Do you like stuffed mushrooms? If so, read on. Today we made the journey to a not-so-local farm to buy a box of beef parts and pieces, and decided on the way home that lunch out would be nice.
However, it’s 50 degrees here on December 29th, so we had to head home and stash the beef in the freezer. Then the conversation resumed – to go out or not to go out? It wasn’t difficult to rationalize the latter.
We planned to go to a local Greek themed restaurant that has incredibly fresh salads. But the restaurant was closed. They’re only serving lunch on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays these days. The owners may be getting older and slowing down, or maybe it was just the staffing challenges brought on by COVID. Anyway, we made a last minute pivot to a local tavern that is famous for their wings. We hadn’t been there in years because it just wasn’t our thing back in the day, but hey – we opted to give them another chance.
Ron had the wings and they were fabulous. Meaty, juicy, and hot, and the blue cheese wasn’t mayo laden. He was happy. I, however, was NOT happy. Not one bit. I ordered stuffed mushrooms, and I learned a lesson on what NOT to do. Please check out my Stuffed Mushroom Variations page (clickable link). There are so many delectable ways to stuff mushrooms, but the tavern was not in the loop on this.
So, I’m telling you, if you’re going to make stuffed mushrooms do NOT do the following:
- DO NOT expect the mushrooms to cook as quickly as the filling. Pre-bake them first, pour off the water, stuff them, and then bake them to finish.
- DO NOT fill the mushrooms with bread crumbs alone, especially if your menu states that they’re filled with crab. I’m all for mixing in sourdough bread crumbs along withs the sauteed mushroom stems, a soft cheese, minced parsley, and whatever else you prefer, but the filling CANNOT be butter-doused processed bread crumb mush alone.
- Finally, DO NOT smother the entire mushroom cap with a slice of cheese.
You’re Welcome.
