Stuff it! - Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

As a kid, I would never eat mushrooms.  I think that my dad paid me $5 to eat my first mushroom.  I know that he did that for green onions and I tried it with my nephew B and prawns.

J hates mushrooms and I hate cooking two dinners so I tend to enjoy mushrooms when he isn't going to be home for dinner that night.  It's not the flavour that he doesn't like, it's the texture.  I know this because I have resorted to finely mincing mushrooms or putting them through the food processor when the flavour is critical to a recipe.  My deception goes undetected and there are no complaints of strange tastes...

J had an awards banquet to attend the other evening so I made Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms.  I made two giving me left overs for lunch.

I've had this recipe for years, but for the life of me, can't recall who gave it to me.  If it was you - Thank You!  I really love how with every bite you get a taste of each ingredient.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2 whole Portobello Mushrooms
Olive Oil
2 Hot Italian Pork or Turkey Sausages, casings removed
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 medium Onion, diced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 stalks Celery, diced
1/2 bulb fresh Fennel, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 sprigs chopped Rosemary leaves, stems removed
3/4 cup Dry White Wine
1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
2 slices Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, cubed and toasted (see notes below)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.

Clean the portobellos with a paper towel and use a spoon to scrape out the gills.   Discard the stem and gills.  Place portobellos on a parchment lined baking tray (top down) and drizzle with olive oil.

Preheat your fry pan and add sausages and red pepper flakes, saute until brown.  Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, fennel, garlic and rosemary.  Saute until vegetables soften.

Add wine to deglaze the pan, gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Toss the cheese and breadcrumbs with the sausage and veggie mixture.  The bread will soak-up any remaining wine.

Taste the stuffing mixture and season with salt and pepper as required.  Then stir in the beaten egg.  At this point, the stuffing mixture should be slightly wet.

Mound the stuffing mixture on top of the portobellos  Pack it down to compact it slightly (this will stick the stuffing to the portobello).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the portobello is tender and the stuffing is golden brown.  Serve with mixed green salad and balsamic dressing.

Notes:

• To toast the bread, add 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil to a heated fry pan, add the cubed bread and toast on the stove top for 5 minutes until it starts to brown.  Remove from heat.
• In place of the sausage you can use ground turkey or pork, but you'll need to season it to your taste.
• If all of your wine has evaporated before you are ready to add the bread and cheese, add a little more - you want the bread to soak up some wine.
• I add the egg a little at a time, I often don't need to use the entire beaten egg.
• I didn't have any mozzarella so used Parmigiano Romano.  You lose some of the moisture but the  taste is Wow!