Portobellos Stuffed with Kasseri and Pasturma

Here’s a meze I remember loving the first time I tasted it in a small meze restaurant near the Modiano market in Thessaloniki. Kasseri cheese and pasturma are a classic combination, most closely associated with a delicious phyllp pie called pita kaisarias, which is a classic of the Greek cooking of Asia Minor. To find some of the artisinal Greek products you'll need to make this, visit my online shop here, where you'll discover a host of lovingly curated Greek ingredients.

RATING

SERVES

PREP TIME

15 min

COOK TIME

40 min

RECIPES

Cheese

Meze / Starters

Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Home Made Tomato Sauce
1 1/2½ cups/360 ml chopped canned tomatoes
1/2½ teaspoon Greek dried oregano
1 tablespoon/15 ml extra-virgin Greek olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
6 large Portobello mushrooms 4 to -5 inches/10 to -12 cm in diameter
3 tablespoons/45 ml extra-virgin Greek olive oil
3 tablespoons grated kefalotyri cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped pastourma
1 1/2½ cups/360 ml homemade tomato sauce see recipe below
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2½ cups coarsely grated kasseri cheese

Instructions

Make the sauce: Simmer all the sauce ingredients for 20 to 25 minutes, until thick. Set aside until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Slightly oil a shallow pan, big enough to fit one layer of mushrooms.
Remove the stems carefully and discard or reserve for another use. Using a teaspoon, scrape away the fanlike underside of the mushroom caps, careful not to break them.
Brush each side of the mushrooms with 1/2½ teaspoon olive oil and place in a pan, the cap side down. Sprinkle each cap with 1 1/2½ teaspoon of kefalotyri cheese and 1 tablespoon of chopped pasturma. Spread 1/4¼ cup of tomato sauce on top. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each mushroom with 3 tablespoons kasseri cheese and bake until the cheeses melt and the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.