Roasted Portobella Mushrooms

          Growing up I used to hate mushrooms with a passion. I mean honestly, it's a fungus! Isn't that the sort of thing that you go to the doctor for? What I eventually realized was that it was the texture that bothered me. In this recipe I'm borrowing an idea from Buddhist vegetarian restaurants in China, I'm trying to texture mushrooms to be more like meat. I bake them a bit longer than most people do so that the texture, instead of being watery and gelatinous, is more chewy and meaty.

          This mushroom recipe isn't a dish in itself, I just make a large batch so that I can keep the roasted mushrooms in a tupperware to use throughout the week. These mushrooms make a great addition to basically anything. I add them to quesadillas, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, soup, salad... now it's your turn to think of something! Because these mushrooms are roasted by themselves before being added to anything, the flavor is much more intense and meaty than it would be if you added them raw and tried to have them cook with the dish.

                        Ingredients:                            Equipment Needed: 
                        -6 Portobella Mushrooms           -Knife + Cutting Board
                        -1/2 cup Oil as needed              -Large Mixing Bowl
                        -Pepper                                   -2 Baking Sheets
                        -1/8 tsp Salt/tray                      -Spatula

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour
Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy

          When you are buying these mushrooms, there are several things to avoid to make sure you pick good ones. Don't pick broken ones that are beaten up or that have a bruised underside. Don't pick ones that are damp or are a bit slimy on the cap. If you can find ones that still have an intact bottom like the one to the right of the photo below, that would be great! I'd recommend canola oil because it can take the high oven temp without smoking and the flavor isn't strong so the mushroom really comes through.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius.
2. Break off stems and rinse mushroom caps (don't wash underside).
3. Slice mushrooms to 1/2 inch thick slices.
4. Coat in oil.
5. Place on baking tray and season.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Take out and turn mushrooms over with spatula.
8. Bake for another 20-35 minutes.
9. Take them out when they are done.

Detailed Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius.

2. Break off stems and rinse the caps, but don't wash the underside.*

          *Washing the underside will cause the mushroom to absorb water which isn't what you want.

3. Slice the mushroom caps into 1/2 inch thick slices.

4. Get a mixing bowl and put 1/2 cup of oil in it. Then drop 3-5 mushroom slices at a time in the bowl and use your hands to lightly toss them in the oil until they have a light coating on them; then put the coated mushrooms onto a baking tray. I only coat several slices at a time so that I don't break them; also, once you've lightly coated the mushrooms with oil, don't let them sit in the oil because they will keep on soaking up more oil and they will be greasy when they are done baking. You will have to add another 1/2 cup of oil as the bowl runs dry. See video demonsration below.

5. After all the mushrooms are trayed, season them with pepper and sprinkle on 1/8 tsp of salt per tray. 

6. Bake for 25 minutes.

7. Take out tray and flip mushroom slices over.*
          *This prevents burning one side.

8. Put in the oven for a remaining 20 to 35 minutes. Check periodically to gage progress. When they look like the left-side photo below, take them out.

9. Eat a piece to see if the texture is right. They should be slightly chewy and meaty, if they are too watery, bake them for a few minutes longer. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will have a dry, leathery texture and basically be mushroom chips.

Correct Texture

Overcooked Leathery Texture

-I hope you like these!

Enjoy! Johnny L

Roasted Caprese Tomatoes

          This is a variation of Caprese Salad and it is great for an impressive appetizer. Roasting tomatoes makes them tangy and more acidic tasting and also softens them a lot. I have been working with these ingredients a lot lately and after making raw versions of this salad, I wanted to make a cooked version that looked fancy. This technique worked well since the finished dish has good geometric shapes and results in distinct pieces.

                         Ingredients:                          Equipment Needed: 

                         -2 Tomatoes                           -Knife + Cutting Board

                         -Fresh Mozzarella                   -Baking Sheet

                         -Fresh Basil                            -Spatula

                         -Balsamic Vinegar

                         -Olive Oil

                         -Salt

                         -Pepper

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Serves: 2
Proportion: 3 thin Mozzarella slices for every whole tomato.
Difficulty Rank: Takes a Little Work

          Okay, the thing is, while there aren't a lot of ingredients, they are not really substitutable; because there are so few ingredients, they all need to be decent quality because there aren't enough flavors to cover up for a bad ingredient. So for instance, if you use shredded mozzarella or some other kind of cheese, it won't taste anywhere near as good; fresh mozzarella has a slightly fluffy texture and it is very creamy. You will have to find a brand you like, I have had some mozzarella's that tasted too fresh; I personally like BelGioioso. Also, dried basil won't cut it, because using fresh basil adds a bright element to the dish. I'd recommend buying an actual basil plant rather than the prepackaged basil leaves. The plant doesn't cost that much more and the plant leaves are more aromatic and less vegetative than the packaged leaves. Lastly you will have to use balsamic vinegar since it has more flavor depth than other kinds of vinegar. For salt I use sea salt because it has a crunchy texture and delicate flavor and for pepper I use the kind that comes in a grinder.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

2. Cut tomatoes in half.
3. Place 3 deep cuts into the tomato.
4. Tray and season tomatoes.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
6. Slice 3 thin slices of mozzarella/whole tomato and them cut cheese up.
7. Mix cheese cubes with seasoning.
8. Garnish finished tomatoes.

Detailed Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

2. Cut the tomato in half.

3. Place 3 deep cuts* in the tomato as seen below. DON'T cut too close to the edges or the tomato will break in the oven.

          *The reason for the cuts is to help the vinegar soak into the tomato and distribute the flavor 
             better. 

4. Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle: salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar on.

5. Put in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

6. While you wait, slice 3 thin slices of fresh mozzarella for every 1 tomato you used.

          *When slicing press lightly so that you don't smush the cheese. A serrated knife would work best
             since it would act as a saw which means you wouldn't need to press hard.

  6. Cutting the Cheese       7. Seasoned Cube Mix

          Next slice of the ends off the circle of cheese as seen above, leaving a rectangle in the middle. Then take the ends and dice them up. Then take the middle and cut it in half like in the photo above. I left a slice of cheese in each step so that you can see the process.

7. Take the cubed mozzarella and mix it with some coarsely chopped basil, a light coating of balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.

8. When then tomatoes are done, scoop them off carefully with a spatula. Then put the cubed cheese mix on top of the tomato halves, then lay 2 of the cheese strips on top of that and garnish with a basil leaf and your'e done!