Portabella mushrooms

5 Ways to Incorporate Portabella Mushrooms into Your Cuisine

The portabella mushroom is the largest of the edible fungi family. Its flat cap and fanned out gills can measure up to six inches in radius. It is considered the equivalent to a beef burger in some vegetarian recipes due to its savory flavor and thick meaty texture. These mushrooms are high in fiber and are fat, sodium and cholesterol free. Portabellas weigh in at about forty calories per four ounces (approximately a medium cap size). Incorporating portabella mushrooms into your cuisine can be a pleasant surprise to you and whomever you serve, especially if there is unfamiliarity with this tasty staple.

Salad

Clean about two large portabellas thoroughly. Cut off the stems and brush them with some extra virgin olive oil. Place in a skillet with about a quarter of a cup of the same olive oil. Sauté each mushroom on a medium flame while gently pressing on the top with a spatula. Occasionally you can flip them. Add a pinch or two of salt, pepper, garlic powder and a dash of red wine vinegar and soy or teriyaki sauce as you sauté. After about five to ten minutes when the portabella is well cooked remove and place on paper towels. Pat dry and slice into long strips. Cut the strips in half and add to any salad.

Sandwich

Making a portabella sandwich can be tricky due to its sometimes rubbery texture that can cause more chewing than swallowing. Therefore, follow the above sautéing directions but beforehand bake the caps for about ten minutes at three hundred and fifty degrees. This will remove a lot of moisture and make them a little crunchier. After you sauté them place on strong toasted bread like an Italian ciambella or onion roll.  Add sautéed onions, hot and/or sweet peppers prepared alongside the portabella. Pesto sauce goes well as a condiment.

Stuff ‘Em

Once again, sauté the portabellas along with minced onions, shallots, bell peppers and garlic. In a separate pot, boil water and prepare quinoa (a high protein grain found in most health food stores or better supermarkets). In a bowl grate mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Add basil, salt and pepper. Pour in the quinoa and sautéed vegetables and mix well. Pat dry the portabellas being sure to flatten down the gills. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and scoop your mixture into the gill side and serve.

Slide Chicken In-between

Brush two stemmed portabellas with a healthy amount of teriyaki sauce. Gently broil for about ten minutes on about three hundred degrees. Sauté a skinless chicken breast in white wine, garlic and lemon. Remove the portabellas, pat dry, put the chicken in-between on a bed of lettuce and eat like a sandwich or cut into pieces.

Porto-Pizza

Make your own pizza or order one. Sauté two portabellas, cut into strips and arrange on the pizza like spokes on a wheel. If you make your own pizza, bake with the portabellas in the sauce first then add the 

cheese over them.

 About the Contributor: Deborah is a full time writer and blogger with a passion for cooking. She also enjoys writing about personal finance, bankruptcy, and credit repair and is a regular contributor at CreditLoan.com.