Feta and tomato stuffed Portobello with garlic butter

For this post, I looked for inspiration in the refrigerator. The most inspiring I could find was a Portobello. A bit pathetic for a guy that is running a food blog won’t you say?
You must make the most of what you have, I said to myself. So I sat down and tried to imagine an incredibly delicious recipe with portobello as a base ingredient. After one hour I gave up. But I had to do something.
Portobello

So I turned to Pinterest.

I found a recipe for Caprese stuffed garlic butter Portobello. It looked delicious. You fill a Portobello with garlic butter, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella, and on top of that, you add some basil and balsamic glaze.

A perfect appetizer. Few ingredients and easy to do. Now I just had to put some personal touch to it. Finding inspiration is one thing, stealing a recipe is something completely different. Something I would never do. I can copy a recipe, but in that case, I always give credit to the source.

But I realized that this would be a different recipe when I looked for mozzarella in the fridge.

I had none.

All I could find was a piece of Feta cheese. Quite a disappointment. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Feta cheese. It’s unbeatable in many recipes. But for this recipe, you want something that melts and gives that fat, delicious, cheesy taste.

Mozzarella is king when it comes to delivering that. Feta cheese has one major problem. It doesn’t melt.

I started looking for a replacement, but all I could find was a standard child-friendly-put-on-the-sandwich cheese.

Too boring.

I realized that I had to go with the Feta cheese. It might not be that bad after all.

Feta cheese

Feta cheese has a tangy, quite salty, and a bit sour taste. Even if I think it becomes a bit milder when heated, it needs to be balanced with some sweetness. The balsamic glaze adds some sweetness, but I wanted more. So I decided to add some muscovado sugar to the tomatoes.

But first things first. As mushrooms go very well with butter and garlic, these two ingredients were a must. I spread some chopped garlic over the Portobello and added plenty of butter. Over that, I placed a halved cherry tomato. On each piece, I added some muscovado sugar. The muscovado sugar may be optional, but I do encourage you to try it. It’s loaded with flavor that will lift this dish to a higher level.

Almost ready for the oven

Mozzarella and basil are the perfect combinations. Like yin and yang, salt and pepper, Han Solo and Chewbacca, and pizza and beer. It’s more or less a symbol for Italian food. Feta cheese and basil are not. It’s not bad, but I think you can find better combinations. Like thyme or oregano. I chose thyme. Mostly, because I have a surplus of fresh thyme in my garden.

Feta cheese and thyme will give this dish a more Greek touch, which is not bad at all. I love Greek food. But the balsamic glaze is more Italian, so let’s call this a Mediterranean dish.

Drizzle some olive oil

On top of everything, I drizzled some olive oil and a pinch of salt. But be careful with the salt as the cheese is quite salty. After 10 minutes in the oven, it was ready.

Feta and tomato stuffed Portobello

The result exceeded my expectations. There were many flavors that complemented each other. Sweet, sour, salty, garlic, and the somewhat softer flavors from butter and mushroom. As mentioned before, a perfect appetizer together with a glass of Beaujolais.

Feta and tomato stuffed Portobello with garlic butter and thyme

Oven grilled Portobello stuffed with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, garlic, butter, and thyme. Served with arugula salad and drizzled balsamic glaze.
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Portobello mushrooms
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 4 cherry tomatos
  • 4 tablespoon butter
  • 4 teaspoon muscovado sugar optional
  • 3 oz feta cheese
  • thyme fresh
  • 4 teaspoon olive oil
  • Balsamic glaze to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 480ºF / 250ºC
  • Remove the stem from the portobello. If necessary, clean them with damp paper towel or brush them with a pastry brush. NEVER rinse mushrooms with water. Place them "cap" side down.
  • Distribute the garlic and butter in the mushrooms. Top with a halved cherry tomato and crumbled feta cheese. Add some muscovado sugar on each tomato halfe.
  • Add some fresh thyme on top and drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over each mushroom.
  • Grill in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
  • Serve with arugula (rucola), and some extra thyme. Drizzle some balsamic glaze and add salt if required.
Keyword side dish, starter
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Pickled rhubarb with anise

Pickled rhubarb

 

Rhubarb is an incredible plant. I have one in the garden. I have never fertilized it. As a matter of fact, I never even care about it, unless I want to make some rhubarb pie. Nevertheless, it grows up with unremitting strength year after year.

It has been there since we bought the house 13 years ago. I forgot to ask the previous owner when it was planted. I’m not certain, however, that he could have answered it. I suspect it has been there for quite some time.

rhubarb

It’s strange how much effort you have to put on certain crops to make them grow, while others grow anyway. Like the rhubarb. It handles dry season very well, and no pests or diseases seem to affect it. Not even the infamous killer snail wants to touch it. Now, the killer snail is not as horrible as the name suggests. It’s a Swedish nickname for the Spanish slug that has invaded Scandinavia and is now running havoc in the gardens. The ingenuity of how to best kill these devilish beings is endless, and people are happy to share their experiences. But to no avail. The snails reproduce with ferocious speed and eat everything in their way. Except for rhubarb.

It rules.

The only problem is what to do with all the rhubarb. I mean, there’s a limit to how much pie you can make before it starts to go one’s nerves.
A solution can be Pinterest.

On Pinterest, you can find a lot of creative ideas. Here are a few examples that I will try this summer.

I also found a recipe for rhubarb wine, but I think I pass that. Instead, I think this sounds more promising.

Rhubarb vodka from Leite’s Culinaria.

And I will also give you a recipe for pickled rhubarb. It’s a great way to take care of the abundance that rhubarb often provides. And it’s very easy to do. You just bring water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and concentrated apple juice to a boil. Add som anise and bay leaf and pour everything over some sliced rhubarb. Finished.
After 2 to 3 days it’s ready to be eaten.

It goes well with all sorts of grilled meat, especially pork. So try it for your next BBQ. And as apéritif, you can always enjoy a glass of rhubarb vodka. Or, perhaps you prefer to drink it as a digestif. Or both. I think I go for both.

Pickled rhubarb

Pickled rhubarb with anise

Why not make some pickled rhubarb for the next BBQ. The taste is both sweet and tart with a hint of anise, and it goes well with all kind of pork meat.
Prep Time 15 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup distilled vinegar 5%
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon concentrated appeljuice
  • 3/4 teaspoon anise or one star anise
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the rhubarb and cut the stalks int 3/4 inch / 2 cm pieces and pack into sterilized jars together wit bay leaf. Add anise on top.
  • Bring water, vinegar, apple juice, and sugar to a boil. Make sure that all sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over the rhubarb and close the lid.
  • Let cool off in room temperature, then place the jar in the refrigerator. You can keep it for at least two weeks. Can be eaten after 48 hours
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Sourdough bread with muscovado sugar

Sourdough bread with muscovado sugar

When I first read about this recipe, I was skeptical. Muscovado sugar in bread? Now, I love muscovado sugar. The aroma and taste are outstanding, and I’m always looking for a reason to add it to something. But bread?
Well, there’s only one way to find out, I said to myself. Just bake it. And so I did.

But I had to mess around a bit with the original recipe first. It called for both fresh yeast and sourdough starter. Nothing wrong with that, but I always try only to use a sourdough starter if possible. It gives me better control of the baking process, and the taste becomes far superior. It takes a longer time, of course, but that is signifiable for a lot of food that tastes good.

Before we go on, I would like to say something about hydration. Hydration can be a tricky thing if you’re sitting in Sweden and trying to write for both a European and American audience. The flour in the US and Canada is stronger than what we are used to in Europe, so don’t be surprised if American readers have to add some extra water to the dough.

For this bread, you need a smooth, not too loose dough. The crumb should be a little bit tight. It should be suitable for an open-faced sandwich with lots of ingredients on top. Therefore I advise you to be careful with the hydration. In this recipe, I have used hydration of 58%. You can start with that and perhaps add more water if the dough feels too stiff.

Another thing I decided to do was to reduce the amount of sugar. I know, I’m a coward. This is sourdough bread with muscovado sugar, but I’m not fond of very sweet bread. I have however included the original amount in the recipe list for those who want to give it a try.


The dough got one hour of autolyzing and then I used the stretch and fold technique instead of running the dough in a dough mixer. I like to work with the dough by hand. It may be because I’m an engineer and working with machines all day long. It’s simply nice to get rid of machines sometimes. Except for the oven of course. You can follow the process described here. Thanks to the low hydration, the dough is easy to handle.

Sourdough bread with muscovado sugar

Try to spread the sugar as evenly as possible. Muscovado sugar has a tendency to lump together so pay attention and try to find all of those sugar lumps during the stretch and fold process. Or run everything in a dough mixer if you have one. Then you don’t have to care about autolyze either.

This sourdough bread with muscovado sugar will be quite dark when you bake it. I suspect it’s because there is some sugar left that is caramelized. The dark crust adds flavor so don’t remove the bread too early from the oven.
I have baked this bread two times with different fermentation times. One longer in a colder environment and one at room temperature. I’m blessed with a basement with a maximum temperature of 60ºF / 16ºC, but the fridge will do just fine. It only takes a little longer.

A longer fermentation time increases the tanginess, something I recommend for this bread. It will have a hint of sweetness, something I prefer to balance with some acidity.
This is a tasty bread that fits best with similar foods. I have tried it myself together with a hearty lentil soup, but also as a sandwich with salami and other Italien cured meats. Or why not with some slices of cold-smoked salmon. I wonder if there is still something left of that bread? I think I have to go to the kitchen and find out.
See you.

 

Sourdough bread with muscovado sugar

A loaf of sourdough bread with lots of taste and a hint of sweetness. Perfect for a salami sandwich, or why not with some slices of cold smoked salmon.
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 2 loafs

Ingredients
  

  • 450 gram Wheat flour
  • 100 gram whole wheat flour
  • 100 gram sourdoug starter wheat or rye
  • 300 gram water
  • 50 gram muscovado sugar or 75 gram according to the original recipe.
  • 15 gram sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Mix all ingredients except salt in a kitchen bowl. Let the dough autolysing for an hour.
  • Add salt and stretch and fold the dough 8 to 10 times. Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes.
  • Let the dough rest until it has risen about 20 - 50 %.
  • Dump out the dough on a lightly floured working space. Divide it into two pieces and form each piece into a loaf. It's up to you to decide what type of shape you prefer. Boule, batard or whatever. There is a link in the recipe notes showing my way to form a loaf.
  • Place the dough seam side up into bannetons or lightly floured towel-lined bowls. Use rice flour for the best result.
  • Let the loaves rise in room temperature or fridge depending on how much sourness you want. Colder and longer fermentation results in a more sour taste. You can also start the fermentation at room temperature and end it in the fridge. Experiment until you find the procedure for your perfect loaf. I let my loaves ferment for 6 hours in 60ºF / 16ºC. Always cover the loaves with a plastic bag to prevent the surface from drying out.
  • Preheat your oven to 480ºF / 250ºC with two oven plates. One to bake the bread on and one just below. If you have a baking stone you use that of course.
  • Score each loaf and place them in the oven. Lower the heat to 440ºF / 230ºC. Pour some water on the plate below and bake each loaf for 35 minutes or until the inner temperature is 208ºF / 98ºC.
  • Let the bread cool on wire racks.

Notes

In this post, you will find a description on how to form a loaf.
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