Entertaining For The Holidays? These Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Are Unique And Delicious!
Ingredients:
½ pound sweet Italian sausage
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ cup finely minced yellow onion
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
¼ cup minced fresh Italian parsley
½ cup thick bechamel sauce - recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 large white mushrooms
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F
Remove the sausage meat from the casings and crumble in a small skillet. Sauté over low heat, stirring often, until the meat is thoroughly done. Season with the fennel seeds, and if desired, the pepper flakes. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage meat to a bowl, leaving the render fat in the skillet.
Sauté the onion and garlic in the rendered fat over low heat, adding a little Ghee as needed, cooking until tender and golden. Stir in the chopped parsley and then add the sausage.
Stir the Bechamel sauce (recipe below) into the sausage mixture, combining thoroughly. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Remove the mushroom stems and reserve for another use. Wipe the mushroom caps with a damp cloth and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Fill each cap generously with the stuffing and arrange the caps stuffed side up in a lightly oiled baking dish. Bake until bubbling and well browned, about 15 minutes and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Bechamel Sauce:
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted organic butter
6 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour
2 cups of organic milk
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste.
Directions:
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook gently, stirring almost constantly, for 5 minutes. Do not let the flour and butter brown at all,
Meanwhile bring the milk to a boil. When the milk reaches a boil, remove the butter and flour mixture from the heat and pour the boiling milk all at once. As the mixture boils and bubbles, beat it vigorously with a wire whisk.
When the bubbling stops, return the pan to medium heat, and bring the Bechamel to simmer. Stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Use at once or scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes 2 cups thick sauce.