MUSHROOM TOAST TAPAS

Mushroom Toast Tapas image

I had been wanting to try this recipe for a long time, and I'm glad I finally did. It was wonderful, and would make a great appetizer, first course, or even (as I had it) a very light dinner or lunch. I used parmesan cheese and dried parsley instead of fresh (I added the dried while cooking the mushrooms so the mushroom liquid would help reconstitute the parsley), and I combined two cooking methods (since there is a choice). Instead of frying or simply broiling, I brushed the pan and the tops with just a touch of olive oil and then put it under the broiler. The various cooking methods are explained at the bottom of the recipe. If you like mushrooms, I think you'll love this. The time is approximately what it took me to prepare them to the point of cooking. Since the different cooking methods have different times, I did not include that. I don't remember where I got the recipe from, but I'm glad I did.

Provided by Charmed

Time 35m

Yield 8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb mushroom, stems cleaned,brushed clean,and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced cured ham
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated manchego cheese or 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
4 slices good-quality sandwich bread, crusts removed
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk, plus
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon dry white wine
salt & freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg (be generous)
cayenne (be generous)

Steps:

Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter over a low to medium heat in a saucepan and adding the flour.
Cook and stir for a few minutes, then add the milk and wine gradually and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth.
Season with the salt, pepper, nutmeg (to taste) and cayenne (to taste); although it is recommended to be generous with both the cayenne and nutmeg, it is your choice.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a skillet, heat the oil until it is very hot; add the mushrooms and saute over high heat for about 2 minutes.
(I added the dried parsley about 1 minute into the cooking time. If using fresh, wait until the next step.) If the mushrooms give off liquid, cook until it is evaporated before continuing.
Add the garlic, parsley (if not added before), ham, salt and pepper and turn off the heat.
Combine with the white sauce, stir in cheese, and mix until smooth and all ingredients are evenly distributed.
The mixture may be made ahead to this point and refrigerated.
Toast the bread lightly and cut each slice into two triangles.
Cover each triangle completely with 1/8 of the mushroom mixture.
There are a number of ways you can prepare this: Broil until golden, place them face down in 1/2 inch of hot oil to fry, or enclose in puff pastry dough.
If using puff pastry dough, you will need about 1 pound of pastry; cut the pastry into 3" strips and wrap them around 2 teaspoons of filling.
Bake at 400 for 8 minutes.
You can also use the filling for small pastry puff tart shells.