Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Natural Origins Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon by Philip S. Kampe

The pandemic has changed my shopping patterns. It seems that hoarding groceries and libations is now common place. Unfortunately, refrigerators only hold so much-whether its fresh and cold or stored in the freezer.

Dry goods are different. If you have a basement, which most New Englanders have, storing dry goods like pasta, jars of artichoke hearts or boxes of Oreos is no problem. The same holds true for wine. It seems that the three liter (4x750ml) boxed wine that was once looked down upon, has emerged as a pandemic star. Sales, according to Nielsen data are up 53% since COVID-19.

As a wine writer and wine lover, it made sense to stock up on boxed wine- storage wise, each box was a drop larger, spatially versus a bottle of wine.

There are so many advantages to boxed wine. Space, price and most importantly, the wine doesn’t go bad in a day or two, thanks to innovative packaging. Once opened, the wine has a 30 day window. What could be better?

After sampling several boxed wines, I found an organic Argentine wine with 14.1% alcohol, made by the owners of Domaine Bosquet, Anne Bosquet and Labid Al Ameri. The three liter boxed wine is marketed under the name, Natural Origins and is a segway for the owners to enter the natural wine industry.

Originally, I sampled the Malbec and was curious enough to try the Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit used in both wines is from Argentina’s TupungatoValley, known for its extreme daily temperature variations. The differential produces grapes that are overly fresh, with an abundance of aroma.

One night I cooked stuffed portobello mushrooms and paired it with the Malbec. The pairing worked perfectly and now it will be a meal I can make for others, once, we can socialize.

I’m originally from New Orleans and seem to make up my own recipes.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Chorizo (I use ground chorizo versus the sausages)
4 Portobello mushrooms
1 Yellow or Red Bell Pepper
1 medium Red Onion
2 Celery Ribs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Breadcrumbs (pancko is fine)
2 eggs
1/4 cup Mozzarella
Salt
Pepper
Sage
Olive oil
Butter


Procedure:
Chop all the vegetables and put them in a medium hot sauté pan after the olive oil and butter bubble.
Add the chorizo separately. After ten minutes the vegetables and chorizo should be cooked. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl until cooled. Add the sage, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and cheese to the mixture. Break two eggs, mix them and add to the bowl. Mix well and put into a blender.

Heat oven to 400F
On a baking sheet, put the four portobello mushrooms. Rub oil on top and bottom of each mushroom.
Fill each cap with the mixture and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

Pour a glass of Natural Origins Malbec while cooking and with your meal.

Philip S. Kampe
Philip.kampe@thewinehub.com