Stuffed mushrooms

I have to admit my obsession with mushrooms runs deep.  I love those little fungi and incorporate them weekly into my menus.  I usually keep it simple by sautéing them in a little olive oil, or truffle butter on decadent days, then add salt, pepper and some fresh Italian parsley and you’ve got yourself one delicious side dish. 

To go a step further another favorite appetizer of mine has mushrooms as the base with savory salty sausage as the filling.  Even non-mushroom eaters enjoy these babies.  Case in point, on Christmas eve I made these mushrooms and convinced my parents and sister to try them.  It didn’t convert them into mushroom lovers, but they said they enjoyed them and one person even went back for seconds!  (These are the same folks that don’t like lamb, goat cheese and truffles ,so baby steps people, baby steps). 

If you’re looking for a great appetizer to start off your dinner or even a dish to bring to an app party give these mushrooms a whirl. They come together super easy and look great against the setting of a white plate too!

Ingredients:

8-10 ounce package of medium Portabella mushrooms or large white mushrooms. I prefer the Portabellas, but either work great

1 lb. of spicy or sweet Italian sausage

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 tablespoons of chopped Italian parsley

1/2 cup of shredded parmesan

1/2-3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Dampen a paper towel and wipe off any dirt on mushrooms and the stems. Remove the stems and chop half of them and set aside. Place a sauté pan on medium heat, once warm add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in pan. Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds then add the sausage and cook until brown. Add panko, parmesan, and parsley and sauté until cheese is slightly melted.

Drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan, add mushroom caps and stuff with sausage mixture. Add a little more parmesan on top and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve while still warm.

Wine to pair? I bet you’d never guess what I would pair with this dish. If you guessed Pinot Noir you’re right! How did you ever figure that one out? In all seriousness though Pinot is lovely with mushroom and anything pork, but if you’d like something a little different a Spanish Rioja is also a good pair to the earthiness of this dish. Either way just make these shrooms and enjoy!