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Cook the Book: Portobello Panini with Gorgonzola and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Posted by Jenn Sit, January 2, 2008 at 1:30 PM

It's almost the New Year and this time, your resolution to eat healthier foods can be a lot easier to keep with Ellie Krieger's new cookbook, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life. The portobello panini with gorgonzola and sun-dried tomatoes recipe not only sounds delicious but is really simple to make and could be served with a side salad to make a great filling lunch. After the recipe, she notes "that there are five basic tastes our tongues can detect: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and, only recently recognized by western science, umami, a Japanese word that loosely translates to 'deliciousness.'" Mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese are chock full of umami—or as you'll come to call it, "mm-yummy." (sidenote: my New Year's resolution is to stop making bad food puns...looks like I'm off to a bad start.)

Portobello Panini with Gorgonzola and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Succulent, meaty portobello mushrooms are the "bread" in this sumptuous grilled sandwich. The center oozes with pungent Gorgonzola cheese and the slightly chewy sun-dried tomatoes add a concentrated tomato flavor and slight sweetness.

- makes four servings -

Ingredients

4 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
Boiling water
4 portobello mushrooms (2 ounces each)
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure

Reconstitute the sun-dried tomatoes by soaking them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the toma­toes from the water, pat dry, and chop them.

Slice the stems off the mushrooms so they can lay completely flat. Slice each cap in half so you have 8 round mushroom slices. Top half of the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of the chopped tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Top with the remaining mushroom slices. Brush the top side of each "sandwich" with some of the oil.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until good and hot. Place the mushroom sandwiches in the hot pan carefully, oiled side down, and cook for 2 minutes, Brush the top half with the remaining oil, flip with a spatula, and cook until the mushroom softens and begins to brown and the cheese is melted, about another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

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Tags: Cook the Book, Ellie Krieger, Gorgonzola, mushrooms, panini, sun-dried tomatoes