Portobello Parm



Having a vegetarian over for dinner is much easier than it used to be.

Years ago if you had a vegetarian friend you were stuck making a quiche and a salad or the dreaded tofu.

Today it seems more than 50% of my dinners are vegetable based. Gratins and pastas, with the vegetables being the stars of the show. Vegetarians? Bring it on!

Here, my lucky vegetarian friends had this portobello mushroom parm ("parm" short for Parmesan) as part of a summer buffet. Because the portobello mushrooms are so meaty, the carnivores enjoyed them too!



Portabello Parmesan: serves 4

4 portobello mushroom caps, gills and middles scraped out to make bowls
cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used red & yellow)
fresh ciliegine (cherry size mozzarella balls packed in water), cut in half
4 tbsp of basil pesto (from a jar is fine)
8 kalamata olives, cut into slivers
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil

In a casserole dish, lay out the mushroom caps and drizzle them with olive oil.

Spread a small amount of the pesto in the bottoms of the portobello bowls.

I placed the little halved mozzarella balls with the cherry tomatoes and olives haphazardly and sprinkled all with some kosher salt and a drizzle of olive oil.



Place the casserole dish in a 425F oven for 15 minutes until the cheese is oozing and melted (don't panic, it will look messy, but it will taste delicious).

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the caps and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the tomatoes are blistering.

Let cool a few minutes and drizzle some of the yummy basil oil that has leaked out onto the mushroom caps. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.



Comments

Ciao Chow Linda said…
LOVE this idea Stacey - and will be making this for all my vegetarian friends and relatives (and for me).
Unknown said…
We're not vegetarians but would love this for dinner with a nice salad, YUM!! You always have something wonderful! Thanks, Chris
Unknown said…
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Oui, Chef said…
WOW...this could be the coolest thing you've ever posted, and that's saying alot because you post GREAT food here. Can't wait to play with this idea, though I'm having a hard time thinking about how I could improve it. YUM! - S
The JR said…
That is super neat. I like the mushroom bowl. Plus I like all the ingredients.

Your friends are lucky.
Bluebird NY said…
This looks absolutely yummy and quite substantial for a vegetarian dish. Can't wait to try it!
Stacey...I love the looks looks of these Portobello Parm personal-size tarts. Who needs meat? Very nice recipe, thanks. Rosemary
Anonymous said…
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I love this Stacey! This with a salad is the perfect meal!
Dana said…
Why did I never think of this? I want to eat at your house!
Kathy Walker said…
What a great idea! The flavors just jump out!!
Joanne said…
This is fantastic! Anything "parm" almost has to be delicious, but with portabellos - especially so!
Anonymous said…
Stacey,
The great majority of the recipes you publish are fantastic and always work. However, you never address how many people the recipe serves (at least approximately). This would be a big help to all I think.
Kind Regards,
Stacey Snacks said…
Anonymous, I will try harder to include how many servings each recipe makes....you are right, I am bad about that.
In this recipe, one portobello mushroom per person.
Thanks,
Stacey
Linda said…
YUM!! that is all, YUM YUM!!
love you
Lara B Knight said…
This looks wonderful & how delicious with the summer tomatoes
nonnie said…
I have them in the oven right now! It's Father's Day so I'm treating him right.