Jeff’s Famous Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

I got lucky. Real lucky. I married an amazing cook.  While I flounder in the kitchen making basic recipes like spaghetti and fried rice, he makes fancy gourmet dishes like peking duck, frutti di mare and tiramisu.  For Valentine’s Day, he made me filet mignon for the fourth year in the row.  Yum.  Jeff doesn’t cook often, but when he does, watch out because the boy knows his way around the kitchen.  And his stuffed mushrooms might be his best dish.  It’s so good, we thought twice about sharing it with the whole world.  But we’ve gotten so many requests for this recipe, we felt that we couldn’t keep it to ourselves, that would just be selfish.

True fact:  Jeff made these stuffed mushrooms for the first meal he ever cooked for me, back during the 8 month period known as “The Great Pursuit”.  These mushrooms also made an appearance at both our California and Boston engagement parties- they are that good.

Jeff’s Famous Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

3 Italian hot sausages, casings removed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
½ of a 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted) (optional)
2 tablespoons currants (optional)
Olive oil
24 large (about 2-inch-diameter) mushrooms, stemmed
1/3 cup dry white wine

Sauté sausage and oregano in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through and brown, breaking into small pieces with back of fork, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage mixture to large bowl and cool. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, pine nuts, currants, and garlic powder, then cream cheese. Season filling with salt and pepper; mix in egg yolk.

Brush 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil to coat. Brush cavity of each mushroom cap with white wine; fill with scant 1 tablespoon filling and sprinkle with some of remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange mushrooms, filling side up, in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered until mushrooms are tender and filling is brown on top, about 25 minutes.

Makes 24.

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tagged as: jeff, mushrooms, recipe, sausage