Recipe: Panko-Stuffed Portobello Caps

the appetizer:

Try vegetarian cooking with V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking by Angeline Linardis, including recipes for Superior Spring Rolls; Colorful Black Thai Rice; and Panko-Stuffed Portobello Caps.

Cookbook

Panko-Stuffed Portobello Caps

Serves 4

These are fantastic any time, any season of the year. The impressive size of the Portobellos makes anything made with them great. They have that "meaty" quality that makes them so appealing and with a lot of flavors added—wow. I like to include these as part of my holiday meals, but you don't have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy these.

3 Tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bulb garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cups (500 mL) parsley, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) oregano
2 tsp (10 mL) sage
two 9-oz (255-g) containers panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 cup (250 mL) vegetable broth
4 huge Portobello mushroom caps

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Portobello (or Portobella) mushrooms are just a bigger version of criminis.

Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, parsley and red pepper to a pan. Cook on high, stirring constantly, until the onions are translucefiyand the vegetables are tender. Mix in the panko, oregano and sage, and toss it well. Add enough of the veggie broth so that it holds together somewhat-then fill your Portobello caps up with the mixture, pressing it in tightly Bake until the tops are golden brown.

I recommend making an entire extra pan of stuffing to go along with these. People will usually want more, and even if you don't use it all at once, just cover and refrigerate it—it will be great in the fridge for a couple of days.