Grilled Appetizers: Planked Portobellos

I like to incorporate the grill in all aspects of the meal, especially appetizers.

Since dinner is usually fairly involved, grilled appetizers have two requirements: easy to prepare and easy to eat. I don’t want to give a lot of thought or worry to prep and I want a morsel guests can easily grab and go.

These planked stuffed mushroom caps are perfect for the occasion. The meaty bite of the portobello is a fantastic base to the herbed cheese. The pine nuts add a little bit of texture and the smoke from the smoldering cedar envelops the entire dish in a sticky sweetness. They are endlessly adaptable and once sliced on the plank, gone in minutes. Just my kind of grilled appetizer.

Planked Portobello Mushrooms with Herb Cheese
by Mike Lang

Ingredients:
2 large portobello mushrooms
4 ounces of good quality herb cheese spread
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cedar plank

Instructions:

1. Soak the plank in water for at least an hour.

2. Clean the portobellos. Remove the stem.

And remove the gills with a spoon.

3. Fill each portobello with equal amounts of cheese spread and pine nuts. Place on the plank.

4. Prepare a two-zone fire and preheat your grill for 10-15 minutes.

5. Grill mushrooms over direct medium heat (350 F) for approximately 5 minutes and then slide to indirect heat and grill for another 10.

6. Remove from the grill. Slice into pieces and serve.