Bleu Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a relatively simple recipe, but with a fantastic payoff. This was my first real attempt at stuffed mushrooms, but I was very happy with it.

Ingredients:

• 24 large stuffing mushrooms
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1/2 cup of parsley
• 1 cup creme cheese
• 3/4 cup bleu cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1/8th teaspoon pepper (optional)

 
Wash the mushrooms, then remove the stalks. Set the heads aside and chop the stalks into small 1/2 centimeter squares. Chop the onion into slightly smaller chunks and mince the garlic.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. We'll get back to that in a minute.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan (we used a wok) on medium heat, then sauteé the onion, chopped mushroom stalks and garlic until the onion becomes transparent, then add in the parsley.

It should start to look like this

Add the cream cheese and mix until the sauce evens out. Add the bleu cheese and mix until it melts in evenly, then add lemon juice and pepper to taste.

This is when it starts to look slightly, err, less than appetizing. It'll be delicious. I promise.

Let the filling simmer on low heat for a couple minutes, then lay out all all your mushroom heads on a aluminum-foil lined baking pan and spoon portions of filling into them.

Put the pan in the oven and leave it for 10 minutes. Start checking on them periodically until the mushrooms have slightly shriveled and released a lot of their water and the filling has slightly browned.

Let chill for 3-5 minutes and enjoy!

Best enjoyed with a fine glass of $5 Trader Joes wine