Portobello Mushroom Caprese

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Imagine the faint gurgle of Pinot Grigio trickling into your glass.  Feel the warmth of the setting sun lightly caress the back of your neck.  Take a big whiff of that sea air.  OK, now you’re in the right state of mind to continue on… Caprese just means ‘in the style of Capri’, and it usually refers to that wonderful salad of sliced tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella.  But the Caprese combination of flavors can be used on bruschetta, pizza, pasta, grilled fish…the possibilities are endless. Portobello mushrooms are just the mature examples of the everyday button mushroom. Normally I think of stuffed portobellos as earthy, cold weather food, piled high with a concoction that would be equally at home up the wrong end of a Thanksgiving turkey.  This version is so much more my style. The amounts here are approximate…I just happened to have three portobello mushrooms so I used one medium large tomato, but depending on how many mushrooms you have and what size they are, you may need a little more tomato and mozzarella for the filling. Print Portobello Mushroom Caprese Ingredients 3 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and dusted clean 1 large tomato 6 or 7 large …

Ingredients

• 3 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and dusted clean
• 1 large tomato
• 6 or 7 large basil leaves
• a dash of sherry vinegar (optional)
• ½ ball of fresh mozzarella
• olive oil ((divided))
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Set oven to 375F
2. Brush the outside of the mushrooms with a little olive oil, turn over and drizzle more oil on the inside, and sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Finely dice the tomato and put in a small bowl.
4. Layer the basil leaves into a pile, roll up from the side, like tobacco, and finely slice the roll into little ribbons. Add to the tomatoes. Season well with salt and pepper and add the vinegar if you're using it.
5. Slice the mozzarella thinly.
6. Using a slotted spoon to drain off the excess juice, spoon some of the tomatoes onto each of the caps, and drizzle with a little oil.
7. Top each mushroom with slices of mozzarella.
8. Bake for a further 10 minutes, and put under the broiler briefly at the end to brown the cheese.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island