Don’t be discouraged. It is what it seemed.

After much deliberation, I’m going to spare you. Spare you from waxing poetic about the weight of one’s final words, spare you from philosophical jargon of what it means to be alive, spare you from advice for how to love your loved ones, fully and without hesitation. I’m going to spare you from the pages I’ve written for this post. Trust me, it’s better this way.

I mean, Jesus, we’re just talking about mushrooms here.

What I will say is that this dish is dedicated to Drew. The last thing that my friend said to me before he passed suddenly and tragically was that if it weren’t for me, he’d never eat anything. These mushrooms were his goddamned favorite.

To prepare for this recipe, my one requirement is that you procure, open, and sip a can of Rainier, though any cheap beer will do (or, who am I kidding, any type of alcohol will suffice). Bonus points if you put on this album, or, if you want to get weird(er), this one.  Or at least watch this video. Extra bonus points if you remain dry eyed during “Follow Yer Dreams” or “Hello G’bye”. Proceed with merriment, and when you pop that first hot mushroom in your mouth, take a moment to be grateful for the life you have to do so.

Drew’s Shrooms

Yield: 10 stuffed mushrooms
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

10 medium sized button mushrooms (about 270 grams)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup minced celery
pinch of sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions
Madeira wine, though, once again, any alcohol will suffice (optional)
2 packed cups spinach, torn
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, rough chopped
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/8 cup shredded or grated parmesan, plus more to top
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup rough chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Twist or pop the stems out of the mushrooms, taking care not to break the caps. Rough chop the stems, set aside. Arrange the mushroom caps, de-stemmed side up, on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, toss in the celery and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Then, add the mushroom stems, garlic, thyme, and scallions, and cook an additional 4 – 6 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, deglaze it with a splash of Madeira. Add the spinach leaves, toss the mixture a few times, and remove from heat.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and fold in the walnuts, cream cheese, parmesan, Worcestershire, tamari, parsley, lemon zest and pepper. Taste for salt, add more (or a splash of tamari) if you’d like.

Once the filling suits your taste, spoon a bit into each mushroom cap, pushing down on the mixture slightly so it fills the cavern. Top each mushroom with a pinch of Parmesan, and pop in the oven to bake for about 20 – 30 minutes, or until the cap is soft and the cheese is golden brown. Let sit for a minute or two, open a fresh beer, and enjoy!