Friday, January 1, 2010

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

I made this recipe, for the first time, on Christmas Eve and they were a big hit. I put the recipe together, early in the day and just popped them in the oven for 25 minutes just before dinner. Super simple and absolutely delicious.

12 whole (large) fresh mushrooms

Clean mushrooms and carefully break off stems and reserve. Using a melon baller, scoop the rest of the stem and gills out, making a nice big pocket in the mushroom.

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large clove garlic minced (more if you like)
(1) 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (not powdered kind)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Trim off any hardened parts of the mushroom stems and chop the good part of the stems (and gill trimmings) very fine, using a food processor.
Saute the finely chopped stems and pieces in canola oil until all moisture has evaporated (add the garlic to the pan about half way through this step so you don't burn it). Set this aside to cool a little.
When the mushroom-garlic mixture has cooled, mix in the cream cheese, Parmesan, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper; mix very well (it will be very thick). Fill the mushroom caps generously, piling it high on each cap. Place the stuffed mushrooms on a lightly sprayed baking dish (don't let them touch each other) and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on how large your mushrooms are. Let them sit for a few minutes before serving.
NOTE: I made a double batch (24) of 2½" wide mushrooms (as a side dish) and served it to 8 adults and had no leftovers...so make plenty...they are really good.