Italian Mushroom and Cheese Side Dish

Submitted by SkipperSy

"This recipe uses fresh white button mushrooms, has a touch of Italian flavors and topped with Mozzarella cheese. If you are looking for a fast, easy and tasty side dish to make, then this is the one to try and enjoy."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
• 6 roasted garlic cloves (or 6 uncooked garlic gloves)
• 20 ounces fresh button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry (Harveys Bristol Cream recommended)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons bell peppers (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1⁄2 cup mozzarella cheese (cut into small pieces)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon lemon zest
• salt

directions

1. PREPARATION-.
2. Roast 6 garlic cloves (see RecipeZaar for various recipes) , chop and set aside.
3. Brush and clean the mushrooms as needed and then cut the big ones in half, set aside.
4. In a small cup add the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water to form a mixture, set aside.
5. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS-.
6. In a Teflon or large pan add the onions and butter and sauté for several minutes, until the onions starts to turn brown.
7. Then add the roasted garlic cloves and stir for another minute.
8. Next add the mushrooms and cook stir for about 5 minutes covered.
9. Add the sherry, thyme, oregano, tomato paste and toss, then cook for about 10-15 minutes covered; that is, until the mushrooms are half of their original size.
10. Add the bell peppers, salt to taste and cook for another minute.
11. Add the cornstarch & water mixture and stir until the sauce thickens and clings to the mushrooms.
12. Add the Mozzarella cheese on top, cover for 1 or 2 minutes until the cheese starts to melt.
13. Then sprinkle the paprika, lemon zest all around (do not toss).
14. Serve as a side dish and enjoy.

Reviews

[Sharon123]

This was very good, but I did add more lemon, paprika and sherry to up the flavor a little. Served with brown rice. Thanks and good luck!

 

[Studentchef]

I have to admit, I skipped a step and used garlic that was already roasted. But that doesn't matter, what matters is that it was a good recipe, but a little underwhelming. I used more bell pepper and cheese than what the recipe prescribed (not the chef's fault, but when it cimes to cheese recipe I always add more cheese to it). I liked the way the cornstarch thickened the sauce, it was a nice thing to include. I also like the addition of the tomato paste. I think the seasonings need to be doubled though.

 

[Zurie]

Made and reviewed for RSC #15. The final taste was fine, but understated, and the recipe was a little awkward because the cook tried a little too hard to fit in the prescribed number of ingredients. It is too uneconomical to heat an oven to roast 6 garlic cloves, so I used chopped fresh garlic, I'm afraid. The thyme and oregano were too little to make much impact, and the 2 teaspoons bell peppers ... hey, too little!! Same for the sherry, paprika, and lemon zest! (Mushrooms can handle quite a good glug of sherry!) The recipe came across as a little "hastily thrown together", but I might be wrong. If this is an inexperienced cook with her/his first creative experiment, all is forgiven! That's what made this entry hard to judge! Thanks, I'm sure a next recipe will be perfect!

 

[twissis]

This creative recipe was among my DH's faves in the contest & he chose to put it atop simple roasted potatoes vs eat as a side-dish. From a cook's view, I found the recipe structure faulted in sml ways: 1) I have apparently become too much a creature of cooking habits & prone to error when the order of the listed ingredients does not match the prep. My error was to make the cornstarch mixture early on, set it aside & then forget it existed as part of the recipe. My bad, I know, & there was more liquid than ideal. 2) Prep step #8 said to "cook stir for about 5 min covered". I could not figure out how to cook stir something covered, so I didn't bother w/a cover. 3) IMHO, after Prep step 11 (which I sadly overlooked in error), it is best to transfer the pan contents to a serving dish & then complete the final prep steps so it is table-ready to serve. Otherwise you are skillet serving it to the table .. or .. messing up your final assembly to transfer it to a serving dish. All that said, this was a tasty dish enjoyed by both of us. Made for RSC #15 ~ Thx for sharing your recipe & good luck in the contest.

 

[Tea Jenny]

I have been making a lot of dishes for RSC and I thought I would combine as many as possible, and this was a very nice side dish. Do remember to cover when you cook or you won't have any sauce, as the mushrooms will dry out. I liked the paprika and lemon zest on top as you could taste it better than if it was put in the mix, I didn't think you could taste the thyme and oregano very much I would have liked more of that, I didn't change it as I like to make the recipe the way that the chef has written it. All in all a very nice side dish very quick to make thank you. Made for RSC#15