Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms

Since I’m fairly new to the gluten free kitchen I’ve found that entertaining can seem a bit difficult.  Perhaps difficult isn’t the right word but entertaining certainly requires a little more thought now than it used to.  Another issue is the exorbitant prices that seem to be attached to many gluten free products.  Lately, I've found myself trying to produce recipes where the gluten free product can be stretched to feed a group of people without breaking the bank.  In this dish one slice of gluten free bread mixed with a few choice ingredients fills a dozen mushroom caps to make a nice looking plate on your buffet.  As an added bonus, while testing this recipe I took a little detour to bring you a second recipe using the leftover filling in a quick pasta dish.  Getting off track can sometimes bring you to a wonderful destination in the end as was evidenced in this great little lunch that I stumbled upon. . 

Ingredients:

12 Crimini Mushrooms

¼ cup Olive Oil

1 clove of Garlic (finely grated)

½ cup Walnuts (finely crushed)

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese (grated)

Zest of 1 Lemon

1 slice Gluten Free Bread (finely diced)

Plum Tomato (finely diced)

¼ cup fresh Basil leaves (sliced into ribbons)

Video Tutorial:

Preheat the oven to 375

Brush the mushrooms off with a paper towel and remove the stems with a gentle twisting motion.  Use a teaspoon to scoop out the gills. Set them aside.  For the filling add the olive oil to a medium bowl then finely grate one clove of garlic into the oil.  Add the finely chopped walnuts, red pepper flakes, romano cheese, lemon zest, bread and tomato then mix everything together.  You’ll want to add the fresh basil last so it doesn’t get too bruised during the mixing process.  Slice it into ribbons and gently stir it through.  To fill the mushrooms use a teaspoon to spoon a mound of the filling into each mushroom  then place them into a baking dish that has been drizzled with olive oil. Bake them at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.  When they come out of the oven let them cool for a few minutes then place them onto a serving plate and garnish with a few more ribbons of fresh basil. Everyone is sure to love this delectable appetizer whether they are on a gluten free diet or not.   

Now for the detour, since the mushrooms I used today were a little smaller than the ones I usually find I had a bit of the filling leftover.  I put a pot of water on the stove to cook a few ounces of gluten free penne.  I sliced up all those mushroom stems and one Serrano pepper then sautéed them with some olive oil in a small nonstick pan.  I added the leftover mushroom filling sautéing for another few minutes then the drained pasta and tossed it all together in the pan before a plating the dish.  I added some grated cheese and a few ribbons of fresh basil and had an awesome lunch. 

I hope you try these recipes and leave a comment with your own variations.