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03/09/2001 Archived Entry: "Portobello Salsa, Roasted Portobello Mushrooms"

Amy Farges reminded me yesterday on Food Talk that she called me 13 years ago, while I was the food editor of the New York Daily News, wanting to know if we would do a story on her, her husband Thiery, and their new wild mushroom business, Aux Delices des Bois. She said I told her we’d have to wait a bit, that wild mushrooms were not on the general public’s radar yet. We could do something when the mushrooms were more available.

If I had actually given it any thought back then I never would have guessed that 13 years later you could find exotics like oyster mushrooms, shiitake, and enoki in almost any supermarket, and that Americans would consider portabellas as ordinary as white buttons.

Portabellas (also spelled portobellos) are, in fact, not wild mushrooms, but that’s another story, a story that Amy tells more succinctly that I can in her book The Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook and Primer. Besides many wonderful recipes like the following, the book has a section picturing and describing all the exotic mushrooms you are likely to encounter in American markets. Do not – I repeat, do not – go out hunting for wild mushrooms with Amy’s book. There are too many dangerous mushrooms in our woods and on our lawns. As Amy said on Food Talk, always go mushroom hunting with a mycological group. There are many all over the country (and the world). It takes much experience to identify edible wild mushrooms. Amy and Thiery Farges’ business, now called Marche aux Delices, is a great mail-order source, however. You can find them at www.auxdelices.com or by calling 888-547-5471.


Portobello and Basil Salsa

4 roasted portobello caps (see following recipe)
1/2 cup finely diced ripe tomato or sun-dried tomato
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or more if needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more if needed
1/2 cup very finely shredded fresh basil leaves

Cut off and discard the gills from the mushrooms. Cut the remaining cap into 1/4-inch dice. You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Toss the diced mushrooms with the tomato, onion, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let stand at room temperature, tossing occasionally, 2 hours. (The mushroom mixture may be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before serving.)

Add the basil and toss to mix. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Serve within 1 hour after adding the basil.


Roasted Portobello Caps

4 medium (about 1 pound) portobello mushrooms, with caps about 3 1/2 inches across
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or as needed
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, or soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and wipe the caps clean. Lightly oil a baking pan with some of the olive oil. Rub the remaining oil into the tops of the caps. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper.

Place the caps, gill side up, on the baking pan. Roast for 10 minutes. Turn and roast until the mushrooms are tender and well browned.