Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

This was adapted from Ina Garten's stuffed mushrooms. We did not use sherry since we didn't have any and just marinated the mushrooms in red wine (Merlot) and olive oil. We also did not have any mascarpone cheese, so we used a combination of cream cheese and goat cheese that we had in the fridge. Goat cheese can be very strong so the ratio was 3 to 1, cream cheese to goat cheese. The filling is so good and rich and it was really easy to make.

I included Ina's original recipe and marked our adaptations in italics:

Ingredients

• 16 extra-large white mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry (Merlot or any red wine you have)
• 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
• 6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced (I used 3 cloves)
• 2/3 cup panko crumbs
• 5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy (1 ounce goat cheese & 4 ounces cream cheese, mixed together)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.
4. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.