Thursday, August 15, 2013

Pastry Wrapped Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms




This is one of my favorite things I have made recently. I love mushrooms, so it`s not really a big surprise. Unfortunately, I am having trouble finding the portobello mushrooms right now, but the beauty of this recipe is that you can actually make it without them. My husband and I both agree that it is better with though. This also freezes beautifully. This is something I have been working with as well recently.

What you need: This is for 4, but you can half it, or freeze half as needed (or double of course)

 4 portobello mushrooms, insides removed
1 package (about 500 g) of fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbls butter
2 large cups of spinach - I haven`t measured yet, I just add about 3/4 of a bag of baby spinach or 1/2 a bag of regular. Depends on what I can find at the store.
2 Tbls olive oil
2 shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp balsamic vinegar. I use the Aceto Basalmico because I think it tastes great
1/4 cup of pine nuts. I buy the small bag at Coop or Migros and use about 1/2 of it
1 Tbls bread crumbs. I use panko as I like the texture. I wouldn`t use the tiny grain sized bread crumbs if you can help it.
1 cup Gruyere, though I don`t use quite that much. You can also use the Gruyere/Emmentaler mix for a good flavor.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet of Blätterteig. (puff pastry). Be sure to get the rectangular one as it is easier to cover the mushrooms.
1 egg

Pre-heat the oven to 190 C.

Rinse the mushrooms and take out the stems and the gills


Brush each side with a little bit of olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, with the cap side up, and for 5-7 minutes down. Take out of the oven and set them on some paper towels to catch any extra liquid. 


While the mushrooms are cooking, in a large pan, add a little olive oil. Add half of the shallots and garlic. Cook about 3-5 minutes, until lightly browned. 


Add the spinach and mix well. 


Right when the spinach begins to melt, add the balsamic


Remove from the pan and place in a bowl. 

Put the butter in the same pan and add the rest of the shallot and garlic. Let cook about 2 minutes and then add the mushrooms



Add a little salt and pepper and cook the mushrooms until most of the moisture is gone


Remove the mushrooms and add to the spinach mixture. Mix and let cool (10-15 minutes).



While cooling, in a dry pan, toast your pine nuts. Remove when slightly browned and add to the mixture. 

Add the bread crumbs (or panko) and the cheese. 


Lay your puff pastry out and cut it into 4 even rectangles. Place one of the portobello mushrooms in each section, cap side down. Divide up the mixture and stuff the mushrooms. They will be over flowing. As long as you have a large puff pastry, this is fine. (And tasty!)



Very carefully, flip the filled mushrooms over


Bring up each side of the pastry to make a little package. One corner, side, corner, side, and so on. 

In a small bowl, mix up your egg and then brush some over the top of the dough to give it a nice brown color when cooked. I cut out extra pieces of dough for fun the first time I made this. 




Bake in the oven for the time and temperature directed on your blätterteig package. Usually at 200 C for about 15-20 minutes. The top should be a nice brown when it is done. 




If you would like to freeze this, simply place in a freezer bag, without the egg. To cook, let thaw, add the egg glaze and cook for the time indicated. Turns out great. 

You can also make this without the portobello mushroom, but I don`t think it is quite as good. I would double the filling recipe in this case though. 

The original recipe can be found here. I think this was the original link, there seem to be a few very similar ones now.