Spicy Teff-Stuffed Mushrooms

Spicy Teff-stuffed Mushrooms

These tasty mushroom are about as easy as an appetizer gets to prepare and to eat! Red pepper, ginger root, tamari and nutty teff add an interesting blend of flavors and a contrast of texture to entertain the mouth. Serve these delicious mushrooms with a plate of fresh basil leaves for wrapping and wedges of fresh lemon for spritzing, and you have the ultimate in finger food. Alternately, these make a great side dish to enhance the taste and variety of a Sunday brunch or light supper.

You'll need: 10 - 12 baby or button mushrooms, 1 tablespoon teff seed, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon tamari sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root, 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon finely minced basil, 1/4 teaspoon each dried thyme, summer savory and oregano, whole fresh basil, lemon wedges

The Marinade: Whisk olive oil together with tamari and lemon juice.  Mix in crushed and chopped garlic clove, chili pepper flakes, finely chopped ginger root and dried herbs.

The Mushrooms: Lightly rinse and wipe small mushrooms. Remove stems from caps.

White Button Mushrooms are ideal for miniature appetizers

Place the stems and caps in marinade, coating them well. Allow to sit in marinade for at least 20 minutes (or overnight) in fridge.

Place mushrooms in Marinade and Coat well

 The Stuffing: Remove the mushrooms from the marinade, and set caps, cavity-side up, on a baking sheet. Chop stems in very small pieces, and set 1/4 of them aside, returning remainder of chopped stems to the marinade. 

Lightly grind or crack teff seed

Lightly grind the teff seed in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, and put into the marinade. Add finely minced fresh basil leaves, and stir all ingredients together.

Using a spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous portion of teff-mushroom stem marinade, and top each cap with a sprinkling of reserved stems. 

 Baby Mushroom Caps are A Perfect Match for Tiny Teff

To Cook:

Bake in a moderate oven, at 375 degrees, until mushroom

caps are juicy, and cooked to your preference.The teff will soften and swell, but will retain a delightful crunch, its nutty texture complementing the soft, chewy mushroom caps.

Crispy and Chewy, Spicy and Sweetly Savory

To Serve: Place mushroom caps on a small plate with fresh basil leaves and lemon wedges.

With Zesty Lemon Wedge & Fresh Basil Leaves

To Eat: Spritz a teff-stuffed mushroom cap with fresh lemon juice and wrap in a basil leaf.  Pop into your mouth, and enjoy.  Alternately, you could serve these spicy appetizers on pieces of brown bread, or simply eat with a knife and fork.