I am almost sure of it.

I prefer them made as a one serve thing, they look more impressive on the plate- so I do them as quite small filo moneybags or parcels. Usually there’s about 4 out of 14 vegetarians but the meat eaters pinch them too so I make eight. I prefer something small and rich rather than something that takes up the whole plate and leaves no room for all the sides. They make quite an eye catching platter, with a bit of decorating.

I like piquante edges (cranberries, pickled walnuts, peppadew- slivered or pureed as a base, capers). But I recently made a plain mushroom pie with a slices of pickled quince on the side and that gave all the lift it needed.

I’ve done various onions, leeks etc, but tiny caramelised onions left whole were my favourite.

Having said that, for this Winter Thanksgiving (July 09) I’ll stick with the mushrooms, chevre, rosemary (for remembrance) and cashew thing- cranberries on the side will be just enough.

No, wait, just changed my mind. I made some prunes in armagnac recently, they have some lemon zest and tea in them…. hmm. Oh that could be very nice. Would need a different sort of sauce with that though. A thin one, or a cream one? And cranberries might not go with it. Ah, another journey begins…..

oh also look up Rissoles too, there a traditional snack from my neck of the woods (Wales).

I just want to say, no offense intended, but adding bacon is just lazy! I feel like it’s always the “solution”, and it’s a cheap one, especially for something as wonderfully hearty and vegetarian as this. LAZY! :)

I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. Some play on it will likely become a fixture around our holiday table. And I must say: it is not nearly as bland as you fear. Crimini’s have such depth of flavor, and the madeira (port or sherry would be fine, too, just something red and fortified) really punches it up. With that many other flavors on the holiday plate, you don’t want something too crazy. It paired well with a cran-date sauce and vegan soy mushroom gravy.

I will admit, though, as a standalone dish at a potluck or as the centerpiece of a meal, it probably needs a little something.

What I did different: I used pearled barley, soaked some porcinis and used some broth for cooking the barley, and threw in some sage and thyme to tie in w/ other dishes. I upped the garlic a bit, too.

What I’d do different next time:
- replace ricotta with chevre or gouda — this would definitely boost the flavors, and I know from experience both cheeses pair well w/ criminis
- wild mushrooms or mushroom blend
- carmellized onions or shallots
- splash of balsamic (I like this from above!)
Does anyone else have thoughts about some sort of sauce that it could be paired with? My thinking is that some sort of madeira-balsamic reduction could really add some zing. Or maybe a thick carmelized-shallot-balsamic sauce (assuming little to no shallots/onions in the mushroom mix)? Or something creamy, like a parmesan sauce?