Barefoot Bloggers: Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I am kind of cheating here. The pick for this week was Shrimp Bisque which was selected by Jennifer at The Blessed Home. I am sure I would enjoy it but I would be the only one and the recipe looked like it would be way to much work for just me. I feel especially guilty since it was recently my turn to pick and Jennifer did make my selection. Sorry Jennifer. I wanted to make something so I decided to make the Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms which was the pick right before Christmas - I was unable to make it then because I was so busy with Christmas stuff.

I can say I am very happy I decided to go back and make this one. It was easy to make. You can make the stuffing ahead of time and just throw them together when you are ready to bake them. This would be a very nice item to make for a party. My wife doesn't like sausage but with the sausage mixed with everything else she had no problem with it. I made these with the large stuffing mushrooms but other people made them with smaller mushrooms and they look great either way.

Thanks to Michelle of Welcome to the Club for this selection. If you want to check out the Shrimp Bisque you can check her blog. Sorry I didn't get this done in December but better late than never.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

(Source: Barefoot Contessa - Thanksgiving 2.0 Episode)

Yields 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

• 16 extra-large white mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry
• 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
• 6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2/3 cup panko crumbs
• 5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.
4. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.