Grilled Portobellos with Caprese Salad
This simple recipe is one of my favorite weeknight meals for late summer when tomatoes are freshest and the weather is perfect for grilling. Whip this up in less than 30 minutes and enjoy a leisurely dinner with your family at the end of a busy workday.
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients
4 large, plump Portobello Mushrooms
1 pint Red Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, cut in half
8 oz container Fresh Mozzarella (Ciligene {ie: tiny balls} preferred)
2 sprigs Fresh Basil, finely chopped
3 TB Balsamic Vinegar
3 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 cups Arugula, for serving
Method
Remove stems from Portobellos. Using the back of a teaspoon, carefully scrape out gills from inside of mushroom cap; discard. Gently peel off skin from top of mushroom cap, exposing white flesh underneath. (Removing the skin and gills not only cleans the mushrooom, without using water which can make them soggy, but also allows the flesh to absorb the marinade better and makes them juicier when cooked.)
Set the mushrooms aside in a shallow baking dish or on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the insides of each mushroom generously with salt & pepper. Drizzle with 2TB Balsamic vinegar and 2TB Olive Oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate at least 20 minutes (up to 2 hours) at room temperature.
Meanwhile, slice cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls in half. Toss with a sprinkling of salt & pepper as well as the basil, reserving about 1TB of basil for garnish. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
Turn on your grill. Heat to 500F degrees and place mushrooms, ‘gill side up’ on hot grill. Grill about 5 minutes, depending on size, until they start to release their juices and begin to shrink up a bit. Flip mushrooms over, pouring accumulated juices into the other mushrooms as you go. Grill another 3-5 minutes until fully cooked through but still plump and juicy.
Arrange Arugula on the bottom of a serving platter. Place mushrooms on top. Fill each mushroom cap with reserved tomatoes and mozzarella, piling it high. Drizzle remaining 1TB each Balsamic and Olive Oil over the top of mushrooms and arugula. Sprinkle again with salt & pepper and scatter top with reserved 1TB basil.
Enjoy!
