Got Mushrooms? Stuff Them and Soup Them

By Ginger Marin

I have always found mushrooms to be an interesting sort of comfort food. Here are two delightful recipes, great for lunch or dinner, as a complement or even as the main attraction.

WILD MUSHROOM BISQUE

1 and 1/2 pounds portobello and cremini mushrooms

2 cups low salt chicken broth

1 potato, cubed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 leek, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup cream

Pepper to taste

Trim the stems from the mushrooms and slice them up. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat and add mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes. When mushrooms are soft, reduce the heat to low and add the shallot, leek and garlic. Cook until vegetables are very soft about 20 minutes. Then turn the mixture into a medium saucepan and add the broth, potatoes and parsley. Bring to a boil, skim fat off surface and reduce heat. Add the cream and simmer for 30 minutes or longer. Then, using a blender or food processor, puree soup. Season to taste with the pepper.

ITALIAN STUFFED MUSHROOMS

12 medium to large mushrooms with stems removed, trimmed and saved

Olive oil for baking sheet

1/2 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs

2 Roma (Italian) tomatoes, chopped in small pieces

1/2 cup melted butter

Chop the mushroom stems very fine. Saute the tomatoes and mushroom stems in butter until tender. Then, add the flavored bread crumbs and quickly stir to coat the crumbs. Add more butter if you need to. Then, stuff each of the mushrooms caps with the stem-tomato mixture. Place mushrooms, stuffed side up on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 350-degrees until sizzling and tender. Top with grated Parmesean cheese.

Other Great Mushroom Stuffers:

Boursin cheese (a creamy soft cheese with herbs)

Goat cheese (also use the soft kind; available with herbs if you like)

Crab meat mixed with cream cheese and chives

Remove the stems entirely then stuff the caps with these mixtures. As above, bake in oven at 325-350 degrees on an oiled baking sheet until the mushrooms soften and the mixture heats and bubbles up. Be careful not to burn your stuffing.

Ginger Marin is a freelance writer in Los Angeles whose main site is http://www.bioniclady.com

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