recipe | pork & macadamia nut stuffed mushrooms

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We have been to a – ‘scuse my French – butt load of BBQs lately. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I mean we moved all the way back to Australia just for BBQs right? Well, that plus the sunshine plus the beach. But since the weather hasn’t always been playing ball this season, the only guaranteed summer activity has pretty much been BBQs.

Which is all good and well until you run out of ideas for what to bring.

I’ve made so many fandangle salads this summer that I should totally buy shares in avocados and beetroot. I’ve done fruits on skewers and dates on skewers (really, wrapped in bacon – have you tried it? It’s amazing). Big salads, small salads, big cakes, small cakes. It was time to do something a little different and so last weekend I blasted out a new and completely made up recipe with my good friend, the humble mushroom.

Humble as my friend – the mushroom – may be, what I love most about these guys is not that they come in a huge variety of choices (I love them all), but they are also so versatile whether you want to spruce them up for a fancy dish or just chop ’em and throw ’em in a salad. I decided to pimp mine up with pork and macadamia nuts. Topped with bacon for good measure

Aside from the prep work, which is pretty mundane (I mean, “dice finely” is something I can live without. Forever.) this recipe is quite easy and I love the amazing smell of pork and onions and garlic and bacon permeating my living room. And then I added parmesan and my apartment smelled funky, but hey, the mushrooms tasted good!

You don’t necessarily have to follow my recipe. Add whatever you want to the innards, like more herbs and spices, and make your own summer mushroom creation!

By the way, the Australian Mushroom Growers Association are running a big “summer mushroom” campaign at the moment. Check out this site for some great mushroom recipe ideas!

Pork and macadamia nut stuffed mushrooms
8-10 large cup mushrooms
250 grams lean pork mince
1/4 onion, diced finely
1-2 cloves garlic, diced finely
a few sprigs of chives, chopped
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped finely
1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil for pan frying
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 strips bacon, chopped finely
olive oil for bacon (don’t need much – or use none at all)
extra chives, chopped – for topping
(yes there is a lot of “dicing finely” in the prep work)
  1. De-stem and peel mushrooms. Set mushrooms aside and dice the stems into fine pieces. Set aside also.
  2. In a fry pan, heat up some olive oil. Add onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes until they soften and brown. Add mushroom stems and continue frying for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
  3. Add pork and fry until almost cooked (about 5-6 minutes). Sprinkle with paprika and salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Stir in the chives and macadamia nuts, remove from heat and pour mince mixture into a large bowl to cool.
  5. When the mixture is almost cool (not so hot that you can’t touch it), sprinkle parmesan cheese and stir through until well mixed.
  6. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/355°F. Lay aluminium foil or a baking sheet on a baking tray and coat with some spray oil or a teaspoon of oil.
  7. For each mushroom, take a spoonful of mixture and pack it tightly into the base, finishing with a little mound. Place on tray.
  8. When all mushrooms are ready, bake in oven for about 15-20mins, until tops are crispy and mushrooms are soft.
  9. While baking, heat a tiny bit more oil (or none at all as bacon has its own oil) and fry the bacon bits until crispy. Remove to a paper towel to drain.
  10. Once mushrooms are cooked, remove from oven. Sprinkle with bacon and chives to serve.
Makes 8-10
Posted in: Eating In, Foodie, Recipes

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