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Bacon-Stuffed Mushrooms

Source of Recipe

From "Pig: King of the Southern Table" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Banal as they might sound to some, stuffed mushrooms are still as popular at Southern cocktail receptions as they were fifty years ago, and topping the many styles are those with a bacon stuffing. Today, of course, exotic mushrooms like cremini and small chanterelles might well be substituted for the more common agarics, and in Virginia, Kentucky, and the Carolinas, country-ham fanatics would most likely opt for minced ham over crumbled bacon for their stuffings. The truth is that virtually any leftover cooked part of the pig can be used to make unusual and delectable stuffings for mushrooms, so, depending on what you have on hand, let your imagination run wild. Southern cooks always make these mushrooms in large quantities, since people love them so much."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 30 medium fresh mushrooms
â—¦ 8 slices lean bacon
â—¦ 1 tablespoon butter
â—¦ 3 scallions (part of green tops included), minced
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 cup sour cream
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ Tabasco sauce to taste


Recipe

Rinse and dry the mushrooms, remove the stems and chop them finely, and arrange the caps in a large, shallow baking dish.

In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble finely. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of grease from the skillet, add the butter, and let melt. Add the chopped mushroom stems, scallions, and garlic, cook over low heat for about 5 minutes while stirring, and transfer to a bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, sour cream, Worcestershire, salt, and Tabasco and mix till well blended.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into the mushroom caps and bake till the tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Serve the mushrooms with heavy toothpicks.

Makes 30 stuffed mushrooms