Wine Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Mesquite Wild Rice and Kale Stuffing...

Never judge a book by it’s cover, or a meal by it’s subsequent picture, looks can very often be deceiving. As is the case with my latest recipe creation. The picture is a bit horrendous I know, apologies! But it wasn’t the most photogenic dish to begin with, and my camera was very uncooperative yesterday. Though I took over a dozen pictures all but these two came out utterly blurry and totally useless. I’ve never before had such a bad shoot, but the shitty little cam I use most often for food photography really has been through the ringer. It’s been dropped countless times, bashed, smashed, fallen into sand and had beer spilled inside the battery slot. Some of the buttons have ceased to function and I’m beginning to think the focus is on the fritz now too. I think from now on I just might have to use my good high-tech cam for food photography, but since it’s so bulky I usually forget to bring it to the kitchen with me. I’ll have to start making a greater effort to remember it, I suppose.

Anyway, now that I’ve explained myself lets move onto the food shall we? Yesterday I was hit by a bundle of food cravings all at once. Generally when I get a craving for something it’s one dish in particular or one food in particular, not so yesterday. All of a sudden I was craving mushrooms, red wine sauce, Italian herbs, kale, sun-dried tomatoes and the smokey goodness of mesquite. I was practically salivating at the thought of sauteed kale, and mushrooms roasted in red wine, but how I wondered could I combine all these very specific ingredients into one tasty dish?

Stuffed mushrooms was the answer that came sounding back to me and from there all I had to do was figure out the cooking methods and the proportions. I had no idea whether or not this crazy culinary adventure would yield an edible result but I was determined to embark on it nonetheless. What finally emerged from my oven about an hour later stunned both my husband and I. The flavor of these mushrooms exceeded even my wildest expectations. A truly phenomenal blend of flavors from earthy mushrooms and robust wine, to tart vinegar and capers to sweet sun-dried toms and stevia. Enhanced with Italian herbs and smokey mesquite rice. A beautiful partnership, and absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. We could barely stop ourselves eating long enough to actually look up at one another and engage in conversation. We cleaned our plates in a frenzy, then sat back satiated and smiling.

So disregard the picture that leaves a lot to be desired, and take my word for it when I tell you these mushrooms are to die for! Really, it’s one of the best things I’ve made - scratch that - eaten in a long time! So what are you waiting for? Get thee to thee kitchen, and enjoy!

Wine Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Mesquite Wild Rice and Kale Stuffing

Rice -

1 1/4 C Wild Rice
2 1/4 C Vegetable Broth
1 1/4 - 2 tsp Sweet Mesquite Seasoning

Mushrooms -

4 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps
2/3 C Red Wine
1-2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
½ tsp Crushed Rosemary,
½ tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Dried Basil

Kale Stuffing -

2 tsp Olive Oil
10-12 Garlic Cloves finely minced
The mushroom stems diced fine
8-10 Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes diced fine
2-3 Tbsp Capers with a bit of juice
1 Large Bunch Dinosaur Kale chopped into bite sized pieces
1-2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Packet Stevia (optional)
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

- First get your rice going. Wild Rice takes a bit longer then Brown so you want to start it first. If you have a rice cooker just combine all the ingredients together in it and turn it on. Otherwise combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for about 45-60 minutes until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. If making the rice in a pot be sure to check on it now and again so it doesn’t burn and stick to the bottom.

- Set your oven to 350'F (175'C) Remove stems from your mushrooms and clean. Combine Wine, sugar and herbs in a bowl or measuring cup. Place mushrooms in a baking dish, then pour the wine mixture over top. Make sure some of the wine stays inside the caps while the rest covers the bottom of the dish.

- Place mushrooms in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes until tender, and slightly smaller.

- Take the mushrooms out of the oven and using a slotted spoon remove the mushrooms from the dish and place into a colander over the sink to drain. Pour wine mixture into a bowl and reserve.

- Meanwhile, as your mushrooms are roasting and your rice is cooking put the olive oil into a large pan. Heat over medium then add the garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and slightly golden. Add the mushroom and cook another 4-5 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown and become tender. Add sun-dried tomatoes and capers and cook another 2 minutes. Add kale, and the vinegar. If the mix is looking a little too dry you can also add in another tsp of olive oil if you like. Stir to combine then cover and let cook 2-3 minutes. Stir again and cook another 2-4 minutes until kale has wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add stevia if you like to balance out the tartness of the capers and vinegar.

- Your rice should be done by now. Remove it from the pot and pour it into the pan with the kale mixture. Stir until well combined.

- Place mushroom caps back into the baking dish, and carefully fill them with stuffing. Depending on the size of your caps you may have a little extra filling. That’s okay, it tastes amazing on it’s own so you can save it and eat it the next day or you can serve it alongside the mushrooms (as we did). Once the caps are stuffed as full as they can be, return the baking dish to the oven and bake about 5-10 minutes, just until everything is heated through.

- Plate the mushrooms and if you like drizzle a little bit of the reserved sauce over them. These mushrooms are so delicious and flavorful that you don’t need the extra sauce if you don’t want it, but a little drizzle is nice.

*** Note - If you don’t have wild rice you can use black or brown rice instead, though I really like the texture of wild rice and I think it’s crunchy/chewy consistency and nutty flavor work really well here. If you don’t have dinosaur kale also known as Lacinato kale you can use regular.***