Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Gorgonzola Cheese

Every once in a while, my husband and I have what we call "Cheese Night". Instead of cooking a big meal for dinner we get a few good quality cheeses, crackers, and I make some other appetizers or salads to go along. This past "Cheese Night" I decided to try and recreate a dish I had at Maroni's in Northport. The original dish was Portobello Mushroom with Gorgonzola, balsamic reduction and a basil oil. The only difference with my version is I opted to use fresh basil instead of the basil oil. The dish was very similar and tasted great. I would definitely make this again, especially for company. It would make a great appetizer on top of a bed of  mixed greens.

Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Gorgonzola Cheese balsamic reduction and basil
Serves 4

Side Salad, Fresh Tomato with Basil, Pecorino Romano in Balsamic, Crostini and Portobello
Mushrooms 

Ingredients:
4 Portobello Mushroom caps- stems and grills removed gently
Good Quality Gorgonzola cheese (enough for about 2 tbsp per mushroom)
Olive Oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Fresh Basil-chopped (reserve some for garnish)

1. To make the balsamic reduction: add 1 cup of vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes (sometimes it can take up to 20 minutes) and reduce liquid by half. Remove from the heat and let cool (vinegar will thicken even more as is cools, make sure to keep your eye on the vinegar to prevent it from over reducing and burning)

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush mushrooms with olive oil on both sides and place onto  a baking sheet stem side facing up. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until mushrooms as soft. Remove from oven and soak up any liquid with a paper towel.

3. Crumble as much or as little of the Gorgonzola cheese as desired onto the mushroom and sprinkle with some fresh basil. Brush a little more olive oil on the outside rim of the mushrooms to prevent them from drying out. Place back in the oven for 10 minutes or until Gorgonzola cheese has melted. You can also place the mushrooms under the broiler to melt cheese.

4. Remove mushrooms from oven and transfer them to serving dish or plate. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and fresh basil and serve immediately.

Every once in a while, my husband and I have what we call "Cheese Night". Instead of cooking a big meal for dinner we get a few good quality cheeses, crackers, and I make some other appetizers or salads to go along. This past "Cheese Night" I decided to try and recreate a dish I had at Maroni's in Northport. The original dish was Portobello Mushroom with Gorgonzola, balsamic reduction and a basil oil. The only difference with my version is I opted to use fresh basil instead of the basil oil. The dish was very similar and tasted great. I would definitely make this again, especially for company. It would make a great appetizer on top of a bed of  mixed greens.

Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Gorgonzola Cheese balsamic reduction and basil
Serves 4

Side Salad, Fresh Tomato with Basil, Pecorino Romano in Balsamic, Crostini and Portobello
Mushrooms 

Ingredients:
4 Portobello Mushroom caps- stems and grills removed gently
Good Quality Gorgonzola cheese (enough for about 2 tbsp per mushroom)
Olive Oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Fresh Basil-chopped (reserve some for garnish)

1. To make the balsamic reduction: add 1 cup of vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes (sometimes it can take up to 20 minutes) and reduce liquid by half. Remove from the heat and let cool (vinegar will thicken even more as is cools, make sure to keep your eye on the vinegar to prevent it from over reducing and burning)

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush mushrooms with olive oil on both sides and place onto  a baking sheet stem side facing up. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until mushrooms as soft. Remove from oven and soak up any liquid with a paper towel.

3. Crumble as much or as little of the Gorgonzola cheese as desired onto the mushroom and sprinkle with some fresh basil. Brush a little more olive oil on the outside rim of the mushrooms to prevent them from drying out. Place back in the oven for 10 minutes or until Gorgonzola cheese has melted. You can also place the mushrooms under the broiler to melt cheese.

4. Remove mushrooms from oven and transfer them to serving dish or plate. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and fresh basil and serve immediately.