One of the few things I disliked while growing up were mushrooms. I wanted nothing to do with them. That, and pasta with red sauce. It was not until later in life, much later, when I truly began to love mushrooms, and in particular, portabella mushrooms.
The things I have always loved about the portabella mushroom is that you can do so many things with it. Whether you decide to grill it and place it on a sandwich, or finely dice it and make duxelle, one of my favorites is thinking of ways to stuff them and serve them as an appetizer, or heck, a light meal for that matter.
This is not my first time posting on stuffed mushrooms. Indeed, I have posted a few times on making these lovely appetizers. Maybe it is that time of year. The near end of summer when the lighter, more crisp air enters Wisconsin that makes me want to turn on the oven and bake these lovely appetizers, or maybe it my love for blue cheese. I think it is the blue cheese!
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb of lean ground pork
- 6 medium sized portabella mushrooms, cleaned and gills removed
- 1 cup of gorgonzola blue cheese, crumbled
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Begin by lightly dampening a paper towel. Take each mushroom and lightly remove the gills with the edge of a spoon. To the head of the mushroom, lightly brush off any dirt with the towel. Repeat.
To the ground pork, add the salt and pepper, and one sprig of the fresh thyme. Thyme only, no stems. Mix well.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Add the mushrooms to the baking sheet.
To each mushroom, fill each one with about one tablespoon of the blue cheese. To the top of the cheese, add a thin layer of the ground pork mixture. Top with a small pinch of salt and pepper, and some of the fresh thyme.
Place in the oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes.
When you are ready to plate, remove from the oven and place on a serving tray. Top with a bit more blue cheese.
Earthy, salty, and overall delicious, this one is a good appetizer any time of the year.
If you are looking for a satisfying appetizer that will please a small crowd, try these gorgonzola stuffed mushrooms out. I think you will be happy that you did.