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Sicilian Cooking

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Stuffed Mushrooms

(Funghi Ripieni)

This is the recipe for the stuffed mushrooms we prepared at our restaurant, Joe’s of Avenue U. It was my wife who suggested we use the inside of fresh bread instead of muddica (toasted breadcrumbs), and her advice surely helped to better the taste and quality of this nosh.

Stuffed mushrooms are an elegant antipasto with enough nourishment to be used as a contorno (side dish).

    Ingredients

    Ingredients

    • 12 large mushrooms
    • 2 oz butter (1/2 stick)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 leek, rinsed and finely chopped
    • 4 dry porcini mushrooms, soaked in water (optional)
    • 1/2 loaf Italian bread, insides scooped out and soaked in milk
    • 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
    • ½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons toasted pinoli (pine nuts)
    • Salt and pepper
    • Roasted red pepper, saffron or paprika for garnish

    Instructions

    1

    THE MUSHROOMS
    With a dry cloth, wipe the mushrooms; remove stems, mince them and set aside. Lay mushroom caps in an oiled shallow pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dice the butter and divide it into the mushroom caps.

    2

    THE STUFFING
    Sautee diced leek in the olive oil for about 3 minutes. Drain porcini mushrooms, chop them finely and, with the minced stems, add them to the leeks. Cook for about 5 minutes Squeeze out excess milk from bread and chop small before adding to the mixture. Sautee for 3 minutes. Remove from flame and add the cheese (optional), parsley and pinoli. Salt and pepper to taste.

    3

    THE MAKING
    Stuff the mushroom caps and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Garnish with a piece of roasted red pepper or a sprinkle of saffron or paprika on each cap. On Christmas, we add cooked chopped spinach to the stuffing to create, along with the red of the roasted pepper, the colors of the holiday.