Stuffed Mushrooms

This delicious, tasty appetizer makes an ultimate party treat. Juicy mushrooms are stuffed with the onion-olive mixture, topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and baked till soft. These are perfect bite-sized appetizers and will be loved by all. This is an easy and elegant snack that can be assembled ahead of time. These are definitely a crowd puller.
When I was talking to my SIL, she said, for iftar, she made these stuffed mushrooms. I have heard about them before but never tried making them at home. I got curious and asked my SIL for the recipe, then I came to know that it's a very easy, simple snack which can be prepared within no time. For the filling she added chicken pieces, I made it veg and my kids loved it. It was our iftar snack which was made within minutes.

Mushrooms with stuffing...

Added Cheese and ready to get baked

In these stuffed mushrooms, the filling can be made with anything or any variety of your choice. We can even make sausage, meat, chicken, paneer filling. The mushrooms, which are perfect for this recipe are the white mushrooms or the cremini mushrooms. Just make sure that while choosing the mushrooms, make sure that they all are of the same size, for even cooking.
As I was having some extra filling, I stuffed it inside capsicum, which was an experiment and was very delicious.

These are so easy to make, just snap off the stem, stuff with the choice of filling, sprinkle with the cheese and bake till golden perfection and TADA!!!!!! The perfect, delicious, silky, smooth appetizer is ready within minutes. You can even fill the mushrooms and freeze it. For the surprise guests or for hungry kids, just take it out of the freezer and bake for an extra 5 minutes. Hope you all will like this and try it out quickly.

Ingredients:

1. Mushrooms- 8 nos
2. Olives- 5- 6 nos (chopped)
3. Onions- 1/4 cup (chopped)
4. Salt- a dash (as olives contain salt)
5. Cayenne Pepper Powder- 1 Tsp
6. Pepper Powder- 1 Tsp
7. Oregano- 1 tbsp
8. Parmesan Cheese- 5- 6 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and drain the mushroom, remove the stem from all the mushrooms, leaving the cap whole.
2. Chop the stems finely. Heat oil in a pan and saute the chopped stems along with chopped onions and olives till the onion turns translucent.
3. Add the salt, cayenne pepper and oregano, saute well. Fill the mushroom caps with this mixture and then sprinkle each stuffed mushroom cap with a small amount of Parmesan cheese.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the mushrooms on a baking tray and bake them for about 15- 20 minutes.
5. Enjoy warm.

Focaccia with roasted Garlic, olives and Rosemary with a Herb Dip

Focaccia is a type of bread which is very easy to make and tastes so rich and wonderful with the addition of chopped garlic, fresh rosemary, and olives. In my house, we all are great bread lovers. The smell of the fresh warm bread that emanates from a bakery while walking on the streets of Bangalore still makes my mouth watering.

Before Baking

My daughter is fond of this focaccia with any topping. I decided to make for her school snack. This time our MFB challenge is to "add an ingredient" i.e "olives" and so I have added chopped olives for topping focaccia. I like my focaccia to be thin, you can make it thicker by rolling in the desired thickness.

Dough before baking..

Just whip up a simple batch of dough, once it has risen, proofed and rolled onto a baking sheet. Use your fingers to poke dents in the dough, drizzle the garlic, herb infused olive oil and spread the chopped olives and fresh rosemary needles. Bake till done and enjoy warm focaccia with your choice of dip.
Ingredients:

1. All-Purpose Flour- 2 Cups
2. Yeast- 2 tsp
3. Warm Water- 3/4 cup
4. Salt- as required
5. Olive Oil- 2 tbsp+ 1 tbsp
6. Chopped garlic- 2 tbsp
7. Chopped Olives- 1/4 Cup
8. Dried Herbs- 1 Tsp
9. Fresh rosemary Leaves- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and stir with a fork. Let this stand for about 10 minutes.
2. In a mixing bowl, drop the all-purpose flour along with salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. pour the above warm water little by little till blended. the dough will be sticky.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticky just add enough flour and knead well.
4. Grease the mixing bowl with olive oil, place the dough ball and cover with a cling wrap and place it in a warm place. Let it rise for about 50- 60 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the chopped garlic, roast for a minute and add the dried herbs, mix well. When the oil is infused with the aroma of garlic, switch off the flame.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Turn the dough on a floured surface and roll it out in the form of a circle or a rectangle. Let it rise for another 15- 20 minutes.
7. Transfer this dough to a baking tray and poke deep holes on the dough using fingers. Drizzle the garlic and herb infused olive oil in the holes evenly. Spread the chopped olives on the top of the dough and sprinkle the rosemary needles evenly.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes or till the dough is cooked through. When done, remove from the oven, slice, and serve warm along with herb infused olive oil dip.

Olive oil Herb Dip

Ingredients:

1. Olive Oil- 1/4 Cup
2. Dried Herbs(Oregano, Basil, Thyme)- 1tsp
3. Minced Garlic- 1 tsp
4. Salt- a pinch

Method:

• Mix everything together until blended and serve with fresh bread.

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