Recipe: Portobello Mushrooms Pretending to be a Filet Mignon with Tomato Coulis, Roasted Tomato Fondue, and Wild Rice Pecan Pilaf

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS PRETENDING TO BE A FILET MIGNON

"This vegetarian main course will satisfy an avid carnivore. Grilled portobello mushroom caps are layered with Roasted Tomato and Shallot Fondue, placed on a nest of charred onions and vegetable ribbons, mounded with Wild Rice Pecan Pilaf, and sauced with Tomato Coulis. Serve with steak knives!"

8 portobello mushroom caps, each about 4 inches in diameter
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

CHARRED ONIONS AND VEGETABLE RIBBONS:
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick lengthwise into ribbons
2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8 inch thick lengthwise into ribbons
2 tablespoons Brown Butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

TO CHAR THE ONIONS AND COOK THE VEGETABLE RIBBONS:
1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot.

2. Moisten the onion slices with the oil and lay them in the hot skillet one layer deep. Cook until slightly charred, turn over with tongs and char the other side. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Repeat until all the onions are cooked.

3. Meanwhile, bring about 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a rapid boil and drop in the carrot ribbons. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the carrots are tender but still al dente. Lift the carrots out of the water with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Using the same pot of boiling water, repeat this process with the zucchini ribbons. (Note: The zucchini will cook much faster than the carrots.)

4. Add the cooked zucchini to the carrots. Add the Brown Butter and season with salt and pepper.

TO GRILL THE MUSHROOMS:
1. Preheat the grill or broiler.

2. Using a 4-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out or trim each mushroom cap into a perfect circle. (Save the trimmings for another use.)

3. Place the trimmed mushroom caps in a shallow baking pan. Pour the 1/4 cup of oil over them and sprinkle with the garlic. Lightly season with salt and pepper and toss the mushrooms in the oil to coat evenly.

4. Grill or broil the mushrooms for about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill or broiler and keep warm.

TOMATO COULIS
(Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups.)

1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1/4 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 leek, coarsely chopped
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
6 fresh basil leaves

Place all ingredients in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Pur e and strain.

ROASTED TOMATO AND SHALLOT FONDUE
(Serves eight.)

Fondue simply means melted, and this savory condiment is an apt illustration of the term, since the roasted tomatoes and shallots seem literally to have melted together. The fondue can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the refrigerator as a flavor enhancer for fish or steaks. When storing in the refrigerator, pour a thin film of olive oil on top to prevent mixture from drying out. Re-heat before serving.

12 whole fresh shallots, unpeeled
Olive oil
24 Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lay the shallots in a small, shallow, ovenproof baking dish and pour the oil over them to a depth of 1/4 inch. Cover the dish with aluminum foil or a lid and bake for 1 hour, or until the shallots are soft.

3. When the shallots are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and squeeze out the flesh. Coarsely chop the shallot flesh and the roasted tomatoes. Combine in a medium-size bowl. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper. Mix well and place in a Pyrex baking dish about 2 inches deep. Press the bay leaves and thyme sprigs into the mixture. (If using dried thyme, stir it in.)

4. Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent a crust from forming.

5. Remove fondue from oven. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

WILD RICE PECAN PILAF
(Serves four.)

With the few little extra ingredients in this recipe, basic wild rice becomes exciting, colorful and crunchy. The wild rice may be cooked and stored in the refrigerator up to two days before serving. It can be saut ed with the vegetables and nuts up to an hour before serving and kept warm.

1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup wild rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium-size carrot, peeled and minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 cup white mushrooms, minced
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a medium-size saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Add the 1/2 teaspoon salt and wild rice. Boil, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, or until the grains just begin to pop open and the rice is just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. In a 10-inch skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrot and saut for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, and pecans. saut for about 2 minutes more, stirring often. Add the rice and saut until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper.

TO SERVE:
1. Heat the Tomato Coulis and Roasted Tomato and Shallot Fondue.

2. Lay three or four charred onion rings in the center of each of four warm serving plates. Arrange two slices of cooked carrot and two slices of cooked zucchini over the onion rings in a nestlike pattern. Place a mound of Wild Rice Pecan Pilaf in the center of the vegetables.

3. Turn four of the grilled mushroom caps upside down and spread about 2 tablespoons of Roasted Tomato and Shallot Fondue on the bottom of each cap. Place another cap right side up on top, forming a sandwich. Set the filled mushroom caps on top of the wild rice.

4. Spoon the Tomato Coulis around the plate and serve.

Servings: 4
Source: The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook by Patrick O'Connell by Patrick O'Connell and Tim Turner