The Fungus Among Us!

I live not far from the big mushroom growing capital of the world.  I make alot of mushroom dishes, and portobello mushrooms are my favorite.  They are much more meatier than white mushrooms and have a thicker texture to them.  I saute them with olive oil, butter and garlic as a side dish for steak, use them for Chicken Marsala, love them on a pizza, and they are great stuffed with anything for an appetizer.  I made my own version, of a Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms for an appetizer on Christmas Day.  Recipe below (it's party size, so you will have to adjust for smaller portions).

I wash my mushrooms under the sprayer from the sink.  I don't believe just wiping them off cleans them!  I throw them all in a colander and spray them to get off all the dirt.  Next, I pull off the stems and using a teaspoon, gently clean out any remaining stems and the gills from under the caps.

 When they are all cleaned they should look like this.  Line them up on a baking sheet.

Crab is mixed, then I fill mine up ALOT!

And here they are all crabby, cheesy and delicious. They are like a meal all in themselves.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

1 large container of portobello mushrooms (I get mine from Costco I think it's a 2 lb container)

1 - 16 oz container of lump crab meat (also from Costco)

1/4 of a large onion, minced

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

3/4  cup of grated Parmesan cheese, (set 1/4 cup aside for garnish)

1 1/2 cups of  grated White Cheddar Cheese (set the 1/2 cup aside for garnish)

Paprika, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash the mushrooms in a large colander.  Remove all the stems, and with a teaspoon, gently remove all the gills under the caps.  Mushrooms are delicate so be careful not to break them apart.  Line the mushrooms up on a baking sheet.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the crab, onion, thyme, oregano and pepper until combined.   Add the mayo, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of white cheddar cheese, and mix altogether.  Using a tablespoon scoop the crab mixture into the mushroom caps.  When all are filled, mix together the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and the 1/2 cup of white cheddar that are reserved.  Sprinkle the cheese mixture on top of the caps and garnish with paprika.  Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.  Serve immediately.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.