Here’s an great recipe which uses ingredients from your local しょぼい Tokyu Store or 丸正. Moreover, it’s super-easy and always gets rave reviews. (Okay, I’ve actually only cooked it once, but we all thought it was pretty good.) Anyway, here’s what you’ll need:
- 12 Shiitake mushrooms (Japanese-grown, not Chinese, if you want to avoid getting a load chemicals along with your champignon)
- 12 surimi chickn balls (these are the ones typically used for nabe dishes and come in packs of twelve)
- Blue or Gorgonzola cheese
- Minced garlic
- Minced onion
- Chopped black olives
- Olive oil, butter, sherry, salt, pepper, etc.
- In a small fry pan, sautee the onions, garlic and black olives in butter and olive oil.
- Meanwhile, remove the stems from the mushrooms and then slice off the protruding center of the opposite side of the cap to create a flat surface.
- In another fry pan, melt some butter and lightly sautee the mushroom caps.
- Remove the mushrooms to a shallow baking dish, stem-side up.
- Remove the onions, etc. in (1) to a side dish.
- Using the same fry pan, lighly sear the surimi chicken balls. (A splash of Tio Pepe or other Sherry at the end under a tight-fitting lid will provide a nice, savory finish.) Remove.
- Place a small dollop of blue cheese in each cap, then cover that with a surimi ball.
- Drizzle the onions and black olives from (1) over the top of the stuffed mushrooms, then grill for 15 minutes.
- Remove to a serving dish, then pour the liquid for the baking dish over the top.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
