Stuffed portobello with melting Taleggio

I can easily imagine someone writing a Ph.D. thesis on different cheeses and how they melt. Here are a few of my modest observations: young varieties, such as fontina or mozzarella, melt at a relatively low temperature and therefore don’t “break” but stay creamy and smooth; other, more mature cheeses, such as Gruyère and some cheddars, are wonderfully pungent but tend to split and turn gritty. This is why I often choose Taleggio, a wonderfully soft cow’s milk variety from northern Italy. It has the strong aroma of a mature cheese and melts evenly and smoothly.

4 large portobellos (or another similar mushroom), stalks removed

6 tbsp olive oil

salt and black pepper

1 small onion, finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

2 cups finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves

4 tbsp coarsely shredded basil leaves

31/2 oz Taleggio, sliced

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the mushrooms, stalk-side up, on the baking sheet and drizzle over a little oil and some salt and pepper. Put into the oven and roast for about 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften.
• Meanwhile, heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil in a sauté pan, add the onion and celery and cook on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not brown; stir every few minutes during cooking. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool down.
• Once cool, add the Parmesan, tarragon and half the basil to the mixture and season with pepper. (You can add a little bit of salt but not too much because Taleggio is very salty.) Pile up the filling on the whole mushrooms and top with the Taleggio slices.
• Return to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the mushrooms are tender.
• Transfer the mushrooms to serving plates and drizzle with oil. Garnish with the remaining basil and serve right away, with a green salad.

Serves 4 as a starter