C – Do you get excited seeing stuffed mushrooms at a party?
For me, it’s hit or miss. Some are flavorful, perfectly cooked mushrooms and have wonderful different textures in just one bite. Others have too much mushroom and not enough filling, mushy and under salted and under cooked.
You’ll know in about five minutes the ones that are good and the ones that aren’t.
A good stuffed mushroom starts with finding thin mushroom caps. Crimini mushrooms and baby portabello mushrooms usually have thin caps. The best way to tell is when you are shopping for mushrooms pull off one of the stems to check.
I did try using a few white button mushrooms for this recipe and noticed the caps were a lot thicker. Thick caps means longer cooking time.
If you under cook the mushrooms you could get people sick, so be careful when cooking them. Thick caps can also mean not enough filling and a mushroom that doesn’t taste good.
Good stuffed mushrooms also need to have a good filling. Ideally you want a filling that full of flavor and loaded with different textures. Crispy, chewy, and soft are good textures to aim for.
We loaded ours with bacon and some of the mushroom stems. Onions and garlic are always great to add, along with parsley, a little red pepper for heat and some cheese.
It definitely had great flavor and texture. We topped it with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, which is a signature way to make stuffed mushrooms. It’s like icing on the cake for stuffed mushrooms.
| Super Bowl Week 2015: Stuffed Mushrooms |
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms, bottoms removed, stems chopped
- 3 Tbsp canola oil, divided
- ½ cup bacon chopped into small pieces
- 2 Shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded , tops chopped
- ¼ red onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves only
- ½ Fresno chili, seeds removed chopped
- ½ cup parsley, chopped, divided
- ½ cup pecorino, grated
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling over top
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place mushroom tops bottom part facing up on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil over the mushrooms. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each mushroom and set aside.
- In a medium saute pan on medium high heat, place a tablespoon of oil into pan.
- Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove and set aside.
- Add chopped mushroom stems and chopped Shiitake mushroom. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until the liquid is dissolved and mushrooms are golden brown.
- Once mushrooms are golden brown, add Fresno chili, red onion, ½ the parsley, thyme leaves and garlic. Add cooked bacon, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture into a bowl and let cool slightly.
- Add pecorino into the bowl. Mix well.
- In another small mixing bowl, add remaining parsley, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix well.
- Mix half of the bread crumbs into the mushroom/bacon mixture.
- Place about a tablespoon of the mushroom/bacon mixture in each mushroom tops. Sprinkle some of the breadcrumbs on top. Sprinkle more grated Parmesan over top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and top is golden brown. If the mushrooms are thicker add a few more minutes to make sure the mushrooms are completely cooked.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
This year bring something different to the party that won’t last long and will leave people talking and wanting more.
This is the perfect thing to make.