Makes 4 servings.
This is an attractive, nutritious Winter luncheon dish in which the mushroom tops become a saucer-like container for the tasty filling. You can assemble the whole dish earlier in the day, refrigerate it and bake it when needed. This is a simplified version of the recipe that I have in my last cookbook, Helen Nash's New Kosher Cuisine.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 cup brown rice (See Note)
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 poblano peppers
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 5 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped (See Note)
- 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 4 large Portobello mushrooms, about 5 inches in diameter
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Bibb lettuce or frisee, lightly tossed with olive oil
PREPARATION:
- Bring the rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Lower the heat and cook, covered, until the rice is almost tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, core and seed them. Place them, skin-side up, on a broiler pan lined with foil.
- Broil them close to the heat source until the skin is blistered and charred. Cover with foil and let rest for a minute. The heat will loosen the skin. Peel and chop finely and add to the rice.
- Preheat over to 350F.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok. Add the onion, cover and sauté, over low heat, until the onion is soft. Add to the rice.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and all of the spinach. Sauté over high heat until spinach is just beginning to wilt.
- Add to the rice along with the cheese and cilantro. Combine well and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cut off and discard the mushroom stems, if any. Wipe the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel and rub them with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle the mushroom caps with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the filling equally in the center of each cap. Place in a baking pan covered with foil (you can make the recipe ahead of time up to this point. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate).
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is very hot and the mushroom caps seem a bit wilted (if you have refrigerated the mushrooms before they may require a little longer to bake).
- Serve the mushrooms with dressed greens.
Note:
I prefer to use premium Japanese brown rice, medium grain, as it is much creamier than other kinds of brown rice.
I coarsely chop all of the spinach, in batches, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
