Marvelous Mushrooms!

Funghi Portobello con Cipolla, Pancetta, Pomodorini, Erbe Aromatiche & Crescione

Portobello Mushrooms with Bacon & Onions, Cherry Tomatoes, Herbs & Cress

Today, I had the intention of buying myself a load of mushrooms, but at the end of it all, I finally ended up buying only 2. Oh yes, but they did happen to be big, beautiful, Portobello mushrooms as you can see! 

I hadn't had these for AGES- and so it was plain that I absolutely had to take them with me! But what to do with them, what to do?

As big as a burger bun and as thick and succulent as a steak- these have to be one of the most satisfying kinds of mushrooms out there! Very delicious and packed with flavor- and so I decided that a simple preparation would be the best- something to emphasize the mushrooms own flavor and enhance it rather than overpower it... and so I did this!

Along with my 2 lovely mushrooms, I needed just 1 small onion, a handful of finely chopped bacon, 4-5 cherry tomatoes, 1 little "tub" of fresh watercress, a little rosemary and thyme, salt, pepper and a little olive oil.

The result was pretty incredible! Sweet onion, salty bacon, rich herbs and sweet tomatoes... on a bed of peppery watercress- and I mean... who could possibly want more than that for supper!?!

The first thing I did was to prepare the bacon and onion. I sliced the onion rather thinly and fried it with the bacon, finely chopped rosemary and some plucked thyme, in no added fat, other than the bacons own.

I fried the bacon and onion until they were both beginning to turn golden brown and then deglazed the pan with a splash of water and continued cooking until it had evaporated away... and I repeated this procedure another 2-3 times, until the onion became soft and sweet and tender. And of course- that water allows the flavors of the rosemary and thyme to infuse into the onion much better than if it were to simply fry in oil.

And yet, even though there was no oil added, after 9-10 minutes, the onion was beautifully golden, slightly caramelized and wouldn't you know it? The bacon had become crispy again!

And then all I needed to do as to fry the Portobello's in a little olive oil, with a good sprinkle of pepper and salt and a little thyme.

I then flipped the mushrooms over and added some relatively thinly sliced cherry tomatoes around the outside edge and heaped on some of those lovely, golden onions in the center. 

And then I added a light drizzle of olive oil and popped them into the oven, under the grill, for around 4-5 minutes.

Served on a little "nest" of watercress and sprinkled with a little fresh thyme, this was a beautiful and satisfying evening meal! Made to be enjoyed! And so I did!

Good gracious- how can you not simple LOVE this!?!?