Mushrooms Stuffed with Found Ingredients

Stuffed Mushrooms

The exact ingredients vary depending on what is available in your fridge. That is both the genius and the utility of this recipe. Every batch tastes different enough that you never tire of the dish and it retains enough familiarity to be a comfort dish.

Ingredients

White mushrooms - 24 - Good sized, large but not huge, I find ones that are comfortable to pick up and 3 to 4 good bites perfect.

Stuffing Ingredients

Cream cheese -  12 oz

Bread crumbs - 3/4 cup (I make bread crumbs from my favorite bread with the pieces left over when I buy a fresh loaf.)

Mushroom stems - from above - chopped fine

Red chili flakes - 1 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/8 tsp

Paprika - 1/2 tsp

Ground pepper - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Found Ingredients (chopped fine)

Portabella - 1/2 small cap

Capers - 1 tbsp

Serrano - 2

Artichoke hearts - 2

Roasted red peppers - 1/4 cup

Apart from the bread crumbs, you need about a cup and a half of the ingredients for the stuffing. You can pretty much throw in any interesting ingredient you have lying about.

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. After washing the mushrooms, separate the mushroom caps from the stems. Pat caps dry and set aside in oiled or buttered oven ready pans.
3. Soften the cream cheese, add the ingredients and mix well. I use a butter knife.
4. Stuff the mushrooms. I stuff them so that the stuffed top of the mushrooms mimics the shape of the mushroom cap.
5. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.I use a perforated alumin(i)um foil for this step.
6. Bake at 365 F for 15 minutes without the foil to finish the mushrooms.

The leftover mushrooms are fabulous too. Just store them in airtight containers and reheat in the microwave.