funghi ripieni!!
Now, before any Piccola customers get too excited this is NOT the recipe for the stuffed mushrooms in the family restaurant La Piccola Italia. The stuffed mushrooms on the restaurant menu are famous, there was even an article about them in one of the Irish newspapers a while back. They also do them in the family restaurant in Atina "Il Viccolo" and Italians come from far and wide for them as they are a family recipe developed by The Mil and Bru's Zia Theresa so you won't see them on any other menu in Italy!! They are basically mushrooms stuffed with a meat mixture and served in a creamy red wine sauce, so many people have asked for the recipe over the years but only the family know it and we have all been sworn to secrecy.
This stuffed mushroom recipe from Ursula Ferrigno is a great accompaniment to a piece of grilled fillet or lamb, it features under the antipasti section but I wouldn't like them on their own, a piece ot meat compliments them perfectly. I've noticed I haven't featured any meat recipes for a while, my next of couple of posts will be vegetarian but meat will be back on the menu, lamb shanks perhaps???
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 50g porcini mushrooms
- 4 large field mushrooms - I used the large breakfast mushrooms from Superquinn.
- 2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained.
- 1 garlic clove chopped finely.
- 100g fresh white breadcrumbs.
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- handful of chopped flat leaf parsley.
- sea salt and black pepper.
WHAT TO DO:
- soak the porcini in warm water for 10 - 15 mins. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.
- pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- remove the stems from the mushrooms.
- chop the porcini, mushroom stems, anchovies and garlic together. Put in a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Don't add too much salt as the anchovies are quite salty.
- heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the mushroom and breadcrumb mix and saute for 5 mins.
- lay the mushroom caps on an oiled baking sheet, hollow side up. Fill with the breadcrumb mixture, sprinkle your parsley on top of each mushroom and drizzle with olive oil.
- bake for 10-15 mins until soft and serve at room temperature.
and yes lamb shanks please (Comment this)
Rachel - you are not alone in your mushroom dislike, I see it in La Cucina all the time. Mushrooms and tomatoes seem to be hated by the majority!! My sister doesn't like them either!! I'm going to do the recipe from Saturday kitchen but it requires 12 hours of cooking so it may take a while!:) (Comment this)
I was just wondering if you currently have a stock of CocoaBean chocolates in La Cucina?
Thanks
Margaret (Comment this)
Anon - ha ha!! :)
Margaret - not at the moment but we will probably get some in for Christmas. Were you looking for any flavour in particular?? (Comment this)