Abso-bloomin' Shrooms

There was a time in my life....not all that long ago... when "stuffed mushrooms" meant ooey gooey nuggets of joy filled with sausage and bechamel sauce.  Not anymore.  Now, my stuffed mushrooms are healthy and yummy in their own right.

This is one of those recipes I regard as a "kitchen sink" recipe, also known as whatever I have in the pantry that sounds good or needs to be used up.  That's what I love about this recipe.  As long as you have mushroom caps and the base of bulgur wheat, you can go in any one of a number of directions, adding this or that and deleting what might be missing on the larder shelf. 

The recipe below is a good starting point, but I've made variations that included sunflower seeds or nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and various herbs.  Just by changing a spice to an herb or a couple ingredients, you have an entirely different flavor.  These little jewels are just as good reheated the next day as leftovers which make them ideal when you're having a hectic week.  I generally serve them with a great Spanish Rice recipe from The Healthy Kitchen cookbook by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daley.

Abso-bloomin' Shrooms

1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
15-20 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 fire-roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese**
1/2 teaspoon cumin
large pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
salt
freshly ground pepper
10 medium or 4 large portobello mushroom caps

Place the 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add the bulgur wheat.  Stir, cover, and allow to sit for 30 minutes.  The cooking of the bulgur wheat can be done well before mixing the remaining ingredients.

 Warm the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the chopped onions and cook until soft, approx. 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After the onions are soft and slightly translucent, add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the onions are golden and lightly browned.  Don't let the garlic get too brown.  Remove from the heat and cool.

Combine the bulgur wheat, cooked onion/garlic mixture, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, red bell peppers, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan in a large bowl.  Add the cumin, cayenne, and salt to taste.  Season the cavity of each mushroom cap with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.  Generously fill the mushroom cap with the bulgur wheat mixture.  Gently press the filling into a domed shape so it doesn't fall apart during the baking.  Top the mushrooms with the remaining grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place the mushroom caps in an oiled baking dish and bake until the cheese is melted and the mushroom caps are tender when tested with a fork, approximately 40-45 minutes.

** This recipe can be a converted from vegetarian to vegan simply by omitting the Parmesan cheese or by substituting a soy cheese or dairy-free cheese.