Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms #recipe by @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  We love stuffed mushrooms, tasty two-bite treats for any occasion. Great when you want party food but think you should eat your vegetables. Our old standby uses a stuffing of mushroom stems, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley and other herbs. But occasionally you want a new taste and these fit the bill. 

The original called for cremini; we made it using cremini and then a mix of cremini and button. Both work well and bake in about the same time. Use what you like, have, or can get. 

This recipe is easily cut in half, as I did -- which is why the amount of filling in the skillet may look a bit skimpy. You can also make them ahead or bake half and refrigerate the rest for up to 3 days before baking. 

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Adapted from The Washington Post 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or red onion

5 ounces baby spinach, chopped

3 sundried tomatoes, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained and finely chopped (2 tablespoons) OR 3 oil-packed sundried tomatoes, rinsed

1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) soft cheese, such as an herbed Boursin, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

16 medium button or cremini mushrooms, or a mix, stems removed

1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, optional 


Heat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and cook, stirring until the spinach is wilted down, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese and pepper until well-combined. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. You should have about 1 cup of filling.

Place mushrooms on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each cap generously with the spinach-cheese mixture, mounding filling above the top of the cap. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan. Roast for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your mushrooms, until the mushrooms are tender and the cheese on top is nicely browned.

Serve warm. 

Serves 8 at two mushrooms for each person. Or, me. 







What's your favorite "I deserve a treat" food? 


From the cover of BITTERROOT LAKE, written as Alicia Beckman (Crooked Lane Books; available in hardcover, ebook, and audio): 

When four women separated by tragedy reunite at a lakeside Montana lodge, murder forces them to confront everything they thought they knew about the terrifying accident that tore them apart, in Agatha Award-winning author Alicia Beckman's suspense debut.

Twenty-five years ago, during a celebratory weekend at historic Whitetail Lodge, Sarah McCaskill had a vision. A dream. A nightmare. When a young man was killed, Sarah's guilt over having ignored the warning in her dreams devastated her. Her friendships with her closest friends, and her sister, fell apart as she worked to build a new life in a new city. But she never stopped loving Whitetail Lodge on the shores of Bitterroot Lake.

Now that she's a young widow, her mother urges her to return to the lodge for healing. But when she arrives, she's greeted by an old friend--and by news of a murder that's clearly tied to that tragic day she'll never forget.

And the dreams are back, too. What dangers are they warning of this time? As Sarah and her friends dig into the history of the lodge and the McCaskill family, they uncover a legacy of secrets and make a discovery that gives a chilling new meaning to the dreams. Now, they can no longer ignore the ominous portents from the past that point to a danger more present than any of them could know.


Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, continuing in July 2022 with Peppermint Barked. She's the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. As Alicia Beckman, she writes standalone suspense, beginning with Bitterroot Lake (2021) and continuing with Blind Faith (October 2022, Crooked Lane Books).

A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by her website and subscribe to her seasonal newsletter, for a chat about the writing life, what she's working on, and  what she's reading -- and a free short story. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

8 comments:

  1. Nice, tasty morsels.
    "Serves 8 at two mushrooms for each person. Or, me. "
    LOVE IT!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That might be a slight overstatement, but not by much!

      Delete
    2. My husband saw my posting of this on FB and gave it a big thumbs up!

      Delete
  2. That cracked me up,Leslie...you sound like me! We like stuffed anything! Will try your version soon. Cheese is a go-to treat, and I especially love slightly melted Brie smeared on pepper-flavored Carr's Water Crackers, with some kind of fruit on the side, like red grapes or cherries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL -- we had stuffed spaghetti squash last night, so I guess we love stuffed stuff, too! And yes, yes to your Brie snack!

      Delete
  3. Definitely going to try this! Thanks for sharing the recipe. My favorite "I deserve a treat food" is deep fried jumbo shrimp.

    ReplyDelete