GRILLED PORTOBELLO AND TOMATO

Last night I made a delicious 'side' from Mrs. Celenza's cookbook FROM THE TABLE OF PLENTY. It was Grilled Portobello And Tomato. Let me first say that my picture doesn't do it justice. I should have plated it for the picture but oh well! It was simply DELICIOUS! It made me think 'summer' when I tasted it but would be just as good an comforting in the winter! It was super easy also.

GRILLED PORTOBELLO AND TOMATO
From the Table of Plenty, Marion Celenza

1 lb. Portobello mushroom caps, rinsed, drained, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced (I used a red onion)
2 beefsteak tomatoes, ripe but firm, 1/2" slices
3-4 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Lightly coat a 9x15" solid metal grill pan. (I didn't have one so I just used a jelly roll pan). Preheat broiler.
Pat dry mushroom slices with paper towels. In a small bowl blend oil and vinegar. Brush this mix over both sides of the sliced mushrooms. Lay mushrooms, side by side, on the grill pan. Arrange tomato slices and sliced onion over mushrooms. Sprinkle with garlic, cheese and black pepper. Lay bay leaves upon various areas of the vegetable mix.
*Broil vegetables 5 inches below heat for 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts and is light golden brown. Turn off broiler. Allow tray to sit in oven for another minute. Remove bay leaves and discard.
Serve hot; use a spatula to assist in serving. Serves 6.
* When broiling, do not run out to the grill and get distracted like I did. This cooks FAST!

Mrs. Celenza's Mushroom Au Gratin

Last night I made Mrs. Celenza's recipe for Mushrooms Au Gratin. They were really good and VERY easy.
Mrs. Celenza and her husband John,were very good friends of my Mother & Father In Law, Lena and Stan. My kids knew Mrs. Celenza as "the Hat Lady" because she always wore a very fashionable hat. She had hats in every color and style imaginable and they all looked good on her!
Mrs. Celenza always enjoys the company of others, always has a GREAT stories and Always had GREAT food!
Mrs. Celenza has written 3 or 4 cookbooks over the last 20 years. She sent us a box that had 5 copies of her latest book From The Table of Plenty ... Food for the Body, Manna for the Soul. These were to go to the 5 children of Lena and Stan. These are a collection of recipes from her childhood (Italian immigrants living in Brooklyn) and also her favorites that have lived on through the years. What I like best in this book are her stories of the holidays, parties etc. It has a few pics of my in laws in the book but also has the recipe for Superb Golden Crescents, which we call Uncle Stan's rolls. That recipe was from Lena's mother, Elizabeth Kosmach.
So, getting back to the Mushrooms AuGratin, these were delicious. I love garlic and mushrooms together. My picture doesn't do it justice as I forgot to take a picture of it when it came out of the oven. This picture is from this morning, straight out of the refrigerator in Tupperware!

MUSHROOM AU GRATIN
by Marion Celenza

3 lbs. white mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and quartered
5-6 slices of white bread made into crumbs in the food processor
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup grated Romano Cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Par-boil mushrooms for 5 minutes and then drain. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
Form a layer of mushrooms on the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle 2 TBSP olive oil over the mix. Repeat the procedure 2 or 3 more times, finishing with the olive oil.
Roast mushroom casserole, uncovered, in a preheated oven @ 350 for 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serves 8 or more.