NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
July 16, 1998
The oft-told method for distinguishing a fruit from a vegetable is to check for seeds. If there are seeds present, the food in question supposedly is a fruit. Supposedly, I say, because the method is flawed. A mushroom is a fruit—actually the fruiting body of a fungus.
There are literally thousands of mushroom species growing in North America, and a couple hundred are edible. Portobellos have come to be my favorite. These large, disk-shaped mushrooms have been available in grocery stores throughout this region for at least a year. I'll admit I experimented timidly at first. I diced or sliced and sauteed or added the uncooked portobellos directly to slightly thick tomato sauce. The "liquor" that the mushrooms release is a nice way to enhance flavor and thin a tomato-based sauce. Try it and see, but I wouldn't experiment this way with a cream sauce if you've got company coming over.
While I was vacationing last summer, I ventured into a grocery store in Red Lodge, Mont., and came across the largest portobellos I'd ever seen. I've since found a Minnesota distributor willing to ship five-pound boxes of these jumbo portobellos directly to my home. There are about 15 portobellos to a five-pound box, so it's pretty easy to imagine the size. Some are as big around as a small salad plate and weigh up to a half pound.
Now I'm entering the Star Trek phase of mushroom cookery. I'm boldly going beyond what I've considered to be convention. I'm eating mushroom sandwiches—and liking them. What's more, I think the leftovers are even better. I cut up the cold mushrooms and add ½-inch cubes to rice or pasta salads, along with similarly sized cubes of cheese such as an extra sharp cheddar.
But how do I think portobellos become so tantalizing the first time around? By marinating and then grilling with hardwood. I've used both apple wood and mesquite and think apple imparts a better flavor. For me, a crusty hard roll, sauteed onions finished in a robust mustard sauce and a thick slice of pepper-jack cheese round out this sensory experience, one that's full of color, smell, texture and, of course, taste.
I saute sliced onions in olive oil, but you could use butter, margarine or another type of vegetable oil. I don't measure the amount of onions or oil. Just eyeball it. Make sure you make enough, though, because these mustardy onions really add to the flavor of the sandwich. As the onions are frying, I spoon or squirt some hearty mustard into the pan. I add quite a bit of mustard and once the onions are coated and the mixture is thick, I add enough water or white wine to make the mustard take on a sauce-like consistency.
The recipe I use follows, but first I want to stress that I use only hardwood for grilling, and I would caution first-time mushroom smokers that using wood results in a robust flavor. For a slightly tamer taster, try charcoal or a charcoal-wood combination. Or try your oven broiler.
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
6 large portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried, crumbled)
3 tablespoons sugar
salt and black pepper to taste
6 cheese slices (optional)
3 cups sauteed onions (optional)Procedure:
Remove most of the stem from the mushrooms and save stems for another use, or discard. Place mushrooms in a shallow dish. Combine remaining ingredients, pour over mushrooms and marinate for several hours; turn mushrooms once or twice while marinating. Grill over a medium-hot bed of wood chunks or charcoal for 15 to 30 minutes, depending upon the size of the mushrooms. Watch the mushrooms closely. Top with thick slices of your favorite cheese a minute or so before removing from grill. Serve on a crusty roll or length of French bread.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
With names like Agaricus, crimini, shiitake, enoki, and, of course, portobello, mushrooms are becoming more chic than ever. In fact, mushrooms topped the list of trendy foods according to a recent survey of chefs by the American Restaurant Association. The common white button mushroom, or Agaricus, represents 90 percent of all mushrooms grown in the United States.
Portobello mushrooms are gaining in popularity due to their beefy flavor and chewy texture. The sales of shiitake mushrooms have doubled since 1992. With their umbrella-shaped caps, shiitakes are commonly stuffed for appetizers.
While it may be tempting to pluck mushrooms from decaying logs, remember that many varieties can sicken or even kill. So if you're a novice without the help of a horticulture expert, it's best to buy mushrooms at the store.
Mushrooms are a dieter's dream: flavorful and low in calories. An eight-ounce serving of raw mushrooms contains only about 60 calories, with only a trace of fatunless you saute your mushrooms in butter or smother them in heavy sauces. Mushrooms also provide some iron, B vitamins and fiber. Being of plant origin, they contain no cholesterol. A tablespoon of the marinade in Dean's recipe contains about 72 calories and 7 grams of fat, most of it monounsaturated from the olive oil.
Due to their porous texture, it's best not to soak mushrooms to clean them. They quickly become slimy. Right before cooking, give them a quick dip in water followed by draining and drying on paper towels. The particles clinging to commercially-grown mushrooms are generally a pasteurized growth medium, so wiping with a damp towel is also safe.
To prevent the natural darkening due to oxidation, toss mushrooms in lemon juice before adding them to a salad. If you're only using the caps, don't let the stems go to waste. They add rich flavor to vegetable or meat stocks.
Adding fungus to your menu is not a usual recommendation, but these exotic "fruits" add a gourmet touch.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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