I’m so torn today, people. I’m trying to maintain that whole stiff upper lip thing because complaining that waah, my shoulder hurts more, and boo, the bruises are getting uglier and also, my left foot is mysteriously swollen, isn’t going to solve anything. I mean, bitching and moaning? I hear there’s a real shortage of that on the internet. On the other hand, sometimes just the smallest amount of venting — petty as it may be — is all it takes so simply get over oneself. I mean, I fell down the stairs, did I think the next couple weeks were going to be a cinch? Like, duh.
But since I’ve already slipped into my less-savory side for the moment, can I mention the big purchase Alex and I made last week? The thing I’ve been wanting forever and finally managed to justify the expense? That thing would be ice skates. I think they’ll arrive today. Raise your hand if you think I should go ice-skating with a bruised shin and my dominant-side shoulder in a sling. Hello? Anybody? So there’s that, too. (But its sweet the way everybody is trying to protect me from myself.)
I probably didn’t help my spirits by trying to compose a recipe last night not written for the one-handed. I had to call in the troops to get stuff chopped, and even when said troop left for his volleyball game, I was still up shit’s creek, quite close to coming back to it another day. Fortunately, the work paid off when I realized you only need about two fingers of one hand to gobble up these numbers. I think they’d make an ideal Thanksgiving appetizer.
I made the stuffed mushrooms for two reasons: one, I just happened to have almost all of the ingredients, except, notably, the mushrooms in the fridge and wanted to use them up but two, I decided it was time for a little antidote to this season of excess. Don’t get me wrong, I savor a sweet potato gratin and cornbread chorizo stuffing as much as the next person with taste buds, but isn’t it nice once in a while to have an appetizer not oozing with excess or lacking interest because you reined it in? [Seeing as it is going to be many weeks before I can down-dog or, shudder, shoulder-stand again, such regimented principles are high on my mind.]
I actually cooked these the first time almost two years ago, but realized quickly the recipe needed a few alterations. A quick pre-baking of the empty tops allows much of their liquid to drain out, saving the end-product from sogginess, and the addition of some extra shallot and a clove or two of garlic gives the flavor the little oomph it needs. Alex would like it to be noted that he feels a crumbled strip or two of bacon would really perfect them, but I didn’t see the absence of pork products mitigating his enjoyment of them. You gotta love the way that boy thinks, though, but I’ll leave it up to you what you jack up the flavors with. For you spice mavens, I’ll bet a pinch of cayenne could also make these sing.
To wrap up this woe-is-me moment, it has thankfully passed for now. In fact, more than passed, I think I might actually be (oh my) leaving the apartment tonight to do something fun. It’s been too long.
Mushrooms Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Adapted from Gourmet, March 1996
1/2 ounce dried tomatoes (about 5, not packed in oil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
18 white mushrooms, stems pulled out and chopped fine and caps reserved
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 large egg yolk, beaten lightly
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, washed well, spun dry, and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a small bowl soak tomatoes in hot water to cover 5 minutes. Reserving 1 tablespoon soaking liquid, drain tomatoes well and chop fine.*
Lay mushroom caps, stems removed, face down on baking sheet either lightly sprayed with cooking spray or parchment paper. Bake them approximately 10 minutes, or until their liquid puddles underneath. Remove from the oven. Carefully pour off liquid that has gathered in the bottom of the pan, and then again, carefully, turn mushroom caps over so they are ready to be filled.
In a small skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook chopped mushrooms stems, shallots and garlic, stirring until shallots are softened. In a bowl stir together mushrooms mixture, bread crumbs, tomatoes, reserved soaking liquid, yolk, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound stuffing in reserved mushroom caps and arrange caps in a lightly greased shallow baking dish, or the same parchment-lined pan you’ve roasted your mushrooms in. Sprinkle mushrooms with Parmesan and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes.
Makes 18 hors d’oeuvres.
* Can skip this step if using oil-packed tomatoes, as I did.
Skating after the healing sounds best. But then think of all the bruising that may come from the skating later, what fun to look forward to!
This recipe looks fantastic! I’m hoping to make them tonight, but I have everything BUT the mushrooms and it’s pouring cats and dogs at the moment so I’ll have to wait for a lull in the torrential rain. :(
Mmmm…I love everything mushroom.
Woot! Enjoy the venture outside of the apartment. The mushrooms look divine. I will admit until about a year ago…I never really ate them or was willing to touch them with a 10 foot pole. But, after I got over my fear, I popped a stuffed mushroom in my mouth and haven’t looked back.
I hope the next few weeks go by quickly, Deb! Also, take the good drugs…they are your friend.
Enjoy the night out (but stay away from sharp objects and icy-slippery surfaces! lol)
These mushrooms look lovely, are pretty waist-friendly AND they don´t require a whole lot of ingredients. Now that´s a lethal combination right there.
So you were the one doing yoga, I suspected so. I started doing yoga a month ago, but no shoulder stands for me yet. at leat not what I think you mean by that. In fact, I don´t know the names of most of the stuff, I just remember the cat, the candle, and that´s pretty much it.
Anyway, I encourage you with all my heart when it comes to waist-friendly recipes. I need them if I want to get through the summer without too much suffering lol
Wow and double Wow! Now I have some dried chilpolte pepper powder…
I am not a fan of stuffed mushrooms…ok….cue the whole eye roll thing complete with scornful look and shoulder shrug….a CHEF who does not like mushrooms!?!?! At least let me clarify that whole ones are normally avoided but they are readily added to my food in chopped form!
Those look wonderful, really they do, even to someone who wouldn’t eat one if I was dying. I would however, scrape out the filling and eat that. On crostini. ‘Cuz I am a carb freak.
Glad to hear the pity party wasn’t too long lived….get outta tha’ house and have some fun!
Oh my goodness, I love love love mushrooms and my mouth is watering away right now. I don’t know if I’d make these for a party – don’t want to share…!
Deb…looking to you (and your readers) for a kick ass pecan pie recipe…anyone got one???
I’m not hip on mushrooms, either, but those? I’d definitely try. Nice work.
No Skating. At least until you’re healed! It’s just as fun to watch everybody else fall and hurt themselves, you know. (I know. Bad.)
Your blog just gets better and better! Very talented. Thanks.
Ok, Deb, you do not have to throw yourself down a flight of stairs to get a little attention. I go away fora couple days and this is what you do to yourself? remember, R.I.C.E.= rest, ice, compression, elevation. The “I” also stands for IMMOBILIZATION as in sit your ass down! for a couple days and chill! Hope you feel better soon:)
Kirs – So, did you try them? Our rain looks like it’s just clearing up, finally, so maybe my living room office will be bright and cheerful again soon.
Jessie – Me too. I have 3 mushroom soups I’ll get to this winter, I hope.
Jenifer – I can’t bring myself to take Vicodan (!) for this. It’s just too… intense. I’m already sleeping crazy hours! This is a great dish for the new-to-mushrooms, too, because there are so many other things going on.
Marce – We didn’t make it out after all. I was all wincy in my ribs and we ordered Thai. But maybe tonight! Today is a better day. And hear hear on the waist-friendly.
Tanna – Chipotle would be awesome in these, I bet. Maybe some minced green pepper, too?
Kate – Hee. The filling is mushrooms, too. This just isn’t your recipe. Come back later, I’ve got something great for you folks. Carby and wonderful.
RA – No need to share. In fact, both times I’ve made them, it’s been just for us. With some salad, it’s a great meal.
Married Girl – Sorry, I haven’t made it – yet! But, I have no doubt someone out there can find you a good one.
Abby – I never knew mushrooms were such a divider. Funny! As for the skating, the doctor just bumped me up to SIX WEEKS in a sling. Please please please will the internet let me go skating before the end of this year. Please? Also, thank you.
Jezzie – Hee. I was wondering where you had been! I hope you had a great vacation. Of course I read that and was like, rice, mmm. Maybe we’ll eat rice with dinner… Typical!
I love this website. I’ve found quite a few recipes that I want to try out for my husband’s upcoming birthday. Question: How much sun dried tomatoes is appropriate if using oil-packed tomatoes? Is it still 5 (whole) tomatoes? Diced? Sorry, I’m not a great cook. I try to follow recipes exactly, at least the first time I try out a dish.
I tried these but dropped half the mushroom stems on the floor, so ended up substituting a load of dukkah (recipe, er, also from you) in the filling. They were great anyway, so thanks. I’m sure one day I’ll get around trying them without dropping all the stems.
Is this an all-girl group?
Anybody need help with a pig roast, I am the guy.
I made this as an appetizer for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner, and it was surprisingly fast and so good. I thought the sundried tomatoes added such an interesting flavor. The question now is – what to do with the rest of the jar of sundried tomatoes in my fridge? Do you have another recipe that calls for them?
Thanks!
– Mae
I have a deep hatred for sun dried tomatoes but these look delicious otherwise! Anything I could use instead?
These were pretty amazing. Not only did they taste great, but I love how they aren’t indulgent. My husband went crazy for them.
I made these for a birthday party last weekend and they went faster than anything else on the table. Something about them tasted a LOT like bacon (my friends agreed, which assuaged my fears that maybe five years of vegetarianism has somehow led to bacon-deprivation hallucinations). Was it the meatiness of the mushrooms? The way the tomatoes crisped up a little in the oven? We couldn’t decide exactly what it was about these little guys that reminded us so strongly of bacon; it was a little strange but also quite tasty (and intriguing). Actually, I liked them so much I’m thinking about giving them a spot on the Thanksgiving menu. Maybe we’ll crack the Secret of the Bacon Taste then. Thanks for sharing!
My daughter and I are crazy for the stuffed mushrooms at a local restaurant – I made these last night and these are totally a close second! They are very festive looking also with flecks of red and green. I will definately include these for my next party.
Well I tried this recipe last night as a starter for a small dinner party. I have to say it was not something I enjoyed and not something I think I will add to my “this is a keeper” file. The flavor was ok but not inspiring and seemed to lack that punch you want in a dish. Everyone else was more gracious then I and said they liked them but being someone who enjoys cooking and great food I want things that leave you wanting more or thinking when you will have an opportunity to serve it again. I am still on a quest to find a great stuffed mushroom that doesn’t have to include sausage like the ones our grandmothers use to make.
I may be the only one who doesn’t know this, but what is “FACE DOWN” on a mushroom? Cap side down or stem side down? The comment in the recipe, “then turn mushroom caps over” seems to imply they have been baked stem side down on the baking tray, caps up. Thus, you would turn them over from this position to stuff them. Is this right? Since draining some of the liquid seems important, I want to do it right! I have some beautiful mushrooms in the fridge, so please help!
That’s exactly right. Stem side down to bake them, turn them over to fill them.
Hey, thanks Deb. What a fantastic site this is! A friend recommended it a while ago; now I understand her enthusiasm. I’m going to make those mushrooms tonight. YaY!
You can make a delicious vegan version of this by substituting tomato paste for the egg yolk and leaving off the parmesan!
I just made this and it was divine! We had some extra filling, so we filled up extra mushrooms and we ate absolutely everything for dinner. I really appreciate that it’s a healthy meal.
Today is my first time exploring your website and I love, love, love it! My friend recommended it to me for your chocolate souffle cupcakes for Passover. Since trying hers – which were delish – I have made your chocolate caramel crack and have decided to try the mushrooms for Friday night Seder & Shabbat combo. (We had to delay the festivities a bit.) Anyway, I think I’ll substitute matzo meal for breadcrumbs to avoid the guilt. Thanks for the inspiration. I will be sure to pass along your blog info to my friends.
Another here who really doesn’t like sundried tomatoes. But the rest looks so tasty. I think I’ll try them with roasted red peppers instead. I’ll let you know how they turn out!
As always your recipies are wonderful and inspire experiments-
ok I am thinking of sausage and panko bread crumbs–oh so many directions to go.
You have excited about cooking today–Thanks again!
Can’t wait to try these, but I only have Derlea dried SD Tomato ”Bits” How much (in TB) should I sub for the 5 ”not ‘packed in oil SD Tomatoes” & should I add some oil as well – if so how much? I too work only from exact measurements – not good at guessing. Thanks R
I made these for a cocktails and canapes party with my friends and they were wonderful: http://english-rosie.blogspot.com/2011/01/squashed-bananas-and-stew.html
Can you give more details about using the oil-packed tomatoes? How many and did you sub in some oil for the liquid?
Thank you!
Delightfully devoured by my whole crew. We used button mushrooms, which created an awesome baby appetizer that everyone scooped up by the handful. Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe. I made these for an appetizer portion of a progressive dinner party and they were a hit. I doubled the recipe and added a little white wine to the mushrooms, shallot and garlic when sauteing them. All 40 went!!
Suggestion for the lazy like me when making these. I have one of those metal cooling racks with the sqares (not just the parellel bars). By placing my mushrooms on this face down over a baking sheet, once I had cooked them down for the 10 minutes, the liquid was safely dripped away, below them. Also, the grid kept the otherwise rolly caps from tipped over once I flipped and filled them to put them in for the second baking. I did lightly spritz the caps with olive oil to keep the outer part from drying out since they are more exposed this way, but that may not have been necessary
These were tasty, but very time consuming for such a dainty dish! I used Joe’s O’s (like cheerios) to make them gluten free which worked well :)
Made these last night, they were delicious! I stuffed them with a bit of pesto as well, and think that made a big difference too.
Dear Deb, my sister and I have loved your recipes for years now. I tried these recently and I just thought you should know if you didn’t already, that any leftover stuffing from these guys is amazing with a fried egg on top. Thank you for many many wonderful meals!
Thank you for bringing these to the forefront. I used to make stuffed mushrooms years ago but I’d forgotten about them, and I’m not sure where the recipe is. This recipe will be on my list. They sound delicious 🍷❤
Hi Deb! I love your site. Do you have thoughts on how this recipe could be prepared ahead of time? Can I fully assemble and bake a few days before and then heat up day-of? Thanks!
I made this a few times already: once for Thanksgiving and once for New Year’s. They are delicious and a big hit. I had to work Monday, so I removed the stems from the mushrooms and made the stuffing over the weekend and left everything in the fridge until I stuffed them and baked them Monday night. These are so good!!!
I have made these several times with great results. Made them last night and they were almost inedible. I took the suggestion baking them on a rack so that the juices would drip through and I wouldn’t have to drain the pan before stuffing and baking them the second time. The tomatoes which were on the top burnt and were very tough and chewy throughout; maybe they should have soaked longer? I have tested the thermostat in my oven and the temperature is accurate. I’ll try them one more time to make certain this was just an off time.
I am shocked that there are almost no “I made this” comments. Because everybody needs a stuffed mushroom recipe, right? Especially when their husband brings home a giant box of cremini mushrooms from Costco, and you have already planned a week’s worth of meals with no mushrooms needed.
So, okay, as usual, I sort of made this recipe–used sundried tomatoes in oil because I could not resist buying a 2 1/2 pound jar of sundried tomatoes during the pandemic and I am still on the lookout for things to do with them.
Used dried thyme and oregano, because dried basil doesn’t taste like anything to me. And panko crumbs rather than fine crumbs, because why not? And, despite my best attempts to screw up the recipe, these are delicious. More people should make them, even though sundried tomatoes are terminally unhip. Pretend they are retro…that might help.