Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom

– Thomas Carlyle

Growing up, everyone in my family always ate the exact same thing for dinner, whether it was shepherd’s pie or lasagna. The only exception to this was mushrooms. I’ve two sisters who absolutely detest them. As a result, my mother would end up making two pizzas or two stuffings. Over the years, I’d gotten used to having a few less mushrooms in my life than I would like; however, once I moved away from home and started cooking for myself, I’d find myself adding mushrooms to salads, sandwiches, scrambled eggs, etc. You name it, I probably added mushrooms to it. So it may surprise you to learn that I’ve never before made stuffed mushrooms.

Well, I had a ton of mushrooms recently and I was trying to figure out what to make with them. A little bit of research later (here, and  here), and I knew the basics of making stuffed mushrooms. Since then, I’ve been experimenting and I’ve come up with some lovely choices. This recipe is the first one that I will share with you as  I am still refining the rest. When I made these originally, I had tons of courgette and eggplant as well as a giant block of mozzarella cheese from Costco that was just begging to be utilised. However, you can easily make these into a lactose-free version. In fact, that’s what I did the second time I made them.

Confession: Each time I’ve made these, I’ve eaten them and nothing else for my dinner, and while this is certainly an option, I would recommend this recipe to be used as a side dish or appetizer in a larger group setting.

Courgette and Aubergine Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 5-10

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine/eggplant, small
• 1 onion, medium
• ⅓ courgette/zucchini
• ¼ tsp, basil, dried
• ¼ tsp, parsley, dried
• Pinch of chili flakes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 25 mushrooms
• mozzarella cheese*
• 3 tbsp grapeseed oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C**

1. Finely dice the aubergine, onion, and courgette.
2. Place in a bowl with the chili flakes, parsley, and basil. Toss together until coated.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan or wok. Once hot, add 2 tbsp of oil, and heat for 15-30 seconds.
4. Add the vegetables and coat in the oil.
5. Stir fry for 5-10 minutes until the courgette is softening.
6. Add the garlic, and stir fry until everything is hot and cooked through. You want the mixture to be slightly browned.
7. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard.
9. Dampen a paper towel, and wipe each mushroom cap. Toss the mushrooms in the remaining oil and then place on the baking sheet, top down.
10. If using, add some finely diced mozzarella to the inside of each cap.
11. Using a teaspoon, fill each mushroom cap with the aubergine and courgette mixture.
12. If using mozzarella, top  each filled mushroom with a little more cheese.
13. Place in the oven for 15- 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned.
14. Serve immediately

Tips

*You can easily leave out the mozzarella cheese for a lactose-free version.

** If using a toaster oven, don’t preheat.