This wee gem is a take on a Nigel Slater recipe – one I made as a starter for Christmas day and decided then and there that it would taste smashing with some wholemeal toast.
The ingredients are pretty much the same but Nigel’s recipe takes about 50 mins – far too long for me to wait on a cold January night!
Ingredients
3-4 large mushrooms
40g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs thyme, picked
1-2 tbsp madeira
1 large onion
3-4 Lincolnshire sausages
1 sprig rosemary, picked
25g dried breadcrumbs
5og roasted chestnuts, chopped
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms to allow them to be stuffed and lay in a large oven dish. Place a little knob of butter in each one and then drizzle the olive oil all over. Sprinkle the thyme into the mushrooms and finish with a generous glugs of Madeira wine. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes.
Roughly chop your onions and soften in a frying pan with a little butter till golden. Remove the sausage skin and break the meat into the pan with the now golden onions. Cook for about 15 mins. Tear in the remaining herbs, add the breadcrumbs and allow to cook through slightly. Chop the chestnuts and add to the pan and mix the contents well.
Once the mushrooms are done, generously heap your stuffing into the mushrooms, piling it as high as you dare. Top with a little blue cheese if yo fancy a special treat. Don’t worry about there being extra stuffing, simply place it around the mushrooms.
Return the dish to the oven for a further ten mins. Remove and serve with some wholemeal toast.
Verdict
I love this dish. Hearty and filling and the smell as it’s cooking is just lovely. Yum! I’d give this 8/10. The husband gives it 7/10. He’d have preferred more meat.