Stuffed Mushrooms

 Yesss:)!!! Another mushroom recipe, I can't seem to get enough of this earthy sensuous fungi,that me and my family is head over heels in love with :) Especially these stuffed mushrooms, I had put about 15 of these in the oven and you will be surprised to hear how many came out,most of them got wiped out during the process of checking how they were doing in the oven.Nooo, I am too embarrassed to reveal the number  but the picture tells it all -see for yourself ;)

It is hard for me to pick one mushroom dish over another,I love all mushroom preparations,but this one after yesterday holds a special mention of how superbly yummy these stuffed mushrooms were,and if you are fond of mushrooms then I bet you-You are ought to love this stuffed delicacy !!! I also have to make a special mention of how simple this recipe is,I had not planned on making these,but after my daughter got back from Sunday YG,she announced she was  hungry,which is unusual,as they get snacks and sometimes food also at YG ,anyways she got home famished and me and my husband were done eating,and there were no left overs either,so I quickly pulled out the remaining portobello/crimini mushrooms and quickly washed them and pat dried them with a paper towel. In a jiffy I took panko Italian style bread crumbs in a bowl,took out the mushroom stems,and put them in the chopper along with  green chilli,garlic ,parsley .Scooped that out from the chopper and mixed it with the bread crumbs and added grated sharp cheddar cheese and a tiny amount of parmesan along with kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Yes- I kept throwing in the ingredients, no I am not trying to look or sound smart here,but it is actually this simple and let me tell you-You can actually play with the stuffing ,go for the seasonings and the stuffing you fancy. You can also add sauteed onions and also saute the chopped mushroom stems along with garlic,I have not done any of this and YET this recipe is a keeper and a  true winner and much healthier than the ones which use a lot of oil .I have used just 1 tsp oil :)

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 -25 minutes

Ingredients:

portobella mushrooms: 15

 Italian style bread crumbs: 4 tbsp

Mushroom stems from these 15 mushrooms: Chopped very fine

Sultan's golden fried onion from Indian store: 2 tbsp for topping

Grated sharp Cheddar: 4 tbsp

Parmesan: 2 tbsp

Cayenne pepper: 1 tsp

Lime Juice: 1 tbs

Oil spray to spray the mushrooms

Kosher salt: to sprinkle on mushrooms

Garlic Crushed: 2 cloves

Parsley: 1 tbsp chopped

Method:

Take the mushrooms,wash them thoroughly and pat dry them with a paper towel. Remove the stems very carefully and put them aside for later use.

Pre-heat the oven on broil setting at 350 degree F

Run the mushroom stems in the chopper for 20 or 30 seconds.You don't want to puree them,just make sure the pieces are very tiny to fill in the mushroom cavity with other stuffing's.

Now take all the above ingredients except the mushrooms and  golden fried onions &mix these well along with the chopped mushrooms.

Fill this mixture in the mushroom cavity and press it a little with your thumb to make it nice and compact. Crush the golden fried onions with your hand and then top the stuffing with these to add a nice crunch to the mushrooms.

Now take a baking tray and cover the surface with aluminium foil and spray this with some oil. Arrange the mushrooms with the stuffing side on the top,sprinkle some kosher salt and some olive oil on these and broil them for 20- 25 minutes or till they turn golden brown and the stuffing starts to bubble. You can also remove it with the tongs blow on it hard and pop it in your mouth to see if they are done. Please don't burn your tongue and tell me I asked you to do so.....I mentioned Blow hard...the stuffing is sizzling hot :)

Note: You can use minced meat or turkey or chicken and finely chopped onions for the stuffing. You can also add some dry white wine to this stuffing . You will have to cook the minced meat or saute it in little oil along with fine chopped onions if you like and then add the white wine,and let the mixture become dry. Then you can add the seasonings to your taste and use this mix to stuff the mushrooms.

Sujatha here's the photo of the christmas tree . It has lights on it but they are not showing well in the picture,I should have probably subdued all the other lights in the room :( I will post some more, with the lights and the small tree as well:)