Manchego & Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms always come to mind when I’m designing a menu for a client’s hor d’oeuvres parties or my own entertaining.  Mushrooms are so versatile and the perfect vessel to hold all sorts of fillings from vegetables, meats and cheeses, the combinations are virtually endless.  My recipe for these Manchego & Chorizo stuffed variety are so full of flavor, the right amount of spiciness to pair well with a crisp chilled glass of chardonnay or a martini, shaken not stirred…remember that.  I’ve tried imported dry aged Spanish chorizo several times before with this recipe and for some reason I never tried the simple Mexican style chorizo that is found out most grocery stores, maybe I’m a sausage snob?  Who knows…lol. So I thought I would try it with simple Mexican style chorizo and it turned out so good and the flavors really surprised me, I did stick with my Spanish Manchego cheese though because it’s so good.

Ingredients

24 large mushrooms remove stems and carve out, reserve

1 ½ cup of the minced mushroom stems & pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried crumbled oregano

¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper

10 oz. ground chorizo, remove from casing

3 tablespoons dry white wine

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 egg

1 cup panko bread crumbs, reserve half for topping

1 ¼ cup of finely grated Manchego cheese, reserving ¼ cup for topping

3 tablespoons of butter, melted

The perfect bite…

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
• Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat and add the minced mushroom stems and pieces along with the chopped onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; sauté for about 5 to 8 minutes until liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chorizo and break up with a spatula while stirring occasionally until it browns nicely, about another 6 minutes, after browned, remove any grease left behind, and return to pan, I was lucky and there wasn’t much oil left behind and I did not have to drain any grease
• Add the dry white wine and parsley and sauté until incorporated and absorbed, about 3 minutes, remove from heat to let cool for 5 minutes
• In a mixing bowl, scramble egg and mix in ½ cup of panko bread crumbs and 1 cup of grated Manchego cheese and chorizo mixture, mix well
• Stuff mushrooms with chorizo mixture and don’t be afraid to pile it high, divide the mixture among all 24 mushrooms
• Combine the melted butter, ½ cup of panko bread crumbs and ¼ cup of Manchego cheese and mix well, top each mushroom with this mixture
• Place mushrooms on sprayed or parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown, let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer