In the summertime, I prefer stuffed peppers, but when the cool fall weather comes, stuffed mushrooms are my homey comfort food. It is particularly easy to enjoy stuffed mushrooms these days, since so many kinds are available. I especially like the meatiness of large portobellos here, as it moves the recipe from a side to the main course and into the center-of-attention.

portobello mushrooms stuffed with gen-ji-mai rice, black-eyed peas and sage

I used leftovers from Hegui’s gen-ji-mai rice with black-eyed peas here and sort of added some things. The combination of the multi-grain rice, black-eyed peas and mushrooms, accented with a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano and sage was incredibly earthy and satisfying.

portobello mushrooms stuffed with gen-ji-mai rice, black-eyed peas and sage

2 large Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, and stems removed but retained
½ onion, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 Serrano chile, stem, ribs and seeds removed
3 tbps olive oil plus more
2 cups gen-ji-mai rice with black-eyed peas
¼ pignoli nuts
¼ cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 to 4 dried sage leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Coarsely chop Portobello stems.

In a large skillet, add olive oil on high heat. Toss in chopped Portobello stems, onion, shallot, garlic, Serrano chile with a pinch of salt. Cook until onions start to wilt. Pour everything into food processor and run until a smooth thick paste develops.

Return veggie paste to skillet. Add gen-ji-mai rice with black-eyed peas, pignolis, sage and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté a bit longer to heat through and mix flavors. Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. Remove from heat.

Place Portobello caps in a baking dish, upside-down. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Stuff with prepared gen-ji-mai rice. Cover and bake about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove cover and broil for a few minutes. Serve warm.