Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

Quelle horreur, I have discovered that one of my friends does not like mushrooms! It is beyond me to understand how he could resist them with their yummy texture and flavours once incorporated into stews, soup, on the grill, etc. Of course, there are also so many different types, like the portobello, shitake, button and Swiss browns, which make them all the more interesting. He revealed that he finds them repulsive and they grow on anything, including corpses, to which someone else retorted that they do not. Truthfully, I don’t know whether they do – all I do know is that they’re so darn delicious, even when you simply pan fry them in a knob of butter. I dare you to tell me that isn’t true!

Once in awhile, it’s nice to put in a bit of extra effort and get something on the plate that looks a bit more unique. This is where the recipe for stuffed mushrooms comes in. These large mushrooms retain their shape whilst being cooked in the oven or on the grill, which keeps the mushrooms really juicy, and their caps are filled with mushroom bits (yes, really) and a few other ingredients. You can definitely jazz it up with bacon bits or sauces like barbecue, sweet chilli or Worcestershire depending on your preference. Whilst I wouldn’t call this a staple in every taperia, this dish is a common entree or tapas at a lot of establishments. I even had this as a main meal once, although I have to say it was an accident involving a very loud restaurant, and my lazy ‘I’ll have the same’ to the waitress. Let’s just say that I wasn’t meant to have a plate full of greens and mushrooms as I’m more of the omnivorous type when dining out, but it was delicious all the same!

Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

6 large BBQ/Portobello mushrooms
2 slices of bread, chopped into crumbs
50 g butter, melted
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line an oven tray with kitchen foil.
Clean the mushrooms using a wet kitchen towel. Remove the stems by pulling them out (no need for a knife) and chop the stems up.
Combine the bread crumbs, chopped up mushroom stems, garlic, butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper and chopped parsley in a bowl. Stuff this mixture into the mushroom caps and top with grated Parmesan.
Roast for about 20 minutes in the oven.