“Roulade La La”- Portabello Mushroom Roulade Drizzled with a Balsamic Reduction
For those of you who don’t know, I started a new job here in LA. I am a Sous Chef/Culinary Assistant at the Sur La Table Culinary Program. Let me just say that I LOVE MY JOB! Everything about it is great. I get to work with talented chefs, the best kitchen tools and I’m learning something new everyday.
My first week on the job, I learned a technique that I just had to share with all of you. While the majority of the class was eating Chicken Roulade (chicken stuffed with a filling then rolled), one of the other Sous Chef’s, Matt Flinn, made a vegetarian roulade. So in an effort to test out the new technique, I tried to recreate it in my kitchen last night…SUCCESS!
What You Need (Serves 2):
2 Large Portabello Mushroom Caps (stems and gills removed-see note at bottom of page)
Spinach (cooked, drained and chopped)
1/2 Onion (diced)
2 1/2 Tbsp. Herbed Goat Cheese (regular is okay too)
3/4 Tbsp. of Crushed Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
3/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2-1 Tbsp. Sugar
Heat Oven to 400 Degrees.
For the Balsamic Reduction:
1. Pour the balsamic into a small saute pan with the sugar. Set on medium heat bring the balsamic to a boil. Allow it to boil until you see its starting to reduce. Then, remove the pot from the heat and allow the vinegar to cool. It will turn into a beautiful, thick syrup.
For the Portabello:
1. Coat the bottom of a small foil baking pan or casserole dish with olive oil. Lightly drizzle the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt/pepper. Then place the mushrooms cap side down in the dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt/pepper. Place the mushrooms in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are soft (check with a knife tip- if the tip of the knife easily punctures the mushroom, they are ready). Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. Meanwhile, drizzle a saute pan with olive oil (or PAM) and heat on low-medium. Add in the onions and garlic. Allow the onions to sweat and become soft, but do not allow the garlic to burn. Once the onions have cooked down, add them to a small bowl with the spinach and goat cheese. Season with salt/pepper/red pepper flakes.
3. Once the mushroom has cooled, place the mushroom stem side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the mushroom on the bias (on an angle) into very thin slices. Then, fan the mushroom slices just barely, they should still be very close together, but you want to spread them out just a bit.
4. Then take a spoonful of the filling and place on one end of the mushroom. Carefully begin to roll the mushroom and filling. Place the rolled mushroom onto a place and drizzle with balsamic reduction.
*To remove the gills of the mushroom, remove the stem, then take a sharp knife and gently scrap the gills off of the mushroom.
Here’s a picture of me that my sister snapped of me hard at work.
