Stuffed Button Mushrooms

 

These Button Mushrooms filled with a bacon, cheese and parsley stuffing make great little appetisers to hand around before dinner, or at a party.
They are a little bit fiddly to make , but could be prepared well beforehand and baked in the oven as guests arrive.

For vegetarians the bacon could be replaced by a couple of spoonfuls of pesto. In this case I'd leave out the tablespoon of olive oil

Ingredients:

450 gm of button mushrooms  ( 2 punnets)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 rashers of bacon
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs ( about 1 slice of toast thickness white bread)
3/4 cup of cheese ( mozarella, or I used 1/2 tasty cheddar and 1/2 soft feta cheese)

Method:

Cut the fatty parts and rinds off the bacon, Then chop finely and fry till lightly done in 1 tablespoon of bacon.
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms ( Save these for another recipe)
In a food processor or mini chopper put a sprig of parsley and 1 slice of thick toast bread and whizz to produce fine breadcrumbs.
Stir  a tablespoon of olive oil and the cheese through the breadcrumb mixture to make the stuffing.
Pile a little of the stuffing into each mushroom hole. Pat it down to compress it slightly.
Put the last tablespoon of olive oil ina bowl and dip a pastry brush into it.
Dab a little oil over each mushroom with the pastry brush,
Bake the maushrooms in the oven at 180C for 15 minutes.
Serve hot .