Chef Graziella
Arancini alla Siciliana
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A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Funghi Ripieni al Parmigiano-Reggiano
Created by
Cremini mushrooms filled with nothing more than their own stems, good bread, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, and fresh parsley. The restraint is the point.
Appetizers & Snacks
Italian, Emilian
Dinner Party
Holiday
25 min
Active Time
25 min cook•50 min total
Yield6 servings
Stuffed mushrooms have been ruined by American appetizer culture. Cream cheese. Crab meat. Bacon bits. The mushroom becomes a vehicle for everything except itself. This is not that.
In Emilia-Romagna, where Parmigiano-Reggiano has been made for eight centuries, the approach is opposite. The mushroom is the star. You remove the stems, chop them fine, and return them to the caps with breadcrumbs from good bread and enough aged cheese to bind it together. A whisper of garlic, not a shout. Parsley for brightness. That is all.
What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. There is no cream. No mozzarella stretching in strings. No spices competing for attention. When your Parmigiano is properly aged, when your mushrooms smell of earth and forest, you do not need to add anything else. You need to get out of their way.
Stuffed vegetables appear throughout Italian regional cooking, but the pairing with Parmigiano-Reggiano places this firmly in Emilia-Romagna, where the cheese has been produced since the Middle Ages. Autumn mushroom foraging remains a serious pursuit in the Apennine foothills, and simple preparations like this one allow the funghi to speak for themselves.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
cremini mushrooms
Quantity
24 (about 1 1/2 pounds)
each about 2 inches in diameter
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/4 cup, plus more for drizzling
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
minced to a paste
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
1/2 cup
from good bread
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
3/4 cup (about 2 ounces)
freshly grated
fresh flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
3 tablespoons
chopped fine
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cremini mushroomseach about 2 inches in diameter | 24 (about 1 1/2 pounds) |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/4 cup, plus more for drizzling |
| garlicminced to a paste | 1 small clove |
| fine dry breadcrumbsfrom good bread | 1/2 cup |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 3/4 cup (about 2 ounces) |
| fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped fine | 3 tablespoons |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Medium skillet
- •Baking dish large enough to hold mushrooms in single layer
- •Box grater for cheese
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the mushrooms
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. Do not wash them under running water. Mushrooms are sponges. They absorb water and become soggy, impossible to brown, impossible to stuff properly. Twist out the stems gently and set the caps aside, gill side up. Trim the dry ends from the stems and discard them. Chop the remaining stems very fine.
Choose mushrooms of uniform size so they cook evenly. Cremini have more flavor than white button mushrooms. If you can find fresh porcini, you are fortunate indeed, but cremini will serve you well. - 2
Cook the stems
Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped stems and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the moisture has evaporated and the stems begin to brown lightly, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. The garlic must not color. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.
- 3
Make the filling
Transfer the cooled stems to a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the parsley. Drizzle with the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Mix thoroughly. The filling should hold together when pressed but not be wet. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it. Adjust. The filling should taste good on its own before it ever sees a mushroom cap.
Make your own breadcrumbs from day-old bread. Toast slices until dry, then pulse in a food processor. The flavor is incomparably better than anything from a canister. - 4
Fill the caps
Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a single layer. Season the inside of each cap with a small pinch of salt. Mound the filling into each cap, pressing gently to compact it. The filling should dome slightly above the rim. Arrange the stuffed mushrooms in the dish, filling side up.
- 5
Top and bake
Scatter the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano over the tops of the mushrooms. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake until the mushroom caps are tender when pierced with a knife, the filling is heated through, and the cheese on top is golden and beginning to crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. The mushrooms will release some liquid into the pan. This is correct.
- 6
Rest and serve
Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes. The mushrooms are too hot to eat immediately and need this time for the juices to settle. Transfer to a serving platter or serve directly from the baking dish. These are meant to be eaten warm, not hot, which allows the flavors to express themselves fully.
Chef Tips
- •One small clove of garlic is sufficient. The unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking. Here, it should be a background note, not the melody.
- •Parmigiano-Reggiano must be freshly grated. The pre-grated cheese in plastic containers has lost its soul. Buy a wedge and grate it yourself on the finest holes of a box grater.
- •These can be assembled several hours ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature for 20 minutes before baking, or add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
- •If you find yourself with larger portobello caps, this same filling works beautifully. Increase the baking time to 30 minutes.
Advance Preparation
- •The filling can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before stuffing the caps.
- •Stuffed mushrooms can be assembled up to 6 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Bake directly from the refrigerator, adding 5 minutes to the cooking time.
- •These do not reheat well. The caps become rubbery. Make only what you will serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 145g)
Calories
200 calories
Total Fat
14 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
10 mg
Sodium
240 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
9 g
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