STUFFED PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS WITH SWISS CHARD

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms With Swiss Chard image

Portabella (a.k.a. portobello) mushrooms are just grown-up cremini mushrooms. Huge portabellas are great for grilling, and the smaller ones are perfect for stuffing. You'll be amazed by how much filling you can pack into a medium-size portabella. Serve these as a starter or a side dish.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Time 45m

Yield 12 stuffed mushrooms

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1 pound Swiss chard, stemmed and cleaned
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, halved, green shoots removed
2 tablespoons pine nuts or finely chopped almonds
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
12 medium-size portabella stuffing mushrooms, about 3/4 pound

Steps:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard. Blanch two minutes until tender, and transfer to the ice water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop fine, and set aside.
Set aside 1/2 garlic clove, and mince the rest. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet, and add the pine nuts or almonds. Cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to color, and add the minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the chard and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together for a minute or two, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer to a bowl, add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and stir together.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking sheet or baking dish that will accommodate all the mushrooms. Gently twist the stems off the mushrooms, if they are still there, and set aside for another purpose. Heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in the skillet, and add the half clove of garlic that you set aside. Cook the garlic in the olive oil until it turns golden, then remove it from the oil and discard. Add the mushrooms to the oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook, shaking them in the pan, just until they begin to soften, no longer than three minutes. Using tongs, remove from the oil and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet or in a baking dish, rounded side down.
Fill the mushroom caps with the chard mixture, packing it in tight. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top. If any oil remains in the pan, drizzle it over the mushrooms. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mushrooms are moist and tender.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 60, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 3 grams, Fat 5 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 3 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 151 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram