Our Favorite Stuffed Mushrooms

(Vegetarian if Worcestershire sauce is omitted, Soy-Free - check ingredients on Worcestershire sauce)

INGREDIENTS:

§  About 2lbs mini white or bella mushrooms, stems removed (If you want, you can chop up

some of the stems and cook them with the onion, but I prefer not to because of their texture)

§  1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

§  1 small-medium white or yellow onion, minced

§  ½ tsp salt

§  Freshly ground black pepper

§  2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

§  2 Tbsp grape juice or cooking wine

§  ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

§  3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

§  1 ½ c fresh bread crumbs, can be white or whole wheat (2-3 pieces of bread in a food processor or blender works great)

§  1 tsp garlic powder (I like to use powder over fresh garlic in this recipe, but you can use a couple of fresh garlic cloves if you prefer, just add it when you sauté the onion)

§  1 tsp dried oregano

§  (optional) shredded Mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION:

1.       Carefully wash the mushrooms under running water, gently rubbing off any dirt, but making sure not to injure the mushroom tops. (I would not recommend soaking the mushrooms as they will absorb water and be mushy.) When washed, set the mushrooms on a jellyroll pan (baking pan with a lip) lined with foil or a silicon mat to dry.

2.      In a small-medium sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat then add the onion and salt and at least 5 good grind of pepper (or about ¼ tsp preground). Sauté the onion until completely translucent, about 10 min. Meanwhile, mix together the cider vinegar, juice/wine, and Worcestershire sauce. Then prepare the bread crumbs and mix them together with the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and oregano.

3.      When the onion is thoroughly cooked, but not browned, add the bread crumb mixture and mix it around to absorb the butter. Allow this mixture to brown lightly, stirring occasionally, about 5 min.

4.      Pour the liquid mixture over the browned bread crumb mixture and stir to combine and let the liquid soak in. Allow this to cook for a minute or two and then remove from heat.

5.      Preheat the oven to 350 F and while it heats up, fill the mushroom caps using a small spoon or your hands. Fill them as full as necessary to use all of the filling.

6.      Bake the filled mushrooms for 15-20 min until they are cooked through and soft (they should be darker in color and there should be some juices on the baking tray)

7.      Remove from the oven and serve immediately or top with a little shredded Mozzarella and broil in the oven until melted.  

The mushrooms should be really juicy when their done ^ see the juice?? 

These are great little hor d'oeuvres for a party, but they aren't great as left-overs so make sure they are all eaten when fresh! Even people who don't like mushrooms tell me these are SO GOOD. I've been told they taste like pizza too...whatever they are though, they are sure tasty!