches, or ground up for a stuffing.

As an option, you can just use balsamic vinaigrette to marinate the mushrooms in. The extra oil in the dish will make the end product oilier, but if you cook them on a rack much of the oil will drain off. In a pinch, you can use purchased dressings for the marinade.

SOURCE: Recipe courtesy of Chef Andrew Cohen