The first time I ate stuffed mushrooms was in Sweden where the button mushrooms are bigger than what we get in India.  I remember friends going mushroom picking and always giving us a basket of foraged mushrooms, chanterelle among them. In the US, I got introduced to the portobello mushrooms which are meaty mushrooms and good for baking. I have loved mushrooms ever since.

This is a simple recipe. I stuff them with mushrooms, but the spices are different depending on the cuisine.

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Stuffed Mushrooms – Italian

Ingredients:

• Button mushrooms 10 pieces
• onions 1 large chopped
• garlic 4 cloves chopped
• pesto 2 tbsp (recipe in a previous blog post)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp grated cheese (mozzarella) or goat cheese (optional)
• 4 tbsp bread crumbs mixed with 2 tbsp walnuts.

Directions:

• Wash mushrooms and pat dry.
• Carefully pull out the stalk of the mushrooms and scoop out flesh from the mushroom. Do it carefully and avoid breaking the mushroom. Place cups on a plate.
• Chop up the stalks and flesh and any broken mushrooms finely.
• In a pan, add a teaspoon of oil. Add onions and saute till golden brown. Add garlic and chopped mushrooms and fry well till cooked and brown. Season with salt and pepper.
• Let it cool. Add pesto to the mushroom-onion mixture. Season if required.
• Stuff mushroom caps with the mixture.
• Top with grated cheese or goat cheese. This is optional. You can also top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and nuts to make a vegan option. Drizzle with olive oil.
• Heat oven to 200ºC (390ºF). 
• Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Serve hot.

Indian Stuffed Mushroom

Instead of adding pesto, add 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder and 1/2 tsp chat masala. With the breadcrumbs and nut mixture, also add a tsp of chopped cilantro (optional).