Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

These tasty stuffed portabella mushrooms are filled with well-seasoned pork, fresh spinach and tomato, roasted until golden brown. They make a rather hearty appetizer or serve as part of the main course with sides.

I have to start off today with an apology. Somehow most of the process photos for this recipe have gone missing so I have none to show you the steps of wilting the spinach, sautéing the vegetables or assembling the stuffing. 

It’s not complicated though so I hope my directions will suffice. We loved these stuffed mushrooms so much that I still wanted to share them. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. 

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Once I had mixed the stuffing together, I weighed it so I could divide by four and know how big to make the patties. The whole weight was 650g so each mushroom is filled with 162g of stuffing.  For those of you who do ounces, that's 23 1/4 oz and 5.8 oz, respectively. 

Ingredients

2 good handsful or 50g baby leaf spinach

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 shallot

1 small tomato, cored

1 small red chili pepper

4 large Portobello mushrooms

1.1 lb or 500g lean ground pork

several sprigs fresh cilantro, hard stems removed, plus more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and/or Cajun seasonings, to taste

Method

Cook the spinach with a drizzle of water in a covered pan until wilted. Scoop it into a strainer over a bowl and leave to drain.

Trim the stems from the mushrooms and discard any hard bits. Chop the tender parts. 

Mince the garlic, shallot, tomato, chili pepper and cilantro stems. 

Add the olive oil to the pan along with the minced vegetables and mushroom stems. Cook till softened, occasionally stirring and adding in any water that has dripped from the spinach. 

Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl that will fit the pork as well. Leave to cool. 

Use the back of a spoon to squeeze as much of the spinach water as you can into the pan, then tip the spinach on a cutting board and chop finely with a sharp knife. 

Add the spinach to the bowl with the sautéed vegetables. 

Once everything is cool, add in the pork, seasoning it with about a 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt or, if you prefer, Cajun seasonings. Mix well.

If cooking to serve immediately, preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Remove a small teaspoon of the stuffing mixture and cook it in a small frying pan. Taste when cooked through and add more salt or seasonings to the stuffing, if needed. 

Form your stuffing into four large patties (see note just above ingredient list) and place one on top of each mushroom. Press down gently. Drizzle the tops with olive oil. 

N.B. The prepared mushrooms may be covered with cling film and refrigerated for several hours, until you are ready to cook them. They will take a little longer to cook through when chilled. 

Roast the stuffed mushrooms in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the stuffing is browned and cooked through. 

Garnish with a little more cilantro, if desired.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today, this first day of September, we are celebrating National Mushroom Month by sharing mushroom recipes. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.  Check out the recipe links below. 

• Sue of PalatablePastime served up Chicken and Mushrooms in Wine Sauce
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm made Mushroom Paprikash with Homemade Spaetzle
• Mayuri of Mayuri's Jikoni created Mushroom Spinach Hand Pies
• Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures shares Sauteed Mushrooms, Onions, & Peppers
• Stacy of Food Lust People Love made Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
• Renu of Cook with Renu served up an Easy Vegan Mushroom Pulau (Instant Pot Lunchbox Recipe)
• Sneha of Sneha's Recipe shares Red Pepper Mushroom

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto

This Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto is a creamy, cheesy bowl of comfort food, brightened by the addition of a lovely Tuscan kale and pistachio pesto. I’ve shared that in separate post to make each recipe more manageable but include the ingredients list here also to make your shopping easier. 

First, let’s talk briefly about lobster mushrooms. I came across them in the bulk section of one of our fancier grocery stores in Houston called Central Market. The orange color caught my eye and then, of course, the idea of a dried mushroom that potentially tasted of lobster made me buy some. 

I’m here to report that despite the name, lobster mushrooms are actually a fungus. While I was certain they weren't crustaceans, I was surprised to learn that they are not actually mushrooms either. Learn something new every day! 

According to Wikipedia, and I quote, “Hypomyces lactifluorum, or the lobster mushroom, is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on certain species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color that resembles the outer shell of a cooked lobster.” And further along in the article: “They have a seafood-like flavor and a firm, dense texture.” Hence the name. 

You can see the color for yourself in my photos below. They did taste rather of seafood and were a great addition to risotto. You could easily make this a vegetarian friendly dish by using vegetable stock instead of chicken. 

Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto

This recipe is adapted from one in delicious magazine from the March 2022 issue. It can also be found online here. If you can’t find lobster mushrooms, substitute your favorites. 

Ingredients

For the risotto:

1.75oz or 21g dried lobster mushrooms

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large leeks (trimmed weight 1.1 lb or 500g)

2 garlic cloves

2 cups or 410g risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)

3/4 cup or 175ml dry white wine

4 1/3 cups or 1L quality chicken stock

3 1/2 oz or 100g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve

For the kale pesto:

Large bunch Tuscan kale or cavolo nero (Mine weighed 186g or 6 1/2 ozs)

1 3/4 oz or 50g shelled pistachios 

1 3/4 oz or 50g Parmesan or pecorino, finely grated

Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon

2/3 cup or 100ml good quality olive oil

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Find instructions here: https://www.foodlustpeoplelove.com/2024/08/tuscan-kale-pistachio-pesto.html

Method

Soak the dried lobster mushrooms in 2 cups or 480ml boiling water until soft. Strain the liquid to remove any dirt or impurities and add it to the chicken stock. 

Chop the mushrooms roughly and set aside. 

Trim and discard the hard green parts of the leeks and wash the white parts well. Thinly slice them. 

Using the side of a big knife, crush the cloves of garlic then chop them roughly.

Melt the butter in a deep sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the oil, leeks and a pinch of salt, then cover and cook, stirring regularly, for 8-10 minutes until very soft. In a separate pan, heat the stock over a low heat.

Add the garlic to the leeks and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to coat in butter and oil. 

Increase the heat to high, then pour in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until absorbed. 

Turn the heat back down to medium high. Gradually add the warmed stock, one ladleful at a time, stirring continuously. Wait until each addition of stock has almost all been absorbed before adding the next. 

Continue until you’ve added all the stock and the rice is al dente (still has some bite.) 

Stir in the grated Parmesan and the chopped lobster mushrooms.  

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve as is or topped with Tuscan kale and pistachio pesto. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 18th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter R. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the R recipes below:

• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Cheeseburger Broccoli Rice Soup Casserole 
• Food Lust People Love: Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Pan-Seared Scallops with Black Beans and Red Pepper Sauce 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Pineapple Fried Rice 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Pressure Cooker Rice Kheer With Homemade Masala Milk Powder 
• A Messy Kitchen: Rabrabrakake: Norwegian Rhubarb Cake 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Ragi Shavige Uppitu 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes 
• Magical Ingredients: Red lentil Paratha 
• Palatable Pastime: Ring Noodle Tuna Salad (Minnesota Style)
• Blogghetti: Roasted Rosemary Potato Peelings 
• Culinary Cam: Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita 

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry 

M. Fresh Mint Sauce 

N. Miso Butter Noodles 

O. Spicy Orange Braised Short Ribs 

P. Homemade Piri Piri Sauce 

Q, Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread 

R. Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto - this post!

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Tuscan Kale Pistachio Pesto

This Tuscan kale pistachio pesto is rich, nutty and fresh. It goes exceedingly well with my rich and creamy leek and lobster mushroom risotto. (Recipe coming tomorrow!) Or use it as you would any pesto, stirred through pasta or as a spread or dip for flatbread. 

I originally made this pesto to go with the above referenced risotto, both adapted from recipes I found in delicious magazine’s March 2022 issue, but I have since made it more than once because we loved it so much. 

The pistachios are a tasty, nutty green change from traditional beige pine nuts and who doesn’t feel virtuous eating kale? 

Tuscan Kale Pistachio Pesto

You could use curly kale for this recipe but I love the color and flavor of its dark leafed brother, Tuscan kale or cavolo nero. In my local grocery store, I only find it in the organic section so occasionally I splurge and buy some. 

Ingredients

Large bunch curly kale or cavolo nero (Mine weighed 186g or 6 1/2 ozs)

1 3/4 oz or 50g shelled pistachios 

1 3/4 oz or 50g Parmesan, finely grated

Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon

2/3 cup or 100ml good quality olive oil

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Remove and discard the woody center ribs and stems of the kale. Chop the leaves roughly. 

Put the kale in a small food processor with half the oil and process until the kale is finely chopped. 

Add in the pistachios and process again. 

Finally, add in the Parmesan, lemon juice, lemon zest and process again, adding a little more oil, if necessary. 

Stir in the remaining olive oil, then season with salt and pepper as needed.

Enjoy as a topping for your favorite risotto or pasta. 

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