Chicken Cutlets with Portabella Bleu Cheese Sauce

Inspiration: I really tried bleu cheese for the first time within the past year, and let’s just say that I couldn’t understand why anyone would eat it. To me, it was so ridiculously strong that I couldn’t even enjoy the taste. I wanted to like it, though, so I kept sampling it here and there, tried out some milder kinds, and before I knew it, I loved it. Now, bleu cheese is one of those random foods that I really crave all of the time, like peanut butter or avocados. Anyway, I get excited when we have some extra bleu cheese that needs used up, because I love finding ways to use it in our suppers.

What we Loved: We loved this sauce because it really tasted like bleu cheese. I’ve tried other bleu cheese sauces before that were too muted, but this one is really strongly flavored, because it doesn’t have many ingredients other than the cheese. If you don’t like bleu cheese, I wouldn’t try this one! On the other hand, if you love bleu cheese, then this is really great. The sauce has a nice, creamy texture, and the mushrooms really compliment the flavor of the cheese.

Helpful Hints: Make sure to let this sauce lightly boil for a bit to thicken up. It will be very thin at first. The sauce works great with chicken, but it would really work well over any protein of your choice. Beef or pork would be great!

Chicken Cutlets with Portabella Bleu Cheese Sauce
Source: Original Recipe

1 chicken breast, butterflied and then cut in half to create two cutlets
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, or other herbs as preferred
1 package baby portabella mushrooms
4-5 oz bleu cheese (I used gorgonzola. Roquefort would also be good)
Splash of milk

1. Season each side of the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, and sprinkle them with rosemary.

2. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan. When it is hot, add the chicken, and saute until the chicken is cooked through and browned on the outside, approximately 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.

3. Add the mushrooms to the saute pan. When the water starts to release from the mushrooms, stir and scrap the bottom of the pan, stirring any browned bits into the mushrooms.  Cook until the water released from the mushrooms is nearly gone.

4. Crumble the bleu cheese into the pan. Add a splash of milk, and stir until the cheese is melted. Bring the contents of the pan to a low boil, and cook for a few minutes longer until the sauce thickens up.

5. Serve the bleu cheese sauce over the chicken cutlets.

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Portabella Bourguignon

Cuisine: French

Inspiration: I have a wonderful husband. Last week, B told me that he wanted to make a special supper for me on Friday night. He picked out the entire meal and cooked everything himself while I relaxed after work. I came downstairs to this wonderful surpise. He is the sweetest person.

What we Loved: I felt like I was out at our favorite fancy restaurant while I was eating this. It was so good. B made a version of a bourguignon sauce from Smitten Kitchen that used portabellas as the base, then he topped it with rosemary-crusted grilled lamb. The sauce was incredibly rich, and it had so many different flavors from the mushrooms, the onions, the wine, and the spices. I really loved the flavor that the red wine gave the sauce, and it was perfect to enjoy a glass of that same wine alongside the meal. The lamb tasted wonderful with a nice char on the outside and a perfectly moist texture on the inside. B served this with a loaf of crusty bread to dip into the extra sauce, some skewers of grilled zucchini, squash, and bell peppers, and a bottle of wine. I’ve got to say that I think it was the best dinner that I’ve ever had.

Helpful Hints: Resist the urge to flip the lamb more than once after you put it on the grill. This will allow the lamb to get nice and charred, which really lends a great flavor to the meat. Though you traditionally use a burgundy wine in a bourguignon recipe, B used a cotes du rhone to pair better with the flavor of the lamb. We both thought that it was perfect.

Other Recipes: red wine beef stew with portabellas

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Portabella Bourguignon
Source for the bourguignon: Smitten Kitchen
Source for the rest of the meal: original recipe

B omitted the carrots and the pearl onions from the bourguignon sauce, but otherwise made it as written. The recipe for the entire meal follows.

For the Portabella Bourguignon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a  heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken but haven’t yet lost any liquid, approximately three to four minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan.

2. Lower the heat to medium, and add the second tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the onions, thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper into the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

3. Add the wine to the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to high, and reduce the mixture by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the beef broth. Add the mushrooms and any juices that have collected back into the pan. Once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are very tender.

4. Combine the remaining butter and the flour with a fork, and stir it into the sauce. Lower the heat, and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Lamb
1 recipe portabella bourguignon sauce
1 rack of lamb (ours was 6 bone)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped, plus more for garnish

1. Let the rack of lamb come to room temperature. If the lamb isn’t already trimmed of fat, trim most of the fat from the outside, leaving only a small layer (approximately 1/8 inch).

2. Drizzle the lamb with olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Coat with the chopped rosemary.

3. Wrap the bones of the lamb in foil before placing on the grill, to avoid blackening.

4. Grill the lamb over medium heat for 17-20 minutes, flipping only once halfway through cooking.

5. Slice the lamb between the bones, and serve it over the bourguignon sauce, garnished with additional rosemary.

Grilled Portabella Caprese Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: We always want to squeeze every drop of summer out of the year that we can, and that means a lot of grilling!

What we Loved: This meal is so easy to prepare and so healthy to eat, and it still has a ton of flavor.  Caprese salad (mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil) is great on its own, but it’s even better when you add a nicely charred mushroom cap. I love to eat vegetarian meals a couple of times a week, and this is a great grilled vegetarian meal that tastes just like summer. And it can be on your plate in about 15 minutes, which is really nice for a busy night.

Helpful Hints: I think that this sandwich is deserving of a grilled sandwich bun. We ate ours without grilling the buns, and they were great, but I really think that grilling the bun would give the sandwich a nice, crispy texture that it was missing. I also think that adding a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of black pepper on top would taste wonderful.

Other Portabella Recipes: grilled portabella mushrooms stuffed with zucchini and roasted yellow peppers, portabella mushrooms stuffed with sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives

Grilled Portabella Caprese Sandwich
Source: Original Recipe, to serve 2

2 large portabella mushroom caps
Extra virgin olive oil
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
4 slices tomato
A handful of fresh basil
2 whole wheat hamburger buns
Balsamic vinegar or black pepper, if desired

1. Drizzle both sides of the mushroom caps with extra virgin olive oil, and grill until the mushrooms are browned, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Place the mushrooms on the buns, and assemble the sandwich using mozzarella, basil, and tomato slices. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or sprinkle with black pepper if desired.

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Zucchini and Roasted Yellow Peppers

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: One of the best things about summer is that it’s grilling season. And after being back from a long vacation for less than a week, B and I were still really exhausted and needed to spend some time at home. We were both happy and relieved for the long holiday weekend, and we took advantage of it by getting a lot of sleep and by grilling a lot of great meals. I always love a really healthy grilled meal, and this fit the bill perfectly.

What we Loved: While we both love portabella mushrooms, this was actually the first time that we’ve grilled them. I would definitely recommend grilling portabellas if you haven’t before, because the added charred flavor that comes from the grill is amazing! B is the one who takes care of grilling in our house, and he does such a great job. He grilled these up until they were perfectly browned and delicious, and I really don’t think that I’ve tasted a better mushroom. For the filling, I mixed up a combination of roasted yellow peppers, diced zucchini, sauteed onions, and some seasonings, and all of the flavors combined really well for a fresh, healthy taste.

Helpful Hints: I made a bit too much stuffing for the mushrooms, so B just threw the rest on the grill atop some foil until it was cooked through. This worked great, because it added some of that grilled flavor to the extra filling, and we just ate it alongside the rest of our supper.

Other Stuffed Portabella Recipes: portabella mushrooms stuffed with sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives, portabella mushrooms stuffed with spinach and artichoke dip 

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Zucchini and Roasted Yellow Peppers
Source: Original Recipe

2 large portabella mushroom caps
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 vidalia onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 very small zucchini, finely diced
1 yellow pepper, roasted and finely diced (directions follow)
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Place the yellow pepper onto a baking sheet, and place it under the broiler for approximately 15 minutes to thoroughly blacken the skin, flipping halfway through cooking. Remove the pepper from the oven, place it in a bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Peel the blackened skin from the pepper, and then remove the stem and seeds. Finely dice.

2. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute. Pour the onion mixture into a bowl, and set aside.

3. Rinse the mushroom caps to remove any dirt. Cut out the stems, and then finely chop. Add the chopped stem pieces to the onion mixture. Add the diced zucchini, diced yellow pepper, and bread crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine.

4. Drizzle both sides of the mushroom caps with olive oil, and grill them until the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, approximately 10 minutes. When the mushrooms are nearly done, top them with the stuffing, and grill for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Sundried Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

We love portabella mushrooms. I use them all of the time. And I don’t think I’ll ever run out of recipes to try for stuffed portabellas, which is good, because I don’t think I’ll ever tire of them! Stuffed portabellas make a great main course, and I love cooking them as a vegetarian meal. We try to eat 2-3 vegetarian meals a week, and portabellas are great for these veggie meals because they’re so filling. This particular recipe calls for the mushrooms to be stuffed with a sundried tomato and kalamata olive mixture, and I was really pleased with the end result. I only recently started branching out and trying all different kinds of olives (thanks to the wonderful olive bar at Whole Foods!), and I’ve found that kalamata olives are really awesome and delicious. I used to be scared of them because I didn’t think that they looked very appetizing, but I have to say that I’m so glad that I’ve expanded my olive horizon. In this particular recipe, the olive flavor was really a nice undertone beneath the stronger tomato flavor (which was good, because I didn’t want the olive flavor to overpower the dish), and the Parmesan cheese was, as it always is, delicious. I let mine get nice and crunchy on top in the oven, and I particularly liked that added flavor. I served these with some roasted potatoes and artichokes for a healthy veggie meal.

Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Sundried Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives
Source: 28 Cooks

I made this recipe to serve two. Here is the recipe as I made it.

2 portabella mushrooms
Extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, minced
1/8 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and chop them into small pieces. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Add the shallots and mushroom stems, and cook until tender. Add the sundried tomatoes and olives and stir.

2. Pour the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan into a bowl. Add the sundried tomato mixture, and stir well to combine.

3. Place the mushroom caps in an oiled baking dish. Divide the filling in half, and fill each mushroom cap. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan, and bake for 15 minutes at 350.

Polenta with Mushrooms in Madeira Sauce

Before I started reading a lot of food blogs, I had never even heard of polenta. I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time, now, not only because I love corn, creamed corn, cornbread, and any other like flavors, but because I hate having heard of something but never tried it :) I found this recipe on the Williams Sonoma website, and I knew right away that I had to make it. Mushrooms have been one of my favorite foods lately, and it just seemed like they would pair so well with polenta. And I was also curious about madeira, a fortified wine that I had never tried. In the end, I absolutely adored this meal. The polenta, mushrooms, Madeira sauce, and Parmesan cheese all tasted so good together when I got a little bit of each on my spoon. I particularly enjoyed the sauce, which was so flavorful. It uses chicken broth, but you could also substitute vegetable broth to keep this a vegetarian meal. And the Parmesan cheese mixed into the polenta and sprinkled on top of the mushrooms was just delicious and really finished off the dish. I really loved this meal and look forward to making it again.

Polenta with Mushrooms in Madeira Sauce
Source: Williams Sonoma

I cut this recipe in half and made a few changes. Here is the recipe as I made it.

3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 cup polenta (corn grits)
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 10 oz package baby portabella mushrooms, roughly chopped into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/3 cup Madeira
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable, to keep the recipe vegetarian)
Black pepper, to taste

1. In a medium-sized sauce pan, bring a pot of water to a boil, and add the salt. Stirring continuously, add the polenta in a thin stream until incorporated. Continue stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles occasionally. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan frequently, until the polenta is thick and creamy, 35-40 minutes.

2. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, mixing well. Keep the polenta warm over very low heat.

3. In a saute pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and thyme, and cook until all of the liquid released from the mushrooms has evaporated, approximately 10 minutes. Add the Madeira and cook, stirring, until the liquid is almost evaporated. Add the broth, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Spoon the polenta into bowls. Spoon the mushroom and broth mixture on top of the polenta, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Sauteed Balsamic Portabellas with Basil

This mushroom side dish was so delicious. After one bite, I told B that I would be adding it to more meals in the future. The portabellas are sauteed in an incredibly flavorful mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings, and then they’re tossed with freshly chopped basil. After cooking, it’s almost like the mushrooms are coated in a glaze from the vinegar, which tastes incredible. Coupled with the fresh basil and the rich portabellas, the flavors really are perfect. I served these mushrooms alongside chicken cordon bleu sandwiches, because I was looking for something light and healthy to balance out the heavy sandwiches. The mushrooms have a strong Italian flavor, so I think that they would really work well alongside any Italian main dish like chicken Parmesan or chicken piccata, or even added to a pasta or chopped up and tossed with orzo.

Sauteed Balsamic Portabellas with Basil
Source: Adapted from Oakshire Mushroom Farm, Balsamic Marinated Mushrooms recipe

8 oz portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1/8 cup fresh basil, chopped

1. Place the mushrooms in a baking dish or bowl, and toss them with the balsamic vinegar, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Let the mushrooms sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. Pour the mushrooms into the pan, and allow them to cook until the vinegar and the liquid released from the mushrooms is nearly evaporated, approximately 15 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the heat, toss the mushrooms with the chopped basil, and serve.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Like a lot of other people celebrating the Superbowl this past weekend, B and I skipped lunch and dinner on Sunday and had our fill of appetizers instead. We watched the game at home this year, just the two of us, and we made a pretty healthy (as in large, not as in good for you) spread of snacks. And we both agreed that this snack was the best. We both love mushrooms, and the filling was to die for. It was a mixture of Italian sausage, onions, garlic, seasoning, Parmesan, and bread crumbs, and it was awesome. Baked in the oven until everything was nice and warm and the tops of the mushrooms were just a little crispy, these made for an appetizer that I can’t praise enough. The flavor combination from the filling and from the mushrooms themselves was perfect. I’ll be revisiting this recipe the next time that we have an occasion for appetizers, for sure.

Stuffed Mushrooms
Source: Pete Bakes

I cut this recipe in half, but otherwise I followed it pretty closely. Here’ s the recipe as I made it:

10 medium-sized white mushrooms
4 oz Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, finely shredded
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 small onion, diced
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Wash the mushrooms, and then cut out the stems, scraping out the inside of the mushroom. Finely dice the stems and extra mushroom pieces.

2. Crumble the sausage in a saute pan. Add the mushroom pieces, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Saute until the sausage is cooked through and lightly browned.

2. Pour the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs into a small bowl. Add the cooked sausage mixture, and stir to combine.

3. Stuff each mushroom cap with the sausage mixture while it is still warm.  Bake the mushrooms on an ungreased baking sheet or dish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mushroom, Potato, and Smoked Gouda Chowder

As B got his wisdom teeth taken out last week, and I got two of mine taken out yesterday, we have been and will be eating a lot of soups. This is a soup that I found some time last year while searching through food blogs for soups. I’ve made it several times since then, and both B and I love it. It might be my favorite soup. I just love the flavors from the mushrooms, gouda, potatoes, bacon….yum.  I put the whole batch of soup into the food processor this time to make it nice and smooth for B to eat, but usually I only process about half of the soup, leaving some chunks of potatoes and mushrooms. Either way, this soup is delicious.

Mushroom, Potato, and Smoked Gouda Chowder

Source: Elly Says Opa

1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced (I used baby portabellas)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups yukon gold potatoes, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups milk
2 oz. smoked gouda, shredded (I think I used about 4 oz)
Salt and pepper

1. In a stockpot or dutch oven, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat and is crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. In the bacon fat, cook the diced onion over low heat for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms. Add a little salt and pepper and continue cooking over low or medium-low heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture, about 10-15 minutes. Increase the heat and add the wine. Cook until almost all of the alcohol has cooked off.  

3. Add the potatoes and the garlic, stirring to combine. Add the bay leaf and broth. Bring to a light boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and return most of the bacon to the pot, leaving a little extra to garnish the soup.

4. Remove the bay leaf. Put as much or as little of the mixture as you want into a food processor, and pulse it. Return the pureed soup to the dutch oven. Add the milk and gouda. Simmer until the soup has heated through and the cheese has melted.

5. Serve, garnished with the extra bacon.

Mushroom and Spinach Tortilla

B bought me a tapas cookbook for Christmas this year, so this past Saturday night we picked five recipes from it and had a tapas dinner. It was so much fun! The cookbook is called The Tapas Cookbook: A Classic Collection of Spanish-Style Recipes, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for tapas recipes. There are large, full-page photos for each recipe, and all of the food looks fantastic. I can definitely say that all five recipes that we tried were great! This tortilla was made mainly with eggs, spinach, and mushrooms, so it was nice and healthy, and the freshly grated Parmesan melted on top was delicious. Very good.

Mushroom and Spinach Tortilla

Source: Adapted from The Tapas Cookbook: A Classic Collection of Spanish-Style Recipes

Extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 oz baby portabellas, sliced
4 oz fresh spinach
1/4 cup roasted almonds, finely chopped
2 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon cold water
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 oz freshly grated Parmesan

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small nonstick saute/omelet pan. Add the shallots and cook until tender, and then add the mushrooms. Cook until the water released from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender and starting to brown, approximately 5-10 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted, and then add the almonds. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, parsley, water, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture into the pan, cooking until the bottom of the tortilla is set, approximately 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the grated Parmesan to the top of the tortilla and place it in a preheated 450 degree oven (or under the broiler, if your pan is broiler safe) and cook until the top of the eggs are set and the cheese is melted, approximately 3-5 minutes.

4. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold, depending on your preference. We liked it best when it was hot.