Southampton - You just can't keep a good chef out of the kitchen - lucky for us. This week Mary Wilson offers a great appetizer for the holidays or for any time - Stuffed Mushrooms! Mary serves up this dish on special occasions and when her family and friends plead for an extra special appetizer.

Ingredients

 • 1 lb. Stuffing Mushrooms (or Button Mushrooms if not available )
 • 3 cloves garlic, minced
 • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
 • 1 carrot, finely chopped
 • 1 small zucchini, shredded
 • ¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
 • ¾ cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
 • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
 • ¼ cup white wine
 • Salt and Pepper to taste
 • 2 tbsp. of your favorite herbs (Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme)

Preparation

 • Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel; gently remove stems (chop and add to stuffing mixture).

 • Saute the garlic, onion, carrot, zucchini and mushroom stems in the olive oil until lightly browned. Add the remaining ingredients, adding more olive oil if mixture is too dry, or more Bread Crumbs if too wet (Japanese Panko Bread Crumbs work great if you want a more crunchy texture). This is a very flexible recipe - if you're a garlic lover, add more garlic, if you want to dress up this recipe, add some chopped crab meat (dill is great with crab) or sautéed chopped sausage (omit the white wine in this case) - the possibilities are endless.

 • Rub the outside of each mushroom with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, place a heaping spoonful of stuffing mixture into each mushroom, place into a baking dish and under a low broiler for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Readers are welcome to submit any recipes they would like to share, just contact info@hamptons.com.

Enjoy!