So, what’s going on this weekend?  Anything happening in the wide world of sports?  Just kidding, I am aware that Super Bowl Sunday is upon us.  I’m not really a football fan (much to Dan’s chagrin), so the final championship is actually my favorite game of the season, no matter who is playing (sorry Daniel.)  Although Dan’s beloved Steelers aren’t playing in the Big Game like they did last year, we’ll be watching the Giants and Patriots duke it out, in between all the over-hyped commercials, while enjoying some type of delicious football fare.  This football season, we experimented with making sports-bar-appetizer food at home, including grilled buffalo wings, jalapeno poppers, potato skins and these stuffed mushrooms. The wings were our favorite, but the mushrooms would also make a really good (and relatively healthy) addition to any Game Day appetizer sampler.  Happy Super Bowl, everyone!  I’m off to choose which color jersey I’ll be rooting for this year.

The ingredients for the mushrooms include:  mushrooms (we used baby bellas), shallots, parsley, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, an egg, breadcrumbs, olive oil and salt & pepper.

Use a damp paper towel to wipe the mushrooms clean, then separate the stems from the caps.

Finely chop the mushroom stems.

Finely chop the shallots as well, then heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the shallots until they begin to soften — about 2-3 minutes.

Add the chopped mushrooms and red pepper flakes to the shallots and saute until the mushrooms soften and release their juices — about 2-3 minutes.

When the mushrooms and shallots are done, set them aside off the heat to cool for 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the egg (beaten — like that team in the blue jerseys is going to be on Sunday — Go White!), breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and salt & pepper.

Add the cooled mushrooms to the breadcrumb mixture.  If the mushroom filling seems a little too dry, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil.

Stuff a heaping spoonful of the mushroom filling into each mushroom cap, then place them on a cookie sheet.  You may want to spray the sheet with a little nonstick spray or line it with foil, since the mushroom caps will release their juices a bit while they cook in the oven.

Bake the mushrooms in the oven preheated to 325 until the mushroom caps are cooked and the filling is browned — about 20-25 minutes.  These earthy bites are flavorful on their own, but would also be good served with Ranch dressing (it’s a Texas thing) or maybe a little marinara sauce for dipping.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 container of whole mushrooms
• 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
• 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (more as needed to moisten filling)
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• â…“ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg, beaten
• pinch of salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and separate the stems from the caps.  Chop up the stems into small pieces and set the caps aside.
3. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the shallots and saute until they begin to soften — 2-3 minutes.  Add the chopped mushroom stems and the red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until the mushrooms soften and release their juices — 2-3 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mushrooms and shallots to cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. Combine the beaten egg, parsley, Parmesan, breadcrumbs and salt & pepper in a large bowl.  Add the cooled mushrooms and shallots and mix everything together.  If the mushroom filling seems too dry, add about a teaspoon of olive oil.
5. Stuff a heaping spoonful of the mushroom filling into each cap.  Place the caps, filling side up, onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven until the caps are cooked through and the filling is browned — about 20-25 minutes.

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