Caprese Stuffed Mushrooms

Among all of the other joys of summertime, an abundance of tomatoes and fresh basil from my garden is one of my favorites. This bounty inevitably leads to many caprese salad variations. In this recipe, mushrooms are stuffed with mozzarella and tomato, broiled to gooey perfection and sprinkled with chopped basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Ingredients:

• 5 large portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup of grape tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of chopped basil
• 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction glaze (find my recipe for that here)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter

1.Set the broiler on your oven to high. Prepare the portobello mushroom caps for stuffing by twisting off the stem and scraping gills with a spoon. I have found that gently using a serrated grapefruit spoon works best for cleanly removing the gills of the mushroom.

2.Quarter the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella into bite sized pieces
3.In a small pan on low heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic to the butter. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Do not allow butter to brown. Remove from heat.

1. Using a pastry brush, generously paint the tops of the mushroom caps with the garlic infused butter. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet,
   5.Stuff the mushrooms with the mozzarella and tomatoes. Broil on high heat for 6-8 minutes.
   6.Remove mushrooms from the oven and sprinkle with the fresh chopped basil. Drizzle the balsamic reduction on the mushrooms.

Serve warm and enjoy! I like to serve them alone or on a bed of greens and risotto.

I have recently found that this recipe can be enhanced by adding a swipe of sun dried tomato pesto or traditional pesto the the bottom of the mushroom caps prior to stuffing them. If you have either on hand, I certainly recommend it for an additional pop of flavor. If you do not have a broiler, the mushrooms can be cooked at 450℉ for 12 minutes.