The Peanut Institute - Recipes - Oven-Roasted Mushrooms with a Peanut-Pesto

Oven-Roasted Mushrooms with a Peanut-Pesto

For the Pesto: (about 1 _ cups)

3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs, stems removed
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup roasted Georgia peanuts
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2-3 garlic cloves

Place the basil and parsley in a blender or food processor. Puree. Add all other ingredients and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

For the mushrooms:

2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups pesto (see the recipe above)
4 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
2 lb. fresh mushroom caps
as needed: Pimentos or roasted red and golden peppers

Oven-Roasted Mushrooms with a Peanut Pesto

Wipe the mushrooms with a paper towel to remove any soil, if present. Please, do NOT wash mushrooms or they bleed and loose nutrition and flavor. Combine breadcrumbs and pesto; mix well. Add horseradish and blend thoroughly. Pack each mushroom cap and mounding with the peanut-pesto mixture. Top each mushroom with a thin strip of pimento/roasted pepper. Place mushroom in a pre-heated 350 degree hot oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately in their sauce in escargots or similar dishes with a crust of French or Italian bread to dip in.

Yield: 6 Servings

Recipe by:
Wolfgang Hanau
West Palm Beach, Florida

Recipe Courtesy of the Plains Peanut Festival Recipe Contest