Author: Brandia Deatherage | Published: December 22nd, 2010

    Thankfully, none of the men in my family are extreme sports fanatics. Still, on Thanksgiving, for traditions sake, the TV was tuned into the Lions and Patriots game, while we enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The formal holiday occasion called for finger foods with a little more elegance than chicken wings and beer, so we compromised with the indelicacy of sport culture and made Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms and Bloody Mary's.

    During the holiday/football season, there will be several more get-togethers where Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms will be an appropriate passing dish. The stuffing, which isn't difficult to make, can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. The mushrooms can also be cleaned ahead of time and stored in the fridge. It will take about 10 minutes to brush the dirt from the mushrooms with a clean, damp towel; as opposed to a 30 second rinse. This extra effort will prevent the mushrooms from soaking up the rinse water like a sponge; and enable them to soak in the oil, sherry and stuffing flavor, instead.

    Our living room crowd devoured these mushrooms in less than five minutes. Now that I look back, I don't remember seeing the serving plate ever moving once it reached my mom's lap, as she sat there with squirrel cheeks and quick, sidelong glances. She must have worked up a big appetite during her morning of marathon cooking. I have since adjusted the stuffing to mushroom ratio to make them a little more compatible. I still have leftover stuffing that I plan to finish up today. If I would have thought to do this before Thanksgiving, we all may have been able to eat our fill--including my incredibly hungry married-in brother, Neil (pictured above).

    If you don't eat pork, you could substitute any other ground meat or vegetarian 'meat' product for the sausage.



Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

32 white mushrooms - brush off dirt with clean, damp towel; do not rinse
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons medium sherry
1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup panko crumbs
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard half. Chop the remaining half finely and set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and sherry. Give a sprinkling of salt and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the parmesan and parsley. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Cool slightly.

4. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a snug, single layer on one or two baking dishes. Bake for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

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