Roasted Pepper Jack Portobellos

This recipe (from Fresh-Scratch) is so quick and easy, it’s unbelievable. You can serve it as a side, but the meatiness of the Portobello mushroom makes it a perfect meat substitute. You still feel like there’s something sticking to your ribs! Which, especially for the men in our lives, can be an important factor in this meal we call “dinner.”

Toss this in the oven on a hectic weeknight and you’ll understand my deep love for this lil’ dish. And could that love also have something to do with the pile of melty cheese? (No . . . no . . . ) (YES!)

Ingredients

(Serves 3)

3 large Portobello mushroom caps
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp thyme, to taste
2 TBS olive oil
3 slices Pepper Jack cheese
Parsley or minced chives, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Trim the stems off the mushrooms (only if they’re sticking out a lot, in my opinion–I left the one in the picture below intact) . . .

. . . and wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth.

I’ve heard it’s sacrilege in the world of mushrooms to scrub them under running water. Do any of you have the backstory on this?

Mix the olive oil and thyme. Fresh thyme would be awesome, but I just had the dried variety on hand. You can also use chopped rosemary, or whatever other herb strikes your fancy.

Using your hands, rub the mixture all over the tops and bottoms of the mushrooms.

I didn’t really take a picture at this juncture since my hands were covered in oil. Also, use more olive oil as needed so that there’s a light coating all over each mushroom. The whole “2 TBS” thing was just a wild guess on my part.

Sprinkle salt and pepper (generously) on both sides of the mushrooms, and place them in an oven-safe dish or pan (stem-side up). Place a slice of cheese on each mushroom.

Or a layer of grated cheese, if that floats your boat. Go as heavy or as light as you deem your palate will demand.

Into the oven you go! Roast them for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is  bubbly and golden.

I took them out after 20 minutes, but 5 more minutes would have really made that cheese jump into the realm of golden deliciousness. Next time . . .

 Garnish with parsley or chives, and serve hot!

I didn’t garnish with parsley or chives–and my sad-looking photographs would have greatly benefited from that pop of green (more about that tomorrow).

The pictures were depressing me so much that I did something I’ve never tried before:

Black and white? Hunh. Still lackluster. Better in color . . . I think.

Oh well. Just believe in the deliciousness at hand, and the purpose of this post will have been served. And served well.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Roasted Pepper Jack Portobellos

Tomato Kale Skillet with Poached Eggs and Chickpeas

Sometimes, I need to get my veggies on–and in chewable form, not just that green glass of juice I’ve been throwing back for breakfast. And one blog I can count on to deliver veggie-licious recipes is Joanne’s. I also love one-skillet meals because they’re so perfect for weeknights, so when I saw this recipe I made it within about 5 days of first setting eyes on it.

I LOVE it–and I don’t break out the caps for just any recipe. It is so satisfying, so healthy, so full of good stuff, I could eat it every day. Forever.

I modified the recipe, using kale instead of swiss chard. I really love kale. I liken it to spinach with a little more vim. It doesn’t wilt quite as much but retains its shape better, and has a little crunch to it if you know what I mean, instead of feeling slightly soggy in your mouth like spinach can do if overcooked.

Adapted from Joanne’s post (who in turn adapted it from Bon Appetit December 2011), you guys should seriously consider making this for about 10 minutes–and then you should make it.

My husband dubbed it “Popeye’s Disappointment” for reasons unclear to me. Perhaps because it looks like spinach–but isn’t? Who knows. But I don’t care what he calls it as long as we can put it on the menu time and again.

Ingredients

 (Serves 4)

1 TBS olive oil
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
2 jalapeños
2 bunches kale
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1-28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 large eggs
1 TBS chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Chop up the onion, de-seed and mince the chilies, and mince the garlic.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large (12’’) oven-proof skillet (such as cast iron) and sauté the onion, garlic, and chilies until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I like to toss in a little salt and pepper as they fry. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but seasoning the ingredients in stages, as they go into the dish, seems to build the flavor.

Wash and chop the kale leaves, discarding the tough stems.

Rinse the chickpeas too–the liquid in the can is slimy and gross.

Add the kale to the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes, allowing it to wilt.

I added it in two batches, and don’t worry–it cooks waaaay down, much like spinach.

Add the chickpeas, cumin, and paprika to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet, stir them in and break them apart with a wooden spatula.

You can also crush them with your bare hands beforehand, but I chose not to.

Bring the sauce to a boil; turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, letting the sauce thicken.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. I added a goodly amount of both.

At this point, I felt moved to crack the eggs into individual little containers. I don’t know why, but the urge was irresistible.

They look so . . . cute.

Sprinkle the feta cheese evenly over the sauce and crack the eggs on top, evenly spaced.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.

Since my husband is entirely averse to runny yolks, I let mine go for more like 15 minutes, and cranked the heat up a little higher. The poor guy doesn’t know what he’s missing, but what can you do with a drunken sailor, what can you do with a drunken sailor, what can you do with a drunken sailooooor eeeearly in the mooorniiiiing?

That musical question was purely rhetorical, since my husband is neither a sailor nor drunk.

And I have to concede that even with hard yolks, it was still 1000% delicious.

Garnish with parsley and serve over rice!

Guys, it’s so good I can’t even believe it. The smoky paprika lends it a flavor that brought back so many good childhood feelings for me, since it’s a spice Spaniards use frequently (pimentón).

Plus, it’s such a beautiful dish with the white eggs and cheese, red sauce, and green kale and parsley.

I could look at it for hours. And eat it for hours. And commune with the happiness it produces in my stomach for hours.

Until the urge for a big, juicy rib-eye with a pile of thick, greasy fries hits me . . . and then beware.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Tomato Kale Skillet with Poached Eggs and Chickpeas