Capture the flavors of Southern Italy and Northern Spain in one tasty, no-cook appetizer that instantly beckons with its good looks. Combine whole wheat bread, walnuts, and pungent Spanish olives with red wine vinegar, stuff the combo into a mushroom, and you’ve got one delicious morsel full of pungent flavor. These irresistible mushrooms are best eaten the same day they are prepared.
Walnutty Mediterranean Mushrooms
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
12 to 18 large button mushrooms, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter
Ingredients
Stuffing
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 medium tomato, de-seeded and diced
1/2 cup walnuts coarsely ground in a nut mill
1/3 cup diced sweet onions
1/4 cup minced Spanish olives
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnish
1 or 2 leaves green leaf lettuce
1 or 2 sprigs parsley or cilantro
Preparation
- Wash the mushrooms and pat them dry with paper towels. Apply gentle pressure with your thumb to remove the stems and set them aside for a future recipe.
- Break the bread into small pieces and place them into a medium bowl. Moisten the bread by pouring warm water to cover over the pieces. Then drain thoroughly and squeeze the bread dry.
- Add the diced tomato, walnuts, onions, Spanish olives, vinegar, garlic, and salt to the moistened bread and mix well. Stuff generous portions of the bread mixture into the mushroom cavities.
- To serve, line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves and arrange the mushrooms on top. Garnish each mushroom with a tiny sprig of parsley, and enjoy a nutty good starter.
*Recipe and image courtesy of Zel and Reuben Allen, of Vegetarians in Paradise.*