Grilling portobellos is a wonderful idea, except when it isn’t. You know sometimes these giant mushroom caps just end up flavorless and soggy. Except of course, for my Portobello Pizzas which are obviously excellent – and now you have this new, super easy recipe, which, for a simple mushroom side dish is totally DECADENT and satisfying.
SHOPPING LIST: 4 portobellos, crumbled blue cheese, balsamic glaze, olive oil, truffle oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder
The first key to a nicely grilled portobello is making sure it’s properly oiled before grilling. I mentioned above that they can become soggy (and that’s because mushrooms naturally omit a bunch of water when cooked) but conversely, if they aren’t properly oiled they can become DRY, equally not cool. I like to mix 1 tB. of truffle oil with 1/2 cup of olive oil to use for these mushrooms. Truffle oil isn’t typically used for cooking, but mixing it with the olive oil will infuse your portobellos with a mild truffle essence. Remove the stems from your portobellos and then make sure your mushrooms are evenly coated with the blended oil on BOTH sides – and then generously season each side with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Make sure your grill is SMOKING hot and start grilling your mushrooms STEM(less) side down. Grill your mushrooms about 8 minutes, letting all of the liquid drip into your BBQ so you won’t have soggy shrooms. Flip your portobellos and top each with a HANDFUL of blue cheese crumbles. DON’T be stingy. The use of blue cheese is really ideal here because the flavorful, blistered cheese really becomes the star of the show. Shut your BBQ and cook for another 8 minutes. You will see the edges of your mushrooms become almost CRISPY – this is what you’re looking for!!!!!
Remove the grilled portobellos and drizzle with your favorite balsamic glaze. REGULAR balsamic vinegar will NOT do the trick here. You need the sweeter glaze to balance the stinky cheese. Also, thick store-bought balsamic glaze drizzles beautifully and who doesn’t love a beautiful drizzle?
The Kitchen Koach 