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From the Portobello Cookbook: 40 Quick and Easy Recipes, by Jack Czarnecki, published by Artisan, a division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc. New York, 1997. Jack is renowned for his expertise cooking all types of specialty mushrooms.

Check out Linda's Mushroom Recipes.

"Truffles cost more than $400 a pound these days, so they are not for everyday sprinkling over pasta. Many restaurants use shavings of truffles over dishes to impress you and jack up the price of whatever is underneath. Now you can do the same thing at home for a fraction of the price. Here's how.

Remove the stem of a portobello mushroom. (Younger, fresh portobellos are easier to work with, but the older caps will have a darker, more truffle-like color.) Place the cap on a plate with the gill side up. With a paring knife, cut the portobello in half and begin to scrape the gills away from the cap where they meet. You will notice that the gills look like small, rectangular chopped truffles as they drop onto the plate. Repeat with the other mushroom half. Sprinkle the "truffles" onto chicken, pasta, or risotto."