Balsamic Portobellos with Cashew Cheese (vegan!)


I fell head over heels at the farmers market and spent a near fortune on portobello mushrooms a few weeks ago. We filled our bags with springtime as we emptied our pockets. Artichokes, asparagus, carrots of all colors, and of course portobellos. And let me tell you, it was all worth every dollar.
Time stood still that Sunday afternoon when I took the ‘bellos out of the oven. Bad*ss Bassman and I hovered over them, glancing at our watches. Was it too early for dinner..? Too late for lunch..? Did we make an extra for us or were they all going in boxes for clients…?

Oh dear, I haven’t mentioned the clients, have I?
Well of course no couple in their right mind buys $50 of mushrooms for themselves. Not even on a beautiful Saturday morning under the influence of Springtime. Not even with visions of cashew cheese and caramelized onions. Not even straight from the farmer.
Let me ‘splain.
No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
Last summer a woman I barely knew called me about a woman I’ve still never met. It was this very blog that sparked the call. That Bad*ss Bassman and I were surrounded by packing boxes and logistics galore due to our moving into a new house that very week made no difference. That it’d been years since I’d cooked for anyone other than my family or a small gathering of friends made no difference. That the woman who called raving about my cooking had never actually tasted a thing I’d made also, well, you understand.
What did matter is that I’ve always had a hard time saying no, especially when food is the topic.
One conversation led to another — I’ll spare you the details since they are better over a bottle of wine — and suddenly Love Them Apples was born. Not this blog, of course. I mean, Love Them Apples, the weekly business of cooking farm-fresh, organic, vegan meals for busy families and individuals.
We moved into our new house around the July 1st, and since last August Bad*ss Bassman and I have been planning, shopping, cooking, and chopping every weekend. Our first weekly client was the woman I’ve still never met and her family of 4. Bad*ss Bassman took on the role of delivery man and week by week, as I posted what we were cooking for that Monday, more and more people requested deliveries.
By Thanksgiving we were getting special requests for pecan pies and red velvet cakes. We catered a few holiday parties. A few yoga teachers inquired about cooking for their retreats. And every weekend our kitchen was a whirlwind of locally-grown seasonal produce and melting chocolate.
It was a crazy busy autumn and by 10pm New Years Eve we were fast asleep on the couch. Bassman woke me when he heard midnight celebration shots being fired, just to kiss me into 2012. Then we fell back asleep.
It’s been 10 months since LTA began and it still surprises me the way Bad*ss Bassman and I were blown off on a tangent from left field. See what happens when you stand in a kitchen with a hot oven for 10 months? Your metaphors get mixed.

Fast forward to the ‘shrooms. O.M.J. (Remember this post? I asked Little E what this stands for - she replied in a voice that had duh all over it, “Oh My Gosh” but I still get a little giggle out of it because really it must stand for Oh My Josh.)
Growing up, one of our multigenerational family dinner favorites was tuna casserole. It was the recipe relic from the ’50s, the kind that calls for a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup in the mix. I’m not sure that using a can of pre-made anything should really be justified in a recipe, but back then it wasn’t the sodium or processed food content that bothered me. What bothered me were the little bits of mushroom (honestly, they looked more like boogers) that infiltrated my favorite dinner. I’d beg my grandmother to make this dish, but every time I would rake through my plate and dig out each little mushroom bit like the hated little grub worm it probably was. They wouldn’t keep me from my casserole - or even second helpings - but they did slow down the process somewhat.
In my teen years I announced to my family that I was becoming vegetarian and discovered that mushrooms were the official stand-in for steak. I would have nothing of them, and declared them my Mortal Enemy.
Somewhere in my late 20’s I made peace with them - as long as they were cooked. I never truly loved them as I love, say, mangoes, but over the years I’ve started craving them a bit. Every so often. Just a little. Like a few weeks ago.
And then THESE portobellos walked into my life. Holy macaroni. I am a changed woman. To be perfectly honest, I’d put these ports on the menu thinking other folks would enjoy them, and maybe I’d get a bite somewhere. I truly wasn’t expecting them to send me over the moon. I’m just not the kind of girl who goes head over heels for portobellos. Or at least, I wasn’t. Everything is changed now. EVERYTHING.
One of our clients sent me a note the day after Bassman dropped off the LTA delivery. She wrote, ”that cashew cheese stuffed portobello mushroom was the best darn mushroom I’ve ever had!” Now, usually I’m hyper-critical about everything I make, and often it’s near impossible for me to truly hear a compliment, but that one I heard.
Because I knew it was true.

This Saturday morning kiss your sweetheart, have a cup of coffee, a bowl of granola with the last of the strawberries, and then grab a couple of canvas shopping bags. Head out with your sweetheart to your local farmers market. Meander. Sample. Touch. Buy something weird and ask the farmer or your fellow marketeers how you should prepare it. Then head over to the mushroom vendor and get yourself some portobellos. Don’t worry, you won’t spend nearly what we did. Pick up a ton of strawberries to get you through the week, and then make your way home.
When you get home, let your sweetheart put away the strawberries and fiddleheads. Meanwhile clean your mushrooms, make the marinade, and then stick it all in the fridge for tomorrow or dinner later. Easy, right?
That evening or the next day, set the onions to cook in one pan while you do the mushrooms in the other. Pre-heat the oven. Make the cashew cheese. Flip the mushrooms, stir the onions. Grease a baking sheet. Set the mushrooms on the sheet, fill with the cheese, stir the onions in the pan, stick the sheet in the oven. Go kiss your sweetheart again. In 30 minutes the shrooms will be done and ready to top with the onions. Dinner is served!

CASHEW CHEESE-STUFFED PORTOBELLO
to serve 4
DAY 1 timing: 10 minutes hands-on, overnight to marinate
DAY 2 timing: 30 minutes hands-on, total cooking time 1 hour
PORTOBELLO MARINADE
Ingredients:
4 Portobello mushrooms
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
a grind or two of black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
Take off the stem off the portobellos, careful to leave the bellows. With a damp cloth, gently wipe the smooth top of the mushroom cap.
Place all four mushrooms in a baking dish (they can overlap) so that the bellows are face-up.
Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the marinade evenly over the mushrooms.
Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours…
The Next Day… (or a few hours later)…
Start caramelizing your onions first. The longer and slower they cook, the sweeter they will be. Personally I’d probably leave them on till the mushrooms come out of the oven.
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, sliced thin
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
Heat the oil in a pan on med-low heat. Add the sliced onions and stir to coat with the oil. Let them just do their thing, but remember to stir them every so often. If they start to stick, you can add a little water to the bottom of the pan to de-glaze them.
While the onions are cooking, take the mushrooms out of the fridge.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Let the onions cook for a long time till they are soft and brown, then remove from the heat.
COOK THE MUSHROOMS
Heat a large pan on the stove top over a medium flame. My 12” cast-iron pan is large enough for all 4 mushrooms, but you can do 2 at a time if you need to.
Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with a neutral cooking oil (vegetable, grapeseed, canola, safflower, etc). Add the mushrooms plus half of the marinade. Let cook till the sides are wilting (about 7-10 minutes), and then flip. Add the rest of the marinade and cook till the mushroom is soft. Add water to the pan as needed.
CASHEW CHEESE
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
1-2 lemons, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt / pepper to taste
Place cashews, lemon juice, and garlic in a blender. Add water to the top of the cashews. Blend for about 6 minutes - really - or till its very smooth. Add a little more water if needed. It will firm up when it’s baked, but you don’t want it to be watery. Season with salt / pepper.
BAKE THE MUSHROOMS
Lay the mushrooms top-down on the baking sheet. Carefully spoon 2 Tablespoons of the cashew cheese on the center of each mushroom. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is firm.
When they’re done, top each mushroom with some of the caramelized onions. Grate a little pepper on top.
Option - sprinkle with fresh chopped thyme and cracked red pepper.
Voila!


Enjoy!
xoxo, Arielle.
PS - interested in knowing more about Love Them Apples, our little cooking biz? Say hi to us over at the facebook page - www.facebook.com/ourhearttoyourtable ! We post weekly menus and interesting foodie articles. If you live in the Los Angeles San Fernando Valley area and are interested in a delivery, shoot me a note either here or on facebook!










