STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Normally I don’t bother to dry out breadcrumbs, I just whiz the
bread in the food processor and freeze the breadcrumbs as they
are, but this recipe works better if the breadcrumbs are nice and
crisp. The easiest way to do this is to spread the breadcrumbs out
on a large tray and put them in the oven on Gas Mark 6 (200ºC)
for 3 or 4 minutes. (Bash them up in the bag first if they’ve been
frozen, leave to stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes
then crumble them up completely with your hands.)
1 or 2 large flat-cap mushrooms per person
Crispy white breadcrumbs
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Garlic purée
Vegetable stock
Olive oil
Parsley
Method
1. Wash and peel the mushrooms and remove the stalks
completely.
2. Make up about 1⁄2 pint (300 ml) of stock with 1⁄2 a stock cube
or a teaspoonful of Marmite or Vegemite and poach the
mushrooms in the stock for five minutes.
3. Put the warm mushrooms on an oven tray, spread each one
with a generous squeeze of garlic purée topped with a mixture
of breadcrumbs and finely grated Parmesan; drizzle with olive
oil and grill for a few minutes until the toppings are crisp and
brown.
4. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.