Tag Archives: thyme

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

Simple Tomato Sauce

I love a good tomato sauce, but for some reason I rarely make my own. However, after being draw in to a tomatoey, cheese-y picture of Chicken Parmesan on Tasty Kitchen, I decided that for this decadent dish I really needed to make my own sauce.

So today the sauce, tomorrow the chicken! It’s a plan.

Adapted from this lovely recipe, this tomato sauce isn’t complicated, and packs so much more flavor than the jarred variety.  It’s delightfully thick (if that’s your thing), and so healthy! I used about 2 cups of it, and froze the rest in small bags for future use.

It just warms my heart to see the bags waiting in the freezer for the day when the spaghetti impulse hits me.

Ingredients

(Makes approx. 6 cups)

1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
4 TBS butter, optional

Chop up the onion and mince the garlic.

Chop up the carrot and celery too.

Don’t worry about being precise since it will all get pureed in the end.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes, until it’s all soft and translucent.

Add the celery, carrot, some salt and pepper.

Cook for about 5 minutes, until the veggies are softened.

Add the tomatoes . . .

. . . basil, and bay leaves . . .

. . . and cover with a splatter screen.

Turn down the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 hour. This means it’s time to put your feet up and read a good novel while the delicious scents start swirling out of your kitchen.

After the hour is up, remove the bay leaves and taste for seasoning.

Add 1 TBS of butter at a time up the to the full 4 TBS, tasting in between, to round out the flavors.

Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until it’s as smooth as you want it.

Allow the sauce to cool completely and, if you’re not using it immediately, pour it into freezer bags in 1-2 cup portions. It will keep frozen for about 6 months.

Isn’t it a thing of beauty?

I took my hints on how to best photograph this sauce from the creator of the original recipe, whose pictures are just gorgeous.

Thanks for the idea and inspiration, Sweet Pea Chef!

Though we’ll be making Chicken Parmesan with this good stuff tomorrow, you can use it for so many things: to spread on a pizza, to make spaghetti, Arroz a la Cubana, lasagna, etc. Conclusion: make some homemade tomato sauce!

Click here for printer-friendly version: Simple Tomato Sauce