Stuffed Mushrooms Baked in Silverbeet Leaves

, from Issue #32. September, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Stuffed Mushrooms Baked in Silverbeet Leaves

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

6 large silverbeet leaves
6 Portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter
3 slices streaky bacon, finely sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
150 grams cream cheese, diced, at room temperature
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup instant couscous
¼ chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup grated mozzarella

6 x 10 cm wide muffin tins

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Lightly grease the muffin tins. Use individual baking dishes if you don’t have wide muffin tins. Make sure your mushrooms will fit into the tins when raw.

Cut the stalks off the silverbeet and wash the leaves well under cold water to remove any dirt. Cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water then pat dry with kitchen towels.

Gently pull the stalks out of the mushrooms and chop finely.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a sauté pan and add the mushroom stalks, bacon, onion, garlic, thyme and cumin. Cover and cook until the onion is soft. Add the cream cheese and stock and bring to the boil, crushing the cheese with the back of a spoon to help it melt. Remove from the heat, stir in the couscous and season. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until the filling is cool and the couscous has absorbed the liquids. Stir in the parsley.

To cook: Brush the silverbeet leaves with olive oil and fully line the muffin tins, bringing the leaves up the sides of the tins.

Place a mushroom in each leaf and spoon in the filling, mounding it up. Bake for 10 minutes then top each mushroom with mozzarella. Bake for a further 10 minutes until the top is golden and the mushrooms are tender.

To serve: Remove the mushrooms from the tin with a palate knife. Place on serving plates and serve with a salad.