Stuffed stuff

"What's that? That's lunch, honey... Oh c'mon, I meant what's in that? Give it a try, if you guess, I'll give you a present. You're such a pain! Yeap, that's me. Do we have a deal? Yeah sure, as if I'd ever get all you've putted into this melted mess..."

My lovely husband (aka The Official Taster) is the perfect partner when it comes to food. He barely dislikes anything and he's happy with simple dishes. Plus he's a daring food lover who's ready to try new recipes without a blink. But some days eating my food asks for extra guts, specially when my creative spirit goes overboard!! It was not the case, however. Not this time! Stuffing is an old favourite of mine. I like to stuff all kind of veggies. I like sweet and sour together when stuffing. I like mushrooms and I love stuffed mushrooms. Any type of mushrooms, any stuffing.

Stuffed mushrooms can't never go wrong, the combination with grilled polenta and roasted cherry tomatoes made for a perfect weekday's lunch. Yes, sometimes we're lucky enough to be able to have lunch together at home. It takes the planets to align, trams to be on time and a fair amount of running but damn, it tastes great!

Roquefort and Dried Plums Stuffed Mushrooms with Grilled Thyme Polenta and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 2

For the polenta
1/3 cup (about 80 grs) quick polenta
1 and 1/2 cup (about 325ml) boiling water
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
1 tsp butter
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle the polenta into the boiling water with a pinch of salt in a non-stick saucepan. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, the butter and the thyme. Pour the polenta into a rectangular baking pan and let stand for cooling (about 10 minutes). Cut the polenta into triangles or squares. Pan-fry the polenta for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve hot, topped with the stuffed mushrooms.

For the stuffed mushrooms
6-8 large fresh mushrooms (or 2 Portobello)
6-8 dried plums, stones removed
2-3 Tbsp Roquefort cheese
6-8 tsp Mozzarella cheese, grated
Salt and black ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 175ºC (350ºF). Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems and discard (keep for further use in stews or soups). Arrange the mushroom caps on a baking sheet. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Place one dried plum into each cap. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a piece of Roquefort. Top each cap with grated Mozzarella, pressing down gently to hold all stuffing together. Bake for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the cheeses melt.

For the roasted tomatoes
8-12 Cherry tomatoes
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

Place the tomatoes into a heatproof plate. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until soft and juicy. (Prepare tomatoes first so that you can put them together into the oven with the mushrooms)

Assemble by topping the grilled polenta with the stuffed mushrooms. Place the roasted tomatoes on the side. Serve with a green salad. Use the tomatoes juice as a warm dressing for the salad. Serve warm.



Other recipes:
Fresh Herb Muffins with Turkey Stuffing