Makes 30 hors d’oeuvre
35 to 40 cremini mushrooms
(about 11/2 lb.), 11/2 to
2 inches wide
3 Tbs. unsalted butter; more for
the baking dish
11/2 oz. pancetta, finely diced
(1/4 cup)
5 medium shallots, finely diced
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
Pinch of dried red pepper
flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2/3 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs
(preferably from a day-old
rustic French or Italian loaf)
1/4 cup freshly grated ParmigianoReggiano
2 to 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
These can be prepared a day in
advance and refrigerated—just
let them come to room temperature before baking. Also, hold off
on drizzling them with olive oil
until just before baking.
- Position a rack in the center of
the oven and heat the oven to
425°F. Trim and discard the very
bottom of the mushroom stems.
Remove the mushroom stems and finely chop them, along with five of the
largest mushroom caps. - Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute and add 2 Tbs.
of the butter. When it has melted, add the pancetta and cook until it starts
to render some of its fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shallots, sage, and pepper
flakes; cook gently until the shallots are tender, about 4 minutes (reduce the
heat if the shallots begin to brown). Stir in the chopped mushroom stems
and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is tender, about
3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. butter. When it has melted, transfer the
mushroom mixture to a bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs and Parmigiano.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool slightly. - Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the mushrooms in one
layer. Arrange the mushrooms in the dish and season the cavities with salt.
Stuff each cavity with a rounded teaspoonful of the filling, or more as needed.
The filling should form a tall mound. (You may have leftover filling; if you have
extra mushrooms, keep stuffing until you run out of filling.) Drizzle the mushrooms with the olive oil and bake until the mushrooms are tender and the
breadcrumbs are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a platter and
serve warm. —Tasha DeSerio