To me, there are two iconic scenes in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. The first is when the characters travel through a subterranean forest of giant mushrooms. The second is when they witness a deadly ocean battle between a plesiosaur and ichthyosaurus. These scenes jump out to me because they showcase Jules Verne’s exceptional skill as a science fiction writer.
I’m sure he was tempted to populate the center of the earth with plants and animals from his imagination, but instead he chose to take something familiar like a humble mushroom and make it fantastical. This was no accident.
To create an entirely alien ecosystem would have been to forget the premise of the story. This isn’t an alien world; it’s OUR world. It should be grounded in things we know. So Verne took aspects of the real world to wild extremes—giant mushrooms and living dinosaurs—to create a setting that feels otherworldly yet believable.
Inspired by this, I decided to make seafood-stuffed portobello mushrooms for this menu’s side dish. Drawing from recipes by Cafe Delites and My Gourmet Connection, I filled the mushrooms with a mix of crab meat, green onion, garlic, lemon, and cheese (mozzarella and Parmesan). I LOVE the zingy freshness of the lemon—it’s just what’s needed to balance the earthiness of the mushroom. I topped the filling with panko crumbs and toasted them under the broiler for a bit of crunch.
Sooo good! I can’t wait to make these again. 😀
