The cute button like mushrooms called Baby Bellas are available in every store and are fun to make and eat for kids and adults alike.
A note about mushrooms if you are picking them yourself from the pile ( non boxed) make sure they don't have too much black /grey portion in the "hollow", indicating a mature mushroom.. I have found that as the mushroom matures it does not cook fast enough and loses some flavor but adds more texture...
There are many combinations for this .. see foot notes for more variety !
Ingredients
1 box of Baby Bellas ( black/brown) usually has about 10 count mushrooms
Stuffing
1/3 cup Mozzerella Cheese
McCormick's Italian Spice ( or any Italian mix that has oregano, thyme , basil ), available in most stores.
1 or 2 Finely chopped red sweet pepper ( optional) you can use red/green bell pepper too.
Tossing
Olive oil for tossing
Sea Salt or table salt to taste
Garnish: cilantro or parley ( optional)
Prep
1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Wash mushrooms well, leave no traces of mud. Cut off the stems of the mushrooms ( don't discard)
3. Let the mushrooms dry as you prep the inside filling
4. Roast the finely chopped peppers on high heat with very little oil for 1 min ( charred is ok)
4. Mix the cheese , a good sprinkling of Italian spice , (I usually ask my daughter to sprinkle and she does a good 5 or six shakes before I grab the spice bottle out of her hands ;) and the peppers
5. Now toss the mushrooms and the stems with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a 1-2 shakes of the Italian spice the mushrooms should be well coated with oil and spice
6. In a baking tray , lined with parchment paper , arrange all the mushroomss bit towards the edges of the tray ( this is what the original recipe said ) , stems can go into middle
7. Fill the hollows with stuffing mix just to the brim ( if you fill up the cheese will drip but some like it that way )
Cook:
1. Bake with covection roast for about 10-12 min , when you look through the oven door and the cheese has browned a bit is when the mushrooms are done.
2. The mushrooms will brown up quite a bit on the outside when baked. It's normal.
Serve as appetizer with a sprinkling of parsley on top!
Notes
If using cheddar instead of Mozerella , try Cajun spice instead of Italian
Also cheddar and cranberries make a good sour/sweet combination
For adults , a mix of cheese, Italian spice, Garlic powder and with green chilli pieces or red chili flakes ( the type you put on pizzas ) instead of sweet peppers works well too.
A note about mushrooms if you are picking them yourself from the pile ( non boxed) make sure they don't have too much black /grey portion in the "hollow", indicating a mature mushroom.. I have found that as the mushroom matures it does not cook fast enough and loses some flavor but adds more texture...
There are many combinations for this .. see foot notes for more variety !
Ingredients
1 box of Baby Bellas ( black/brown) usually has about 10 count mushrooms
Stuffing
1/3 cup Mozzerella Cheese
McCormick's Italian Spice ( or any Italian mix that has oregano, thyme , basil ), available in most stores.
1 or 2 Finely chopped red sweet pepper ( optional) you can use red/green bell pepper too.
Tossing
Olive oil for tossing
Sea Salt or table salt to taste
Garnish: cilantro or parley ( optional)
Prep
1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Wash mushrooms well, leave no traces of mud. Cut off the stems of the mushrooms ( don't discard)
3. Let the mushrooms dry as you prep the inside filling
4. Roast the finely chopped peppers on high heat with very little oil for 1 min ( charred is ok)
4. Mix the cheese , a good sprinkling of Italian spice , (I usually ask my daughter to sprinkle and she does a good 5 or six shakes before I grab the spice bottle out of her hands ;) and the peppers
5. Now toss the mushrooms and the stems with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a 1-2 shakes of the Italian spice the mushrooms should be well coated with oil and spice
6. In a baking tray , lined with parchment paper , arrange all the mushroomss bit towards the edges of the tray ( this is what the original recipe said ) , stems can go into middle
7. Fill the hollows with stuffing mix just to the brim ( if you fill up the cheese will drip but some like it that way )
Cook:
1. Bake with covection roast for about 10-12 min , when you look through the oven door and the cheese has browned a bit is when the mushrooms are done.
2. The mushrooms will brown up quite a bit on the outside when baked. It's normal.
Serve as appetizer with a sprinkling of parsley on top!
Notes
If using cheddar instead of Mozerella , try Cajun spice instead of Italian
Also cheddar and cranberries make a good sour/sweet combination
For adults , a mix of cheese, Italian spice, Garlic powder and with green chilli pieces or red chili flakes ( the type you put on pizzas ) instead of sweet peppers works well too.
