The grocery store near my school has them in the produce section. Joy! Can I cook them in a microwave?
Failing that, what about a hot pot?
What about in a pasta strainer on a Soviet-era basement stove?
What kind of marinating sauce should I use?
You can use them in place of pizza dough to make a good pizza. Sauce and top with cheese and cook or broil in the oven.
You can grill them.
I’ve cut them up and put them in rice and chicken casserole.
You can top with something like what you’d stuff a bell pepper with, sprinkle grated cheese and broil.
And they’re ABSOLUTELY delicious! I love portabello mushrooms.
If neither oven nor grill are available, then, yes you could boil them on a hot pot or stove. You could also slice them and cook them like steak strips and make fajitas out of them.
I slice them (not too thin) and sautee them in a little olive oil, garlic, and wine. Terrific with a good steak, extra rare.
Even if you’re in a dorm, you can get a Foreman grill and grill them. (It’s very good for meat and fish as well.)
On a portabello stove.
God, I kill myself sometimes.
You can saute pretty much like any other mushroom, for one thing.
Something I do from time to time is marinate them in garlic, kosher slat, black pepper, a little olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, all to taste. Then, either broil or grill them until the outsides are blackened. This tastes awesome, and portabellos have a very meaty texture- it’s an especially good summer dish.
-j
Okay, I’m going the boiling route.
Any special things I should know about portabellos and boiling?
Well, I sauté them with strips of white meat chicken and some onions cut into long strips, and then throw over some cooked fetuccini with a sauce, either Alfredo style, or add gently browned roux for a darker sauce with broth or wine.
Tris
“Swat my hind with a mellon rind, That’s my penguin state of mind.” ~ Opus ~
Use heat. The boiling goes faster that way.
[needless trivia]
Portobellos are just overgrown crimini mushrooms. So they can be cooked like any other mushroom.
[/needless trivia]
Not boiling, broiling. Check this.
Thank Goddess for Portabella burgers! The vegan’s salvation in many a restaurant.
Now, speaking as a lover of the Italian language, the spelling “portabello” just does not look right. What about gender agreement? It should be either Portabella (beautiful door) or Portobello (beautiful port). Which shall it be?
If I were Franklin Delano Roosevelt I should choose the latter. In his case, the Italian name was Campobello (beautiful field). Maybe those mushrooms should be renamed funghi belli, 'cause I like them so much. Where did that name for the mushrooms come from in the first place? Why is there so much confusion over the name?
Google search brought up:
5,970 hits for “portabella mushrooms,”
10,900 hits for “portobello mushrooms,”
4,260 hits for “portabello mushrooms,” and
854 hits for “portobella mushrooms.”
Believe me, I’ve seen all four variations in groceries and restaurants. The latter two are incorrect Italian. What a confused world we live in. We need an Italian Straight Dope to fight this ignorance! I did note that the Mushroom Council prefers to call them “Portabellas” and adds in parentheses “(Portobellos).” Even if they can’t make up their mind, at least they’ve got their Italian straight. Check out the recipes there.
Dr. Andrew Weil, also very fond of Portabella burgers, has pointed out that mushroom proteins are closer in molecular makeup to animal proteins than to plant proteins, which is why they work so well as meat substitutes.
Every day I’m reminded of why I love this forum.
Much thanks to everyone who helped fill my stomach with something better than the Mystery Slop they serve in the cafeteria.
Brush lightly with butter and grill = nice mushroom and meat substitue if you are into that sort of thing and very low calories too.
Well I guess I’m a bit late, but I’ll put my $.02 in just in case you want something for the future.
I keep it simple - a little oil in a frying pan, portabella cap inverted, fill cap with Balsamic Vinegrette (I prefer Newman’s Own), fry a few minutes till almost done, then flip over for another minute or so - mmmmmm mmmm good.
For a special treat, throw that on a burger with some hot sauce, a dash of Mrs. Dash extra spicy, a slice of cheese, and you got a portobello mushroom cheese burger delight. (I have yet to try it with an added fried egg and bacon for my dream burger of death, but all in good time; [Homer]mmmmmmm burger of death[/Homer].
I love them grilled on my gas-fired Weber in the back yard. Low heat, indirect cooking, with olive oil, ground black pepper, and topped with crumbled Feta cheese or Blue cheese.
As to the apparently Italian nomenclature, the most popular designation seems to be “portabella.” A poster has suggested that the origin could bea noun/adjective combination, such as “porto bello” or “porta bella,” meaning “beautiful port” or “beautiful door,” respectively.
Both sound kind of goofy to me, and conjure images that seem quite odd…
What about the possibility that the origin is a verb/adjectival substantive combination, such as “portare” [to carry or to bear] “una cosa bella” [a good thing]?
Thus, these most delicious mushrooms portano a noi il loro gusto bellisimo, for those, at least, who know how to cook and appreciate them.
If you’re into grilling (real men GRILL), marinate them first in Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce. Then grill for a few minutes on each side. You won’t regret it.
My other Portabella secret:
Melt a few tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in your favorite, most trusted skillet. Just as the butter melts, add a sprinkle of oregano just for the heck of it. Then place your (4) Portabella mushrooms in the skillet, and cook them for a few minutes on each side. Remove the 'shrooms from skillet, and reserve on a plate.
Using the same skillet, add diced bacon (2-3 strips should do). Cook until done, but not ‘crispy’. Add three tablespoons (or so) of balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of sugar and pepper. Let it come just to a boil, then throw in two cups of baby spinach leaves. Toss quickly, you just want to wilt the spinach, leaving it a beautiful bright green, not cook it into a grey mush.
Fill the reserved mushrooms with the ‘tossed spinach’, sprinkle some goat cheese (or parmesan or romano, if you must!) on top,and place under a broiler for a few minutes.
Then serve, and await the adulations!
I usually sautee them with butter, onions and white wine. You can mix other mushrooms as well. Sautee the onions well before adding the mushrooms, of course. And don’t wash the mushrooms under running water - they absorb too much water. Just wipe them with a damp cloth.
I’m surprised Ukulele Ike didn’t jump in here with both feet.
FWIW, a restaurant I’ve been to a couple times serves grilled portabello mushrooms as an appetizer. I don’t know what they put on 'em, but they’re fantastic!
Depending on what kind of flavor you’d want, you could marinate them for a short time in wine or some other concoction and then grill or broil them. At least that’s what I’d do. Sautee-ing them wouldn’t be bad, either. But I think grilling or broiling would win out, for me.
Mmmmmmm…portabello mushroooooooms.