Chicken Fried Portobello Mushrooms

Generally, I don’t even really like mushrooms but I do like items that are southern fried.  I never cared that much for fried chicken, but I really liked the crispy seasoned coating.  Recently, we had some evaporated milk left over from another recipe.  In a convoluted way, this led me to decide to make Chicken Fried Portobello Mushrooms, glazed carrots, biscuits and gravy (ah, evaporated milk!)  None of this was done with a recipe or real measurements but I will try to replicate the process here for you.  Serves two, but it is easily doubled or more.

Chicken Fried Portobello Mushrooms

Do I need to say that none of this is diet food?

Ingredients:

2 Portobello Mushroom Caps
¼ cup liquid eggs (or 1 whole beaten egg)
Splash or two of milk or buttermilk
½ cup AP flour
1 Tbl. Garlic Powder  (wait, that sounds like a lot.  I really should have measured.)
½ Tbl. Garlic Powder (There.  Try that.)
¼ Tbl. Chili Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
Oil for cooking

Directions:

Clean your mushrooms.
Most would say you could wipe them off with a damp paper towel and be done.  I like to go a bit further.  It isn’t necessary, it is just an aesthetic thing with me.  I snap off whatever is left of the stem.  I take a spoon and gently scoop out all the gills.  Then, I peel the mushroom by taking a piece from the edge and peeling in strips towards the middle of the mushroom.
Pour your eggs into a small bowl large enough to immerse a mushroom cap.  Add a splash or two of milk or buttermilk.  Pour the flour into a separate, same sized bowl.  To the flour, add the Garlic and Chili Powders.  Crack some black pepper in there.  Add a generous amount of salt.  Stir all that around.  (Just stick your fingers in there and give it a swirl.)

Now, heat your oil in a pan.  I planned on only using vegetable oil but I didn’t have enough and added a bit of olive oil.  Vegetable oil works great because it can get hotter and remember, you want your food to fry, not poach.  The oil should be deep enough to cover about half the mushroom.  You will know your oil is hot enough when you drop a few specks of flour in there and it sizzles up gently around it.  If it looks like a hot tub gone mad with bubbles, it is too hot.  When your oil is about ready, you can bread your mushrooms.  (I did one at a time.) 

First, toss the mushroom in your flour bowl.  Get it all coated then shake off the excess.  Next, put this powdered mushroom in your egg bowl.  Coat it completely.  Finally, transfer that mushroom back to the flour bowl.  Make sure it is all covered with flour.  This makes your yummy crust.  (When you’re done breading, save the seasoned flour for your gravy.)

Now you’re ready to fry them.  (I started one while I breaded the other.)  Put breaded mushrooms in hot oil and fry.  They won’t need more than a couple minutes each side.  Flip the mushrooms over when the bottom is golden and crispy.  After done, remove to a paper towel covered plate and let drain for a minute.

This was my first attempt at making these.  The edges of the mushrooms being thinner came out a little softer and full of that earthy flavor.  The thicker middle of the mushrooms still had a nice firm bite to them.

Here is my “recipe” for the carrots.

Ingredients:
Ten Carrots
Olive Oil
Salt
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

Cut the carrots to all be about the size of baby carrots
Did you know that most baby carrots are really just larger carrots shaved down to be that size anyway?
Toss them with a little olive oil and salt.  Spread on a cookie sheet and roast for about 20 minutes at 400°  Drizzle a little honey and a little balsamic vinegar, stir around and cook another 5 minutes.

Enjoy!