How to Make Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms are the steak of the mushroom world. Thick and meaty, this fungus can substitute for a main course meat at any time. A big mushroom deserves big flavors to accompany it, flavors like a garlic-tahini sauce or a balsamic vinegar sauce.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Aged balsamic vinegar
• Red wine
• Italian parsley
• Portabello mushrooms
• Olive oil
• Shallots
• Two 10-inch sauté pans
• Chef’s knife
• Large, flat spatula
• Salt and pepper
• 3-4 large portabello mushrooms
• 3/4 c strong red wine, such as Merlot
• ¼ c aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp shallots, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp Olive oil
• ½ tsp Italian parsley, minced

1. Choose mushrooms that look dry and unblemished
2. Brush off any dirt from mushrooms
3. Break the stem off the portobello. The stem is too woody to enjoy so discard it. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices to ensure even cooking.
4. Peel shallots and finely mince them.
5. Heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat and add red wine and shallots. Cook the shallots until they are soft and semi-transleucent.
6. Add the balsamic vinegar to the mixture.
7. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. You want the sauce to bubble ever so slightly.
8. Simmer sauce on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. You should see the sauce start to become thicker and more viscous. Add salt and pepper to the sauce to your taste. Continue simmering the sauce while you cook the mushrooms.
9. In a separate sauce pan, heat the olive oil to a medium-high temperature.
10. Add the mushrooms gill-side down into the sauté pan. Cook the portobellos for approximately five mintues then turn the mushrooms over. Add salt and pepper to the mushrooms to taste.
11. Just after you turn the mushrooms over, spoon a small amount, about two-three of a tablespoon of the sauce, onto the portobellos. Cook the mushrooms a further five-six minutes or until the mushrooms start to wilt a bit.
12. Once the portobellos are finished cooking, lift them out of the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices.
13. Serve with aged-cheddar mashed potatoes.
14. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley or a few grindings of pepper.
15. Serve and enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• When buying portobellos, choose mushrooms that have unblemished and healthy-looking gills.
• You can buy balsamic vinegar at most grocery stores today. Look for a brand that comes from Italy and states how long the vinegar has been aged on the label.
• The longer the vinegar has been aged, the more complex the flavor.
• Make sure to buy flat-leaf Italian parsley and not the curley parsley. Curley parsley is the sprig of parsley you see in restaurants.
• Avoid mushrooms with an excess of dirt. Mushrooms grow almost exclusively in fertilizer, so the smaller amount of dirt, the better.
• When storing mushrooms, keep them in a moisture-free brown paper bag. Moisture will spoil mushrooms, so keeping them dry is key.
• You can use a mushroom brush to clean the mushrooms, or you can use a barely damp cloth or paper towel to wipe the top of the mushrooms off. If you’re going to wipe them off, use them immediately.
• You can cut the mushrooms before cooking them or afterwards, as instructed in the recipe. You can also serve the mushrooms whole, just make sure to give everyone steak knives.
• When spooning the sauce over the mushrooms, be aware of any spattering of the sauce.
• Mushrooms soak up a lot of oil, so make sure your oil is hot before adding the portobellos to the pan.
• If the mushrooms start to brown too quickly, add a little more oil to the pan.