Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Wellington

There's not much to say about this mushroom main dish except that it is incredible. The meatiness of the grilled mushroom is perfectly complemented by the richness of the stuffing. The puff pastry adds a nice crunchy texture to the dish, so it all comes together nicely.

We served this wonderful dish with a baked sweet potato topped with brown sugar and butter and a side salad that included local pears and blue cheese. Think of it as an updated version of an 80's throwback dinner menu that's easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough to serve to guests.

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Wellington
(serves 4)

4 medium Grilled Portobello Mushrooms (recipe follows)

Mushroom Stuffing

puff pastry (or phyllo dough)

1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Divide stuffing among the mushrooms creating a layer of stuffing on each flat mushroom and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a coffee can as a template and the tip of a sharp knife, cut puff pastry into rounds that equal the size of the mushroom (about 4 inches across), brush each round generously with olive oil, and place on the baking sheet next to the mushrooms. When the pastry is brown, the filling should be coked through. This should take about 20 minutes. To serve, top each stuffed mushroom with a puff pastry.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon red miso (or soy sauce in which case omit salt)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 medium portobello mushrooms

Whisk ingredients together until well incorporated. Pour mixture over the gill-side of two large (or 4 small) whole portobello mushroom caps. Allow mushrooms to marinate for a half hour. Starting gill-side-down, grill mushrooms over a high flame for about 4 minutes per side. While mushrooms are cooking, place a brick or cast iron pan on top of them to flatten them.

Mushroom Stuffing

1 leek (cleaned, trimmed, and sliced, about 1 to 1 1/2 a cups)

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup apple juice

1 cup button mushrooms (thinly sliced)

2 sprigs thyme (stems removed)

2 ounces soft goat cheese (crumbled)

1 egg (beaten)

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

Pull the first tough layer off of the leek and discard. Begin slicing 1/2 inch slices from the leek starting at the root end. Slice up the leek until it becomes darker green and tough, somewhere near the middle. Discard the top and the root end. Now, using you thumb, push the rings of the leek apart dropping the individual rings into a large bowl of clean water. Swish the leek rings around in the water to dislodge any dirt. Drain water off of the rings. In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, slowly cook the leeks in the butter. This should take about 15 or 20 minutes. Once the leeks have softened, turn up the heat and add the apple juice to deglaze the pan. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Place leeks in a mixing bowl to cool. Now sauté mushrooms in the hot pan until brown. Add mushrooms to leek mixture and allow mixture to cool. Add the thyme, goat cheese, egg, and panko and mix to incorporate. The mixture should be thick, not loose. Add more panko if needed. Set mixture in the fridge until ready to use.