Mushrooms a la Nina

Mushrooms.

Its funny that a fungus should taste this good.

I hadn't eaten mushrooms in a while and wasn't missing them much until I came across a fabulous mushroom stall in San Francisco. The Ferry building has a selection of specialty gourmet shops ranging from pastries to cheeses to yes, even mushrooms. This stall had mushrooms galore in all shapes, sizes, and varieties.

Back in San Diego I went straight to a market and found large portobello mushrooms. For dinner that night I used whatever ingredients I had in the fridge (green onions, roasted red peppers, parmesan cheese), mixed them together, topped the mushrooms with it, and then stuck them in the oven. I wasn't sure how the concoction would turn out but having made it twice already, it really is delicious (see below). The cheesy, crunchy, and pepper flavored mixture paired with the rich earthy flavor of the mushrooms, is satisfying and barely takes any time at all to make.

I've decided to name it Mushrooms a la Nina after one of my best friends. I can always count on her to order the mushroom dish on the menu. She has called me up many times to describe mouth-watering meals featuring this ingredient. We have also suffered through countless meals of Campbell mushroom soup together during our university days (well, I did more of the suffering). At least our tastes have "mushroomed" into something slightly more sophisticated. No pun intended.

Nina this ones for you ;)

Mushrooms a la Nina Recipe

Ingredients

4 giant portobello mushrooms (or you can substitute several smaller mushrooms)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of roasted red peppers

2 green onions

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the stubs off the mushrooms.

Dice the roasted red peppers and green onions into small pieces. Add the salt, pepper, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Mix well together in a bowl and top the bottom side of the mushroom with the mixture. (If there isn't enough, double the amount of ingredients in the recipe)

Oil a baking sheet and place on a baking tray. Place the mushrooms on it and let them bake for about 10 mins or until cheese has melted and mushrooms have become tender.