Taste of the Holidays
Mushrooms, feta cheese sway judges toward appetizer

Rhonda Brooks had entered the Taste of the Holidays Recipe Contest before, but she’d never had a chance to compete in the finals. This year, when her turn came round at last, she found herself preparing one of her personal favorite recipes.

"I entered this because I love it," Brooks said. "I love to make it, and I wanted to share it with other people."

Portobello mushrooms have surged in popularity in recent years, and for good reason, she said.

"Portobellos are great. They’re real popular. With the feta cheese, I think it’s a very good appetizer."

Brooks knew what she was talking about. The judges selected her broiled mushroom dish as the winning entry in the appetizer category.

Portobello mushrooms can be served at any time, she said, but they are especially festive for the holidays.

"You can find portobellos any time in the stores," she said. "Just make sure they don’t have any soft spots. Pick nice, firm mushrooms."

When preparing the dish, always use fresh garlic, fresh mushrooms, real butter and quality feta cheese, she suggested. The better the ingredients, the better the appetizer will taste.

"I just love this dish. It takes 20 minutes to prepare. It’s real simple and tasty. And it’s always a hit."

Broiled Portobello Mushrooms

4 large portobello mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

½ stick of butter

Sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh crushed parsley

Preheat broiler and move rack as high as it will go. Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Trim stems and dice into small pieces. Melt butter in pan and add garlic and diced mushroom stems. Sauté for 5 minutes.

Place mushrooms hairy side up on a broiler pan. Spread garlic butter mixture evenly on each mushroom. Salt and pepper to taste. Broil for 4 minutes. Remove from broiler and add ¼ cup of feta to each mushroom. Top that with ½ teaspoon parsley on each mushroom. Place back in broiler and broil until cheese turns golden brown.

Name: Rhonda Brooks

Source: Original recipe