What to do with a portabello!

[fortyfeetunder]

I bought a package of 4 good sized ones from Costco. Washed them and scraped out the gills and the stems. Shook a little Montreal Steak seasoning on them and grilled them over a mesquite charcoal fire. Afterwards, stored them in a Rubbermaid container.

1st night: Portabello Pizzaburger
2TBS marinara sauce, 1 stick of string cheese, and fresh basil and enjoyed on a whole wheat bun.

2nd night: Greek "Steak" Salad
Over a bed of baby greens, chopped a portabello into steak like sections and added a cup of store-bought Greek salad.

Saturday: Portabello Omelet. Red onions, cheese, eggs. Plain and simple.

Sunday: Portabello surprise: Whatever I have will be a surprise to me.

[wildeyed]

1. Mmmmmm, that all sounds delicious.

Everyone in my household is mushroom adverse, except me. I am strongly pro-mushroom. So I would end up eating them all myself. Not such a bad idea, actually!

I will keep this in mind next time I have people over for dinner. A bunch of my friends don't like red meat, and would definitely enjoy a portabello alternative.

[fortyfeetunder]

2. Yes BBQ is the way to go

I am a year round BBQer so I will cook portabellos anytime. What I discovered recently was this Lazzaro mesquite wood charcoal (yes, it looks like wood) and it burns hotter than regular charcoal, and still imparts a mesquite flavor in the food. The portabellos tasted good the day after...come to think of it, it's omelet time!

[livetohike]

3. I love portabellos

Try them "Chicken fried" as you would for chicken fried steak. They are delicious!

[MelissaB]

4. Question:

I've only cooked portabellos a few times, and I just bought some more. I've grilled them before, but didn't know people scraped the "gills" off. Am I supposed to do this?

[livetohike]

5. I don't

I just trim the bottom off the stem and rinse under the tap water. Shake to remove excess water and dirt and dry on a paper towel.

[MelissaB]

6. Thanks so much!

:hi:

[fortyfeetunder]

7. it depends...

when I don't want the extra moisture when grilling, I scrape out the gills.

However, when I am making mock stroganoff in the crock pot, I leave the gills in, makes the juices nice and brown!

[MelissaB]

8. I've been marinating mine before I grill them, so I'm sure it would

help to scrape them out. Thanks a lot! I'll give it a try.

[fortyfeetunder]

9. When I don't scrape, I get a lot of liquid..

I think it depends on how one likes portabellos cooked. When I grill them, I want a firm, steak like texture.

Now one way I "could" get around it is to grill gill side down first to boil out the excess liquid. Now I have another excuse to visit Costco and buy some more!!!!