Stuffed mushrooms sound so exotic. Many times in fancy restaurants, they are stuffed with crab meat or some such so I have never really indulged in them much. One attempt at tasting them in the local Malaka Spice was very disappointing. SO I set myself the task of making them at home and checking for myself, how hard it was to season a mushroom.
Hurdle Number One – No oven! With a firm resolve, I decided to try a pan grilled version and it did not disappoint taste wise. This is a very simple recipe, one I must have watched on TV several times by bigwigs such as RR, Giada and company. One thing I have learnt is, the simpler and lesser the ingredients, the better they need to be quality wise. The results I got cannot be achieved with bottled garlic, the Kraft Parmesan in the green bottle etc.
With fresh and quality ingredients, even a little will go a long way.
These stuffed mushrooms go really fast as a cocktail snack or ‘horse'( reference to Pu La’s Mongini). Don’t make the mistake of ‘tasting’ them as you make them 🙂
The recipe for stuffed mushrooms is as follows –
Stuffed mushrooms are great as vegetarian appetizers. The parsley and parmesan add a nice flavor. These stuffed mushrooms are made in a pan and ready in minutes. Made with regular pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- 20-30 white mushrooms
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 3-4 slices wheat or multi grain bread
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 fresh black pepper
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh grated parmesano reggiano or parmesan
Method
- Clean the mushrooms with a cloth and keep them dry.
- Remove the stems gently and keep them aside. Use them for stock or in stir fries etc.
- Add garlic cloves, crumpled bread slices, salt, pepper and parsley to a food processor and pulse until a fine crumb mixture is formed.
- Transfer to a bowl. Add the cheese and the oil and gently fold it in.
- The mushrooms should have a hole in them half way through. You can try to dig away a bit more, but in most cases this will break the mushroom, so it is safer to leave this as it is.
- Take a mushroom in one hand and stuff the crumb mixture liberally. It is ok if some of this goes over the top. Place the filled mushroom flat side down.
- Heat a non-stick pan and add a thin layer of oil. You can also use PAM spray instead of oil. After the pan is hot, place the mushroom flat side down.
- Place as many mushrooms in the pan as easily possible without crowding. They should get a good sear on one side. As you see the sides darkening in color, the mushrooms will also shrink a bit as they lose water.
- Gently pick up and overturn the mushroom with some tongs. It is ok if some stuffing mixture spills over. It will get crispy and stick to the mushroom.
- Remove after two minutes when the crumb mixture becomes crispy.
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The seasoning permeates into the stuffed mushrooms very well and these taste awesome with the garlic, parmesan and parsley. They disappear pretty fast too. These are a must try, whether you are entertaining or just enjoying a quiet drink at home.
Hey….
Pragati, Whats EVOO ??
Thanks and Regards
Hi Rashmi,
Sorry for the late response. EVOO is nothing but Extra Virgin Olive Oil – it’s generally green or dark in color and is very high on flavor. It goes best in salad dressings or as a dipping oil for bread. It has a low smoking point and should not be heated too much.
For Indian recipes, if you want to use olive oil for health purposes, a light olive oil is best! It is very low flavor wise so it does not clash with traditional Indian tadkas.
That’s p’bly more info than you asked for! 🙂