Monday, December 12, 2011

Sausage & Asiago Stuffed Mushrooms with Balsamic Glaze



It's party time!  Excellent!
I know that's so 1989, but now that there are 200,000 channels on my television there's no getting away from Saturday Night Live.  But I love the SNL of yesteryear.  All of the sprockets and lunch ladies and Wayne & Garths.  When I run into one of those episodes, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, or maybe it's just the wine or maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic; 'tis nostalgia's prime time though, no?  It seeps in from all sorts of crevices - like when you unpack your boxes of ornaments, and there's a Christmas card from 1999 tucked in, from an old friend you haven't seen in as long.  Or when you hear "River" and have to sit down because it gets you every time.  It doesn't take much these days to momentarily transport you back to another Christmas; another life.     




Stuffed mushrooms are pretty classic, and no doubt conjure up culinary nostalgia.  And after one bite of these babies, you won't forget them, that is for sure.  If you are running to and fro various parties this season, or hosting one of your own, I bring you another appetizer that will get rave reviews from other party people.  They will disappear in a flash, so bring lots!  I daresay this could be the best stuffed mushroom I've ever eaten.  There.  I just put that out there.  Let it sink in.  Good.  Now let me tell you how I made them.




Take some lovely, fresh super large white button mushrooms. Wipe them clean with a damp paper towel.  Mushrooms.  So photogenic.  We like!




Take the stems off the mushrooms and save for another use.  Toss the mushroom caps in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Salt and pepper too, please




Roast them for 30 minutes.  The best part?  Most of the liquid will be released during the first roasting, so you won't end up with soggy mushrooms.  Ick.  Who wants those?




Meanwhile, make your sausage filling.  Cook off Italian sausage with onions, garlic, rosemary and fennel.  Add cream cheese and Asiago. This is good stuff.  (I had extra filling leftover from this recipe, so I just put some on Naan bread and it made lovely pizza.  Just so you know.)  When mushrooms are done roasting flip them over to drain the juices, then flip again to stuff the cap.  I filled them so they were heaping




Then I topped them with more Asiago.  God, I love cheese. 




Then they baked for another 30-40 minutes until all golden and simply gorgeous.  Let them cool for a bit before tasting or you'll burn your tongue like I did.




I really loved the textures here:  the crunchy cheesy topping, into the creamy, spicy filling and meatiness of the mushroom.  Super fun to eat, and bursting with flavour.  The fennel and rosemary are perfect compliments to the spicy sausage - use the best quality you can find, it makes a difference.   Roasting mushrooms in balsamic vinegar first really adds a tart/sweet factor, and rids the mushroom of extra juices.  Brilliant, that.  This appetizer will no doubt rock your party of 1 or 21.  Nothing more to add except Party On, Dudes!  


 

Sausage & Asiago Stuffed Mushrooms with Balsamic Glaze

20 large mushrooms, cleaned with damp paper towel, stem removed and saved for later use
2 links Italian sausage
1 tsp dried rosemary OR 2 tsp fresh, finely chopped
1 tsp dried fennel seed
1 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces (120grams) cream cheese
3 ounces (90grams) Asiago cheese, grated
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms with the balsamic vinegar and 3 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in a preheated 350* oven for about 30 min.  Stir once or twice.  Remove from oven.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium high heat, squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing  and cook until no longer pink, breaking it apart with the back of a spoon.  You want it fairly crumbly and in small pieces.  Stir in onions and garlic and spices, and cook a few minutes longer, until onion is softened.  (If you find that your sausage filling is too greasy, drain it on paper towel first before adding the cheese.) Remove from heat and place into a bowl, along with the cheeses (save some of the Asiago for topping).  Stir well to combine.   Take a teaspoon and fill each mushroom cap.  Sprinkle with  remaining Asiago.  Bake at 375* for about 30-40 minutes, until golden.  Can easily be doubled if feeding a large crowd.  Recipe adapted from Food 52.


36 comments:

  1. Oh wow :) I haven't had breakfast yet and your photos just did me in... I gotta eat! (preferably stuffed mushrooms, but I don't think I can wait that long) :P They look fabulous.

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  2. Heather is right - I totally want these for breakfast. Looks delicious, Renee!

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  3. Look at that gorgeous balsamic glaze! I love the mix of textures and flavours... cheesy, creamy, spicy & meaty!
    - Brittany

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  4. Renée - these look absolutely delicious :) And, hey, GOD I love cheese too! Good luck with the contest!

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  5. These stuffed mushrooms look so addictive! Party on!

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  6. I heard once that "life's too short to stuff a mushroom" but these look pretty good!

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  7. Heather and Sara - these would be fantastic at breakfast. ok, yum! Brittany and Mardi - thank you so very much! Jess, party on! NN, life is never too short to stuff a mushroom - these babies are totally worth every second!

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  8. One of our family's old school recipes in mushrooms stuffed with boursin. And I always love them. But your additions of the balsamic, sausage and other goodies sound so so good.
    And I too dig the old SNL. I was just watching the Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze Chippendale bit - so damned funny!
    -E

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  9. Oh my- these do look good! Who doesn't love a stuffed mushroom? I think I'd rather have them all to myself but yes, they would mke great party fixins too.

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  10. Love mushrooms... and the stuffing sounds finger-lickin' good!

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  11. Renee, Love how you stuffed these mushroom, sausage and Asiago cheese...great appetizers.
    Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)

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  12. I love your idea of roasting the mushrooms by themselves first to get rid of all of the water. Great idea! I'm also loving the idea of that balsamic glaze - yum!

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  13. Such a great flavor combo for stuffed mushrooms!

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  14. These really do sound so good - I've tried a few recipes for stuffed mushrooms that were really not successful, but this one sounds really well thought out.

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  15. These sound wonderful! Can you make the filling the day before? Has anyone tried it?

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    1. Hi Stacie - you can most definitely make the filling the day before. Enjoy!

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  16. Can you make this recipe ahead of time and freeze. I'm thinking of doing everything except the final baking step before freezing. Then when I need them, take them out of the freezer and right into the oven. Do you think this would work?

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  17. Hi Anon, to be honest I've never frozen these mushrooms before so I don't know what to tell you. I prefer to make them fresh, only because I'm worried they may get too soggy after freezing. But the only way to know is to try, just maybe increase the baking time by 5 minutes. Good luck and let me know how they turn out!

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  18. Do you use the stems in the recipe? I'm confused because you say to set them aside for later use but then I never catch you mentioning again. Did I miss something? Do they get chopped up and added to the sausage filling? Help!

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    1. Good question! No, I didn't use the stems in the recipe, I just meant to set them aside for veggie stock or other recipes where they may come in handy in the future. I freeze a lot of my veg trimmings for stock. Thanks for asking!

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  19. Can this be serve at room temperature for the party?

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    1. Yes, you can serve them at room temperature, but I prefer them warm. Have fun at your party!

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  20. I love the part in the recipe that roasts the mushrooms first. It really makes a difference in the water content of the finished product.

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  21. These sound wonderful and I'll use them for my party. I'm with you, I could live on cheese! Also loved the step by step and commentary.

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  22. Could I use parmesan cheese in stead of asiago

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  23. I made these last night and they were amazing!!!!! THanks for sharing such a fab recipe :)

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  24. First, let me say that these look incredibly delicious and second; I am an idiot at cooking, so please forgive the next two questions. Do you have to use parchment paper or could wax paper be an option? Also, I am confused about the instruction to "stir once or twice" after you put them into the oven. How do you stir them if they are on a cookie sheet?

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    1. Hi John, thanks for your questions :) First, never put wax paper in the oven! Parchment is the way to go. Second, giving the mushrooms a stir once or twice when you first put them in the oven will help release the juices. Remove after 30 minutes then proceed with stuffing them with the sausage filling. Good luck!

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    2. To clarify about stirring, all you do is take a wooden spoon or tongs, and just scoot the mushrooms around a little. Shuffle them from side to side, just so they flip over and release their juices. Hope that helps!

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  25. If you are buying fresh sausage by the lb what do you think you might need? A pound at most? Looks DIVINE, cannot wait to make them!

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    1. Yes, 1 pound sounds about right. Enjoy the mushrooms!

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  26. I don’t know why I am just now commenting on these as I have made them at least 10 times. They are SO good! I have taken them to parties and people go nuts over them and they are gone in a flash. I follow directions to a T and they are perfect every time! Thank you so much for this recipe!

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    1. Thanks, Caryn! These stuffed mushrooms are one of my favourite recipes ever!

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  27. These were delicious!! I plan to make them again. Thank you.

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  28. I have saved and used this recipe every Thanksgiving for years and years because they are hands down the best stuffed mushrooms! I make triple because everyone loves them, and wants the recipe.

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