Mushrooms Stuffed with Lemon

Oh the difference between a mere recipe title and the recipe details. In her last book, 1000 Spanish Recipes, Penelope Casas offered an army of wonderful recipes, many of them tapas, and all of them regional, authentic, and delectable.

If you just skim the book and the recipe titles, then Mushrooms Stuffed with Lemon might pass you by. But, if you read the actual recipe, then you see that the lemon is there — both zest and juice — but there is so much more: onion, bread crumbs, cheese and parsley. Lots of ingredients cooked and then stuffed into the cavities of tiny mushrooms. Well, not too tiny. Penelope notes you should use “stuffing mushroom” so that mushroom cavity is perhaps an inch across and can hold a substantial portion of the stuffing.

Penelope suggests two of these for an appetizer portion. I suggest four per person, because they are so addictive. Offering up a platter of these mushrooms, perhaps a salad, and say couple of smoked trout, and you have a lovely, lively meal. These mushrooms are the epitome of a “hearty” dish, the stuffing that complex amalgam of lemon, onion, bread crumbs and cheese. Hot out of the oven makes these doubly satisfying.

Yield: serves 6 [or less!]

Ingredients:

12 stuffing mushrooms, rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more, for brushing
1 lemon
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated aged Manchego or Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

Remove the stems and chop finely. Brush the caps with oil. Grate the lemon zest, then squeeze the juice (you will need about 3 tablespoons). Reserve.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and mushroom stems and cook, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until no liquid remains and remove from the heat. Stir in the bread crumbs, lemon juice and zest, cheese, and parsley and mix well. Fill each mushroom cap with the stem mixture. Arrange in a baking dish and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until softened. Serve hot.

Mushrooms Stuffed with Lemon