Agaricus bisporus / Portobello / Crimini mushroom / Common mushroom / Brown cap mushroom
The vegetarian’s savior. This big, meaty mushroom is probably what saved the diet of so many weekend and life long vegetarians. Packed with glutamate and with a meat-like texture this is a perfect stand in for beef. However, the Portabella should be celebrated for its own merits.
Only about 20 years ago the Portabella mushroom was barely known to Americans. It was a throwaway food for lower income homes and hippy-dippy vegans that the populous-at-large had no interest in. Then, like the ox tail before it, restaurateurs and chefs rediscovered that this cheap ingredient had a lot of flavor and the potential for ethereally meaty (and vegan-friendly, as it was the 90’s) dishes with a high profit margin were too good to ignore.
Now a cheap Portabella is hard to find. Unless, of course, you go dried. The large cap mushroom actually contains more flavor in its dried form, and reconstituted it keeps its meaty texture and flavor. The broth is equally excellent for cooking wild rice or using in soups.
Rule of thumb, 1 oz. of dry mushrooms reconstitutes to 3-4 oz. of fresh mushrooms. To prepare, start by rinsing the product in cold, running water to remove any debris. To reconstitute, put the desired amount of mushrooms to be used in a bowl, cover with boiling water and then let them soak for 15-20 minutes prior to draining.
