Stuffed Mushrooms

 Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushrooms are versatile. They can be cooked in many ways, such as grilled in the oven or under the broiler. However, preparing stuffed mushrooms is a classic way that the French do best. They are often considered market place foods and are also offered by street vendors. 

While the filling can be just about anything you want it to be, the base remains the same. Escargots are the priority if you're in France, but smoked oysters, clams, mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, shrimp, and smoked salmon all make great fillings.

The choice is yours.

Serves 4

8 very firm cremini mushrooms

1 tsp salted butter 

1 tsp olive oil

2 small shallots

2 tsp fresh herbs-dill for smoked salmon

2 slices of smoked salmon

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/2 cup of orange juice

Gremolata topping

4 oz breadcrumbs

2 oz hard cheese, finely grated

1 tsp of finely chopped herbs (or more)

Prepare the mushrooms by removing the stalks and scraping the inside of the mushrooms with a teaspoon. You need to keep the walls of the mushroom whole, so be extremely gentle. Chop the stalks and remove any scraps, and keep them aside to use in your filling.

Preheat the oven to 160 C |320 F

In a large flat skillet, heat a knob of butter and a dash of olive oil. Add the shallots and cook on a gentle heat until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, mushrooms, herbs, and seasoning and gently cook for a few minutes. In the same pan, on the side of the shallot mixture, place the mushrooms and fill each mushroom with orange juice. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and cook it all for about 10 minutes. Empty the juice into the skillet and remove the mushrooms to a cookie sheet ready to fill. Turn the flame up and continue to cook the filling until all the liquid has evaporated. Turn the stove off, add the smoked salmon or seafood of choice, and fill the mushroom caps equally. Spoon the gremolata on top and place the cookie sheet into a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Tips

Tarragon pairs beautifully with most seafood. Oregano, parsley, and mint are other options too. Coriander works well for the familiar.

Keeping the mushroom sizes almost equal will help.

Once the first step has been completed, you can grill these on a BBQ instead of placing them in the oven.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.