Cajun Stuffed Mushrooms

I have been making these mushrooms for over 20 years and I guess I have easily made hundreds of them in that time.  The original recipe came out of a cookbook about Louisiana Creole and Cajun cooking, but I have adapted it quite a bit since then.  It is actually one of the recipes I make that I do pretty much the same way every time I make it though.  One word of advice, this is not a dish you want to make when you are in a hurry because it is a little bit time consuming...not bad really though.

I make these for every special occasion...holiday dinners, work occasions, parties, showers, and family get-togethers.   People always ask when I show up at any sort of occasion with a covered dish if it's the mushrooms.  They make people happy, so they are worth the effort!

Here is what you will need:

White rice (instant works fine), medium size white mushrooms, shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, Tabasco sauce, roll breakfast sausage, and chopped garlic.

1/2 lb. sausage

20-24 medium white mushrooms

1/2 medium onion

1Tbs chopped garlic

1 cup instant rice

1 cup water

1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

Tabasco sauce to taste

1 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

First, clean your mushrooms however you prefer to do this.  I know cooking shows and such advise not to wash mushrooms...to wipe them off, but I see dirt on mushrooms and I am not eating dirt and since I don't believe  'brushing' them really cleans them, I do rinse mine off and immediately dry them on paper towels.  Now, you will need to hull them out.  I use the small end of a melon baller for this.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and place them in the dish touching.  As you can see, I had one or two too many, but they tend to shrink a little when they cook and all fit fine.

Now you will chop the stems from the mushrooms, 1/2 of a medium size yellow or white onion and add them to a pan with 1/2 of the roll of sausage and 1 Tbs of minced garlic.  Brown all of this well, breaking up the sausage along with the pieces of mushroom and onion.  Sprinkle 1 tsp of the Tony Chachere's seasoning, 1/4 tsp. of black pepper.  Add 1 cup instant white rice and 1 cup water.  Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low and cover for about 10 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

Add 1 cup mayonnaise, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and about 3-5 dashes of Tabasco sauce, depending on how spicy you like your food.  Mix all of this together until it is well incorporated.

Use a spoon to fill the mushrooms up with the sausage/rice mixture.  You might have more filling than you need, but I can usually go back and really mound it up and pack it firmly into the mushrooms. Sprinkle the top with a generous amount of shredded cheddar cheese or whatever cheese your family likes best.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown.