Roasted Portobello Mushroom Caps with Vegan Aioli Sauce and Frizzled Onions

Today, I roasted some Portobelo mushrooms and made vegan aioli sauce and frizzled onions to go on top. It was really good; it made me glad I’m a vegan (of course I’m always glad I’m a vegan). Here are the recipes I used, and a little about portobellos in general.

Roasted Portobello Mushroom Caps
serves 4

4 large portobello mushroom caps
2 tablespoons olive oil
Olive oil to oil the roasting pan
1 tablespoon shoyu or liquid aminos
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Place the rack in the middle of the oven. Oil a baking sheet (large enough to place all 4 mushroom caps in one layer). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Quickly rinse (use as little water as possible) or wipe off portobellos with a damp towel. A clean brush (like a paint brush) or cheesecloth is a good way to clean them. Slice the stems if needed so that the mushrooms will sit flat. Place the mushrooms gill side down in the pan.

In a small bowl, place the shoyu or aminos, the oil, and the vinegar. Use a fork to combine the ingredients. You can use any of the following sauces instead of the above mixture: Italian dressing, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce or balsamic vinaigrette.

Liberally brush caps with the oil, vinegar, shoyu mixture, and season with salt and pepper.

Roast in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F oven until the tops and edges begin to brown. Turn the mushrooms over, stir the oil, shoyu, vinegar mixture and liberally brush the gill side of the mushrooms with the mixture. Roast until they are tender, about 5 minutes more.

Or, you can grill or broil the mushrooms 4 to 6 inches from heat source for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, brushing on the mixture once or twice.

Serve topped with vegan aioli sauce and frizzled onions (see below).

Vegan Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise)-Two Ways to Make It

The Quick Way to make Aioli: Add 4 peeled and chopped cloves of garlic to 1 cup vegan mayonnaise in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Or Make it From Scratch:Vegan Cashew Aioli
makes 1 cup

½ cup raw cashews
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (O.K., sometimes I cheat and use bottled.)
1/4 cup water
½ cup canola oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
pinch of salt
3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (use more or less depending how garlicky you like it)

Place the cashews into a blender. Process until the cashews are ground as finely as you can get them.

Add the lemon juice and water and process until smooth. Add the oil slowly, and process until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the salt and process a minute longer.

Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.

Frizzled Onions
serves 4

1 medium Vidalia onion (or any variety you like), halved lengthwise, and sliced very thinly (use a slicer if you can)
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pinch cayenne (optional)
½ cup canola oil

Mix flour, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne(if using) in mixing bowl. Toss sliced onion lightly in flour, shaking off any excess. Heat oil in saucepan. Fry onions until golden, 3-4 minutes, tossing constantly with a fork or tongs (watch closely; onion can burn easily). Drain onions on paper toweling.



About Portobellos

Portobellos are actually mature Crimini mushrooms. When the little crimini grows to be about 4" - 6" in diameter it is now a portobello.

Portobellos are sold in most supermarkets. Select plump firm and solid mushrooms rather than limp or dried looking ones. They should not be shriveled or slippery, and they should have an earthy smell.

Refrigerate portobellos right away. Store them in paper bags, never in plastic which retains too much moisture. The mushrooms should keep about 5 - 6 days.

Grilled portobellos have a "meaty" texture. Roasted or grilled portobellos can be used as salad toppings as burgers, or eaten as portobello "steaks". and they can be stuffed and baked They go well with polenta. The stems can be trimmed and cooked along with the caps.