I love eating stuffed dishes – peppers, pasta shells, chicken – give me all of it. But when I’m the one cooking, I often wonder why I’m making things so complicated. All that careful filling and arranging, when the same ingredients could just as happily come together in a simple sauté or layered bake.
The one instance I happily suspend that logic is for appetizers, where stuffing serves a second purpose: making it easier to eat while standing up. I usually have a very strict rule that all passed appetizers should be exactly one bite. I am not coordinated enough to balance a drink and a multi-bite snack without making some sort of mess.
While Ina Garten’s Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms may be a two-biter, it’s so delicious I’m willing to break my self-imposed rule.
The mushrooms soak up olive oil and Marsala wine, then get filled with a dreamy mix of Italian sausage, scallions, garlic, panko, Parmesan, and mascarpone.
Just plan accordingly. Because once they come out of the oven, golden and bubbling, it takes serious restraint not to eat half the tray before your guests even ring the doorbell.
Book: How Easy Is That, page 184
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Easy
How Easy Is That – Time Involved: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Store-Bought Is Fine: mascarpone
Recipe on BarefootContessa.com
