Umami Portobello Mushroom with Spinach and Mozzarella

If you've never eaten Portobello mushrooms, you're absolutely missing out. These palm size, meaty mushrooms have a great bite and are rich in umami flavor. I enjoy them best grilled or sautéed and stuffed with spinach and cheese, as a Portobello steak.

Such a wonderful substitute for meat, I cook my Portobellos until the mushrooms are soft and the cheese is all melted and gooey. Served along with scrambled eggs, this is one appealing, appetizing and very satisfying meal for breakfast or brunch. 

What Do Portobello Mushrooms Taste Like?

Portobello Mushrooms have a delicious, meaty texture when cooked; a great toothsome bite and a rich, earthy, broth like flavor. Some would peg it's taste as umami. 

So what the heck is umami, anyway and what does it taste like?

The word umami, borrowed from Japanese, translates as a 'pleasant savory taste' and is considered one of the five basic tastes. Foods described as umami strike taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, particularly found in meat broths and fermented food. Some foods that have the strongest umami flavor are Marmite, Bovril (yeast extracts), Oyster Sauce and ripe red tomatoes. Are you getting a taste for umami now? Is your mouth beginning to water?

MSG or mono sodium glutamate is a synthetic product that gives the taste of umami. A 'taste maker'  or 'taste enhancer' that triggers brain reactions that create pleasant sensations in the mouth and tongue to create a feeling of fullness in the mouth and stimulates the salivary glands to make one's mouth water. 

Cooking and eating Portobello mushrooms, along with ripe red tomatoes is a natural way to get the same wonderful feelings of umami by using organic food produce without any artificial chemical compounds.

Palm size Portobello mushrooms.
To clean, detach central stem and scrape out the gills under the mushroom cap.

How to Clean and Prep Portobello Mushrooms

1. Detach the stem from the mushroom cap. Since they are bit woody, set them aside to use in a broth or keep them to use cut up in another recipe.
2. Scrape out the gills from under the mushroom cap and discard gills.
3. Rinse the mushrooms under running water and dab dry with a paper towel.
4. Brush both side of the Portobello mushroom cap with oil.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

How to Cook  Portobello Mushrooms

Because of the large size of these mushrooms, they can be cooked in a number of ways; either cut or cooked whole.

1. Cooked whole on the grill as Portobello steaks as a meatless burger substitute sandwiched between burger buns. Yum!
2. Sautéed in a pan or skillet.
3. Oven baked and broiled to make Roasted Portobello mushrooms.

For my recipe for Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Cheese, you can use any of these cooking options; grill, oven or skillet. 

• If I'm making a large batch of Portobello mushroom steaks to feed a crowd, then cooking them on the grill or in the oven is best. 
• But, when cooking up to 3 mushroom steaks, my preference is to cook them up in a skillet (because it's just so easy and they all fit snug), and then serve it up in a skillet (because it just looks so pretty... and also remains hot).

Toppings and Sides for Portobello Mushroom Steaks with Spinach and Mozzarella

I cook my Portobello steaks in a covered skillet until the raw spinach has wilted. Then I top it with mozzarella shredded cheese and cook it further until the cheese has melted.

Serve along with scrambled eggs and toppings of fresh spinach leaves, sliced cherry tomatoes (more umami!), edible pansies and blueberries for a feast for the both the eyes and the tummy. 

The blue berries add just a slight tough of sweetness to balance out the umami flavors. Top off with freshly cracked pepper and drizzle with a little truffle oil (optional) just before serving. 

Umami Recipe: Portobello Mushroom with Spinach and Mozzarella

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

☐ 2 large Portobello mushrooms
☐ 2/3 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
☐ 6-8 Baby tomatoes (cherry or grape tomatoes)
☐ Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
☐ Grated/ shredded mozzarella cheese
☐ 2 eggs
☐ Truffle oil
☐ Olive oil/ oil/ butter
☐ Salt and Pepper

Step- by- Step Instructions

 Step 1: Clean and Prep Portobello Mushrooms

• Detach the stem from the mushroom cap and discard stem.
• Use a spoon to scrape out the gills from under the mushroom cap and discard gills.
• Wash the mushrooms under running water. Dry with a paper towel.
• Brush both side of the Portobello mushroom cap with olive oil.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Cook Portobello Mushrooms in Skillet

• Heat butter or oil in a large skillet.
• Place the Portobello Mushrooms face down in the skillet. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Turn mushrooms over and fill cap with fresh baby spinach leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and cook until the leaves have almost wilted.
• Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese generously over the spinach. Cover and cook until the cheese has melted.
• Remove skillet from heat and let it rest uncovered while preparing the scrambled eggs.

Step 3: Scramble Eggs

• In a small bowl, beat eggs until they are light and frothy. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a separate frying pan, add butter and scramble eggs.

Step 4: Final touches

• Add the scrambled eggs to the skillet, along with the stuffed Portobello mushroom steaks.
• Sprinkle with fresh baby spinach leaves, edible pansies, halved cherry/ grape tomatoes, mozzarella shreds and blueberries.
• Top with cracked pepper and drizzle with truffle oil.

Breakfast Related Recipes:

Here are a few of my other breakfast recipes that will want to make you jump out of bed.

Overnight Oats

Pain Perdu/ French Toast

Pansy Crepes with Orange Marmalade 

  

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