8 large open mushrooms
1 olive oil, for frying
FOR THE STUFFING
1 oz butter or vegan margarine
1 large onion, finely chopped
12 oz whole cooked chestnuts
1 fresh lemon juice
1 salt
1 freshly ground black pepper
1 grated nutmeg
FOR THE CROUTES
8 slice wholemeal bread
2 oz soft butter
Directions
If you're making the coutes, it's a good idea to get them done in
advance and out of the way. You can fry them, but I think they're
much nicer baked to a crisp golden crunchiness in a slow oven. Set
the oven to 150 C (300 F, Gas Mark 2). Stamp circles in the bread
with a large pastry cutter; spread on both sides with butter and put
them on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until completely crisp
and golden. Cool. These will keep in a tin for a few days.
To prepare the mushrooms, cut off any stalks so that the surface is
level, then wash the mushrooms and pat them dry on kitchen paper. Fry
them on both sides with olive oil and drain well. Season them with
salt and pepper, then leave on one side while you make the stuffing.
Melt the butter in a medium-large saucepan. Add the onion and fry for
about 7 minutes, until soft.
Chop up any pieces of mushroom stalk, add these and cook for a minute
or two longer. Remove from the heat and add the cooked chestnuts,
breaking them up a bit as you do so to make a mixture which holds
together but has some chunky bits in it. Add a dash of fresh lemon
juice, and salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste.
To serve the dish, preset the oven to 200 C (400 F, Gas Mark 6), or
preheat the grill to high. Put the croutes on a baking sheet or in a
shallow casserole, then place a mushroom on each one, black side up.
Spooon the stuffing mixture on top. Bake or grill until heated
through -- about 10 minutes under the grill, 15-20 minutes in the
oven.
[Note from Karen: There's a gorgeous photo of this dish in the book.
The stuffed mushrooms are each garnished with three or four extremely
thin slivers of lemon peel. Looks absolutely beautiful.]
Source: Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Christmas Typed for you by Karen
Mintzias
Servings: 4 servings
Chestnut-Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Appetizer; Mushroom; Nut; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to follow the history of recipes way back into history, certainly as far back as the early Egyptians, and maybe even further. However, these, old records were just very simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In fact, the oldest recipe found, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a series of clay tablets in the Sumerian language which show the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel blissful and exhilarated. Progressing into The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a collection of documents describing recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his works, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and dessert, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Aspicius describes how the early Romans made use of many different herbs and spices, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens for example thyme, fennel and parsley. For the centuries that followed, the upper-class families of the West competed with each other to lay on the most exotic banquets, and as a result chefs and their recipe collections were highly sought after. Nevertheless, it wasn`t until the 1800s that fine cookery and recipe publications became really popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated years of their lives to collating, verifying, and recording recipes common in their social group. By the time we get to the 20th century, cookery publications were in high demand, due to increased literacy, leisure time and being a little richer. |
We hope you enjoy this Chestnut Stuffed Mushrooms recipe.
