For Reel Chow, my Bella Mushroom Bites are a big hit on set and at corporate events. People who don’t like mushrooms often comment to me they’re happily surprised by these bites.
I’m a tough judge when it comes to mushrooms, even though I really love them—in salads, mushroom soup, risotto, or on top of pizza and veggie burgers—with almost anything. Depending on the type of mushroom being used, sometimes they need help from spices and fresh herbs to kick up the flavor a bit. You can run the risk of making dishes taste a little too earthy with mushrooms. They require careful and thoughtful use in the kitchen.
For the Bella Mushroom Bites, I used baby bella mushrooms (a.k.a. cremini mushrooms). They are more flavorful than white button mushrooms, which are typically used in salads. Baby Bella mushrooms are definitely one of my favorites. Rate them right up there with chanterelles, shitake and portobello.
Bella Mushroom Bites. ©Reel Chow
To make Bella Mushroom Bites, I sauté the baby bellas in white wine and a splash of gluten-free tamari, along with yellow onion, garlic and fresh thyme with watercress to garnish. The puff pastry is often store-bought because making them from scratch on-site is just too time consuming. For the illustrations in this blog, I used pastry bought from Trader Joe’s. It was the perfect pairing for the mixture to go on. The puff pastry is buttery and flakey, and turns to a nice golden brown when done.
Ingredients:
- 1 package of Baby Bella Mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 1/4 cup of white wine. I use sauvignon blanc for some fruitiness instead of dry.
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, leaves only, chopped
- 1 handful of watercress, washed and picked apart per stem, with three or four leaves attached
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon light extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
Wash all the mushrooms and remove the stems. Prepare all the ingredients listed above. Put the frozen puff pasty dough into the refrigerator to defrost. As a general rule, when dealing with pre-made items, follow the instructions on the box for appetizer bites. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Baby Bella Mushrooms, thyme, garlic, watercress and yellow onion. ©Reel Chow
1/4 cup of white wine. ®Reel Chow
One tablespoon of gluten-free tamari. ©Reel Chow
Ingredients washed, sliced and chopped. ©Reel Chow
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is warm add the onions plus a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the onions until soft for about five minutes. Then add in the garlic and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
Adding onions to pan. ©Reel Chow
Adding garlic to the pan. ©Reel Chow
Now add in the mushrooms and fresh thyme, some more pepper and let it cook for about three minutes. Stir to mix well.
Adding mushrooms and thyme to pan. ©Reel Chow
Next, add in the wine and let it come to a boil. Cook for about five minutes until most of the wine is evaporated. Add in a tablespoon of tamari. Mix well and let it all cook together for approximately three minutes. You are looking to see if the texture of the sauce is thickening a little. Remove from heat and let it cool for five minutes before spooning onto the puff pastry dough.
Adding wine. ©Reel Chow
Cook until sauce thickens. ©Reel Chow
While the main dish is cooling, remove the dough from the fridge and place on a cutting board. With a round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can per sheet. Arrange the cutouts on a Silpat or non-stick baking sheet.
Trader Joes puff pasty sheets. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out pieces for baking. ©Reel Chow
Place puff pasty cut outs on a Silpat or nonstick baking sheet. ©Reel Chow
Place mushroom mixture on the puff pastry. ©Reel Chow
Spoon the mushroom mixture onto the cutout puff pasty dough circles and bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let it cool down for a few minutes. Garnish the mushroom bella bites with watercress and serve immediately.
Place mushroom mixture on the puff pastry. ©Reel Chow
These taste great served with a nice chilled white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Fume Blanc. The pine and saltiness from the baby bella mushroom mixture mixed with the buttery puff pastry is quite a delight!
The recipe above makes about ten large bites. If you are entertaining, you can double or triple the ingredients, easily. These will go fast, so be prepared. If you have questions, please leave a comment and I will be happy to help you. Bon appétit!
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