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Marinated Portobello Mushrooms with Arugula

Many years ago, I had a salad at a restaurant in Toronto called Terroni, the Funghi Assoluti and I was blown away. Ever since then if I am ANYWHERE where they serve a similar salad, I usually order it. Ironically, I rarely ever go to Terroni (and they now have multiple locations), because aside from the salad, there isn't much of interest on the menu for me (mostly white-flour pizza, pasta and sandwiches). I also find it rather pretentious as they do not allow substitutions on their menu and do weird things like throw whole olives (with the pits!) on their pizzas.

I decided to re-create my own version this weekend and it was spot on. Unlike theirs, however, I did not add parmegiano to the salad since my cheese-hating husband was dining with me. I also threw in slices of grilled yellow peppers I had lying around. You can customize it anyway, but it's best to stick with a few ingredients and keep it simple to let the mushrooms take the spotlight.

These mushrooms would also be fabulous as a veggie burger or on a sandwich. I LOVE these mushrooms, they are seriously addictive!

Marinated Portobello Mushrooms with Arugula

4 large portobello mushrooms, tough stems removed, scrubbed or washed (yes you CAN wash mushrooms and it won't alter the texture, David Rosengarten proved it!)
1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Costco Rustic Tuscan Seasoning (or Italian seasoning)
Salt & pepper, to taste
340g organic baby arugula
6-8 shavings of fresh parmigiano reggiano (optional)

For the mushrooms, whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade. Place mushrooms in a shallow dish and pour over top. Marinate in the fridge for 6 hours-24 hours. Grill mushrooms until tender (mine were huge and this took about 7 minutes on our indoor grill) and then slice thinly.

If you want to make this salad like the restaurant does, and you have a good quality balsamic vinegar, than you can just arrange the mushroom slices over arugula and drizzle some of the vinegar over top before adding the cheese (if using). Or if you prefer, you can make a dressing which I opted for since I wasn't adding cheese.

Dressing

2 tsp olive oil
1 heaping tsp dijon mustard
2 tbls balsamic vinegar
2 tbls red wine vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Costco Rustic Tuscan Seasoning (or Italian seasoning)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and toss with arugula before plating. Arrange mushrooms over top.

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