Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Over Angel Hair

This is a vegetarian pasta dinner with the kind of flavor that doesn’t apologize for skipping meat. Portobello mushrooms get seasoned with olive oil and Essence, grilled over high heat until they develop char marks and release their smoky juices, then sliced on the bias into thick strips that fan out over the plate.

The sauce comes together while the grill works: heavy cream reduced in a hot pan, whisked with grated cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Fresh angel hair pasta cooks in just two minutes and goes straight into the sauce so the starch binds everything together.

Presentation matters. Three tidy nests of pasta form the center, sauce spoons over and around the plate, and the sliced mushrooms arrange around the edge. A scatter of hand-shaved cheese and snipped chives finishes it.

Chef Tips

• Scrape the dark gills out of the portobello caps with a spoon before grilling. They turn the sauce muddy brown and taste slightly bitter.
• Grill with the cap side down first, then flip. The gills collect and release liquid, which on the second flip caramelizes against the grate.
• Reduce the cream until it visibly thickens and coats the back of a spoon before adding cheese. Thin cream plus cheese breaks into a grainy mess.
• Undercook the fresh pasta by 30 seconds. It finishes cooking in the sauce and absorbs flavor as it does.
• Slice the mushrooms on the bias, not straight across. Angled slices are longer and prettier against the pasta nests.

Variations

• Add a splash of dry white wine to the cream before reducing for a brighter, sharper sauce.
• Use fettuccine or tagliatelle instead of angel hair for a more substantial plate.
• Top with toasted pine nuts or a drizzle of aged balsamic for a more restaurant-style finish.