Middle-earth Menu: “Baggins Stuffed Mushrooms”

By Astrid Tuttle Winegar

Serve these substantial mushroom treats with a salad for dinner or as a savory knife-and-fork appetizer at a party. Conversely, you could pick one up and place the whole thing in your mouth at one time, as shown in the photo above. That’s not polite and will probably make a mess, but you never know what your guests might want to do. Kissing afterwards is optional.

Please follow this link to my blog for the Savory Seasoning recipe! Or, I’ll make you a batch—head over to my Etsy Shop Elegant Sufficiencies and order your own: Savory Seasoning in a Jar or (the cheaper version) Savory Seasoning in a Ziploc Bag.

“Baggins Stuffed Mushrooms”

16 fresh mushrooms, each about 2½ ” in diameter

1 tablespoon salted butter

About ½ cup minced shallots

½ pound hot bulk pork sausage

1 extra large egg

1 ounce plus 1 ounce fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese, finely shredded

2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons seasoned dry bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ tablespoon heavy cream

½ teaspoon “Shire” Seasoning (see Savory Seasoning links above)

2 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled a bit

Some minced fresh parsley or chives for garnish, if desired (about ¼ cup)

Clean mushrooms and remove stems; set caps aside. Chop all the stems finely. In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Add the stems and shallots; sauté over high heat until they are dry, stirring frequently. Let stand in pan 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Coat a 9″ square pan with cooking spray or grease lightly. In a medium bowl, combine the sausage, egg, 1 ounce cheese, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, cream, and “Shire” Seasoning well with your hands. Add the shallot mixture and combine well. Distribute meat mixture evenly onto each mushroom cap; use a spoon to smooth the tops and place caps rounded side down in pan. Combine the remaining bread crumbs and cheese with the melted butter. Sprinkle a teaspoon of this mixture on top of each mushroom. Bake 45 minutes. Use tongs to remove from pan; discard cooking liquid. Garnish, if desired. Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Makes 16; serves 4 as an entrée.

This is known as “Rádgrid’s Stuffed Mushrooms” in my cookbook.

Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which is now available from Oloris Publishing and Amazon! For now, she is mostly telling a culinary Middle-earth story here on Legendarium. Astrid has loved C. S. Lewis since childhood, J. R. R. Tolkien since middle and high school, all Star things, both Trek and Wars, all things Whedon, and many other things besides… She lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and dog. Visit her website for more information: Astrid Tuttle Winegar | Cooking for Halflings & Monsters. Staff Reporter.