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Perfect Pairs BY
ALEXANDRA CHARSLEY
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Perfectly Paired with
2007 Freestone Pinot Noir
Once autumn begins, I’m always
searching for a good reason to turn on
the oven and make a hearty meal. This
stuffed mushroom recipe is from Stephen
H. Pavy, Freestone Vineyards Director of
Hospitality and Wine Education. “One
of the things I enjoy most about Pinot
Noir is the way it is so food-friendly. The
beautiful red fruit and light black fruit,
softness, spiciness and earthiness goes
with so many things. As a Pinot ages,
wine experts will talk about ‘forest floor’
and ‘mushroom compost’ as some of the
secondary and tertiary flavors and
aromas that develop. So, my mind goes
to mushrooms which I love anyway. Our
2007 Freestone Pinot Noir has begun to
develop more depth of flavor that includes these earth tones. The Portobello
mushrooms in this recipe are both sautéed and baked, so their flavors are really
enhanced by the cooking method. Add to that the herbs used, plus tomato
paste and two cheeses and you have pulled together the perfect ‘umami’ combination
that makes this wine sing! This is
one wine and food combination that is
perfect from the first sip and first bite,”
says Stephen.
The Freestone Vineyards Guest Center
is open for tasting daily from 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. Reservations are not required. They
do not offer food and wine pairings on a
regular basis. However, their Second
Sunday events – each second Sunday of
the month from noon to 4 p.m. – they
offer wine and food pairings, wine and art
pairings or wine and music pairings.
Wine Road Wine & Food Affair
On November 5-6, they are participating in the Wine Road Wine & Food
Affair. A Freestone Vineyards recipe is included in the Wine & Food Affair
cookbook and they will be cooking and sharing this dish for the event. Every
attending guest receives a copy of the cookbook with their paid ticket. Tickets
are available at www.wineroad.com/events/wine_and_food_affair/2.
STUFFED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS Serves 8
Recipe provided by Stephen H. Pavy,
Freestone Vineyards Director of Hospitality & Wine Education
• 8 large Portobello mushrooms
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for
brushing mushrooms and adding to stuffing
• 2 leeks, white and green parts only, thinly sliced
(may also use equivalent amount of green garlic,
sweet onion, or shallots)
• 2 tablespoons Italian double strength
tomato paste
• 1 ½ cups plain bread crumbs
• 8 ounces best quality assertive semi-soft cheese,
coarsely grated (we like Taleggio and Val d’Osta
Fontina)
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
(a mixture of thyme leaves, oregano, marjoram,
basil and/or parsley)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Aleppo pepper
(Spanish or Hungarian paprika may be substituted)
• Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Remove stems from mushrooms.
Trim stems and finely chop.
Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat,
and then add sliced leeks and chopped mushrooms
along with salt and pepper to taste, sauté
until tender.
Add tomato paste and cook briefly.
Transfer sautéed leeks and mushroom stems to
bowl and combine with bread crumbs, grated
cheeses, herbs and beaten egg.
Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Add sufficient olive oil for stuffing to stick
together.
Brush top side of mushroom caps with olive oil and
place top side down on foil lined baking sheet.
Divide stuffing between mushroom caps, being
sure to cover bottom of cap.
Optional: drizzle more olive oil over top of stuffing
mixture.
Bake 12-15 minutes until mushrooms are tender
and stuffing is browned .
Sprinkle Aleppo pepper to taste over mushrooms
before serving.
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