Stuffed Mushrooms with Pancetta, Shallots & Sage

By kathryns

Ingredients

• 35 to 40 cremini mushrooms (about 1-1/2 lb.), about 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter; more for the baking dish
• 1-1/2 oz. pancetta, finely diced (1/4 cup)
• 5 medium shallots, finely diced
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
• Pinch dried red chile flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs (preferably from a day-old rustic French or Italian loaf)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 to 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Details

Servings 30
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 50mins
Adapted from finecooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Trim and discard the very bottom of the mushroom stems. Remove the mushroom stems and finely chop them, along with five of the largest mushroom caps.

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute and add 2 Tbs. of the butter. When it has melted, add the pancetta and cook until it starts to render some of its fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shallots, sage, and chile flakes; cook gently until the shallots are tender, about 4 minutes (reduce the heat if the shallots begin to brown).

Stir in the chopped mushroom stems and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. butter. When it has melted, transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs and Parmigiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool slightly.

Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the mushrooms in one layer. Arrange the mushrooms in the dish and season the cavities with salt. Stuff each cavity with a rounded teaspoonful of the filling, or more as needed. The filling should form a tall mound. (You may have leftover filling; if you have extra mushrooms, keep stuffing until you run out of filling.) Drizzle the mushrooms with the olive oil and bake until the mushrooms are tender and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve warm.