Ez Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I went by the Groove a couple weeks ago (Aug.19th) to look at the grocery and meat vendors at the "farmer's market" sections.  I was a little skeptical of the groceries, but when I saw these button mushrooms near the size of my palm, I had to buy them.  My friend last weekend ordered cheese stuffed crimini mushrooms baked with white wine...needless to say it looked gross and from her reaction, it tasted gross too.  I decided to make real stuffed mushrooms, my way without the pool of wine.

Stuffed mushrooms for 1-2 (or 5 if you all only want one)

What you need:
5 large Mushrooms! I did the typical white button, crimini works fine too
2 sausages of your choice! I bought two artichoke garlic (pork) sausages
1/4 C panko or unsalted breadcrumbs
1 slice of BACON-I got applewood (smoked) bacon
    or topping of your choosing, Cheese, panko/bread crumbs, or nothing...

Preheat: I use my toaster oven for this @ 400 or you can use the oven at 375.

1. Clean your mushrooms!
I do a wipe down w/ a damp towel.  First remove the stem, set aside and start wiping them down.  (You can wash them too, just be sure not to leave them in a pool of water)





2. Remove your sausages from their casings.
just slit them with a knife and peel off the casing.






3. Take about 1/4 of panko and mix it with the sausage meat

4. BACON slice the bacon either into 1/4 inch pieces or divide the strip into 5 equal pieces

5. STUFF your mushrooms! divide the sausage/panko mixture into 5 portions and then fill each mushroom.
*Make sure to be careful about ripping or breaking the mushroom.*

6. Topping! Top it with the bacon! if you decide to use cheese or panko (or both) wait til 10-15mins after cooking before adding it

7. Bake! for about 15mins, I check after 12mins.  If its not golden brown then leave them inside for 3 more mins.

Last tips: If you want to add more to your sausage, chop up the stems and saute them with garlic and finely chopped onions.  You can add veggies too! 

~This is just the beginning of the Mushroom Blogs~

Tonkatsu for one or two

Tonkatsu (aka pork cutlets) at home
buy 1-2 boneless pork chops or pork loins (make sure its only 1/2 thick)

A) in one plate, put about 1/4 cup of flour (add more if u're doing more then two)
---salt, add furikake i use Katsuo Fumi (bonitio) and aonori.  U can add sesame seeds, garlic powder too for texture n flavor

B) in a bowl (big enough to dunk the pork) beat one egg-season

C) in another plate, put 1/4-1/2 C of Panko
-salt, I like to add the sakura shrimp (that u see in okonomiyaki) and more aonori

*make sure all plates/bowls are well mixed and lightly seasoned.

-heat oil like corn oil in a pan or pot, make sure the oil is at least 1/2" from the bottom on med/high, check for bubbles by placing/poking a dry chopstick into the oil and if u see a steady stream of bubbles.

1. make sure to pat the pork dry don't for get to season (I do salt, a smiggen of white pepper and garlic power)
2. lightly dredge in flour, pat/rub off excess flour
3. then dip it into the egg, let excess egg drip off
4. coat with the panko
5. fry!  gently dip the cutlets into the oil, (if there is no bubbling, pull it out) and let it cook on one side for 1-2 minutes or until lightly brown.  then flip and repeat on the other side.  once golden brown, place the tonkatsu on a cooling rack (don't do the towel/kitchen paper method, it tends to make the panko crust soggy)
6. rest, at least for 2 minutes, other wise u'll cut all the juices out

You can either buy the Tonkatsu sauce from a Asian/Japanese Market or u can boil down Worschester sauce with mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar to make you own. Okonomiyaki sauce works as well. oh! kewpie mayonnaise with a little bit of sesame oil and honey makes an amazing dip as well.

So the Food logging begins

Food is such an important part of life. We all eat it as carnivores, herbivores or...vegans...O_O  but nonetheless, food is essential.

Background~
I'm an American Born Chinese, who grew up eating home cooked Chinese food, specifically Toisan (Taishan) food which is very similar to Cantonese food.  I'll never forget the memories of delicious, non greasy, legit, clean and simple Chinese food.

I think I was just a wee bit taller then the stove when I made my first egg and steamed rice.  I remember being scolded for turning on the stove, and scratching our rice pot...little did I know that I'd spend years cooking food, going to Chinatown for groceries and spending my hours talking, discussing and reading about food.

I hope this blog helps you with expanding your food horizons. As make, bake and cook food.

-BanannaWee