Baked, stuffed mushrooms

Inspiration struck when I saw these beautiful grilling mushrooms at my local fruit and vegetable shop. I had to have them! Mushroom desire perhaps? Clearly I needed some protein, or perhaps it was just that I really like mushrooms.

Anyway, into the basket they went along with some feta cheese, prosciutto and some fresh herbs.

We had these as a starter and I served the leftover filling mixture on the side, so not to waste it. It was a very tasty little morsel.

You could also make these for a dinner party or as party food, although you may need to let them cool a bit before serving to your guests as finger food.

What you'll need

Serves 2 as an entree or starter

4 large grilling mushrooms, stalks removed and finely chopped
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
4 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I just crumbled the inside of some baguet with my fingers)
1 teaspoon each of fresh parsley and basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 slices prosciutto, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

What to do

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a small baking tray with baking paper.

Prepare the filling for the mushrooms.

In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushroom stalks along with the onion. Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is translucent and the mushroom stalks have softened. Remove the pan from the heat and add all the other ingredients to the pan. Stir well and season to taste.

Lay the mushrooms on a plate or chopping board. Fill the hollow of each one with the pan mixture, making sure to squish the mixture well down into the mushrooms with your fingers. Mound the mixture onto the top of the mushrooms. Set aside any leftover filling mixture for later.

Place the prepared mushrooms onto your baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.The filling mixture should be well browned and crunchy and the mushrooms will be softened, but not falling apart.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. If you have any left over filling, serve it alongside the mushrooms with some more fresh herbs and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.