28 December 2016

Festive bites 2/2: herby stuffed chestnut mushrooms

Sandra festive, quick & easy, snacks mushrooms, vegan 3 Comments

Following the recipe for our cottage cheese filled courgette rolls, here’s another quick and savoury bite for festive occasions. These stuffed mushrooms are a family favourite we often serve at parties and dinners, because they’re not only delicious but also, since they can be completely prepared ahead, very practical.

Basically, they’re just mushroom caps topped with their own stalks and some extra nice bits. Onion and garlic make everything better, veg stock gives the topping depth of flavour and the addition of parsley makes it all nice and herby. Non-vegans can add extra saltiness with a grating of cheese. You don’t need much more than that – maybe just some extra herbs or veg sprouts for garnishing and of course a festive occasion to enjoy them!

Herby stuffed chestnut mushrooms – makes 12

Ingredients

• 12 chestnut mushrooms
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 100 ml veg stock
• salt and freshly grated black pepper
• 2 tbsp. panko
• 2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 4 tbsp. grated cheese, optional
• extra herbs or veg sprouts for garnishing
• Plus an oven dish, greased with some olive oil.

 

Preparation

Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Carefully pull away the stalks from the mushrooms. Put the mushroom cups into the boiling water, blanch for a few seconds, then tip into a colander. Rinse in cold water, then leave them to drain, cup side down on a piece of kitchen paper, until using.

Finely chop the mushroom stalks. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. On a moderate heat, fry the onions for a few minutes until soft. Add the mushroom stalks and the garlic and fry for a few more minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the stock, stir through and cook until all liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mix the stalks with the panko, parsley and grated cheese, if using. Pile the mixture onto the mushroom cups and place them in the oven dish. At this stage, you can keep them covered in the fridge until the next day.

Heat the oven to 200^oC/400^oF/Gas 6.

Bake the mushrooms for about 10 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished to taste.