Stuffed Mushrooms with Cameron Hughes Wine

Thank you Cameron Hughes for sponsoring this post. Capture the celebratory spirit of the holidays, and toast to the season with Cameron Hughes wine!

One of my favorite appetizers in the world are stuffed mushrooms. They can be of any kind. But paired with another fav, the glorious Thanksgiving side dish I go crazy for; stuffing, the combination is deliciously lethal. But anything that goes perfectly well with a nice hors-d'oeuvre is a really nice glass of wine. Exceptional wine, extraordinary value. Great wine doesn't have to be expensive and Cameron Hughes wine's mission is simple: Buy the best possible wine for the best possible price. Which is why I'm so happy to partner with this San Francisco-based wine company founded by Cameron Hughes! In today's post, I'm sharing my thoughts on three different bottles of wine from this brand including my very own quick and easy stuffed mushroom recipe.

The stuffed mushroom recipe literally consists of only 3 items, minus the butter and boiling water. Aside from that, all you need are white mushrooms, sweet Italian sausage (or any sausage you'd like to try it with), and Stove Top's 'Savory Herbs' stuffing. I do know how to make homemade stuffing, which I do almost every Thanksgiving, but it does require more time and it does always taste better cooked in the bird. All that flavor you're missing out on! But sometimes, for something simple and painless this recipe takes less than an hour to prepare + make on top of going well with either a red or white wine. 

photos + recipe by © Suzanne Spiegoski

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

24 oz fresh whole white mushrooms (about 28)

1/2 lb bulk spicy Italian sausage, cooked and drained

1 box Stove Top 'Savory Herbs' stuffing

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove stems from mushroom caps; discard stems.

On an ungreased 15x10-inch pan with sides, place mushrooms, stem-side down. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until they just start to release their juices. Remove mushrooms from pan; drain. Remove any liquid from pan.

In a medium bowl, mix Stove Top (cooked) and sausage until well blended. Divide and spoon filling into mushroom caps, mounding slightly. Place mushrooms in the same 15x10-inch pan.

Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown on top and heated through.

My friends and I first tried the Chardonnay. The super fresh nose of honeysuckle, pear, and apple gains weight and complexity with a bit of air, adding papaya and orange creamsicle to the mix. Creamy and supple on entry, this wine really hits the “umami” button, with rich orange sherbet and vanilla notes riding that honeyed beam of acidity I find so thrilling about the Chardonnays from this region. Robust yet wonderfully complex even at this young age, it finishes in long waves of ripe fruit and creamy vanilla. Yum.

Next up is the beautifully balanced, complex Pinot Noir that will have broad appeal, providing ample punch but also carefully delineated flavors. Pale ruby in the glass, this Pinot starts with rose petal and earthy black cherry on the nose, opening up to reveal the warmer plum and brown baking spice notes with hints of pepper. Ample yet very refined on the palate, with perfect balance and emerging complexity that will definitely improve in the short term as this opens up in the bottle over the next month or two before settling in for long-term aging. Rich and concentrated on the palate with pretty yet ripe plum mingling peppery spice notes, this wine has plush texture and balance in a long, smooth, harmonious finish.

And lastly, no expense spared, icon-level winemaking. Aged in 50% new French oak, this opaque black wine is textbook, classic Rutherford Cabernet. Sumptuous and suave on the nose, it features a gorgeous mélange of blackberry, cherry, cassis, dark chocolate and mint underpinned with graphite and mineral wrapped in lavender florals. The palate is juicy and succulent, with red and black fruit and a finely knit but resounding kirsch/mocha punch. I have to say out of the three, the reds were my favorite, especially the Pinot Noir. What kind of wine do you normally drink with an appetizer? 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE WINE

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

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Pasta Pasta Pasta!

This week's recipe is from one of my favorite Italian chefs, Lidia Bastianich! I have cooked so many of her recipes through the years and of course, I wanted to blog about my experience with one of her pasta recipes. 

This tomato-based rigatoni dish is perfection. With its deep blend of flavors from the sausage, the basil, and cheese, the zucchini and peperoncino flakes complete its magic in the pasta, giving it texture and an extra kick.

Rigatoni with Sausage-Tomato Sauce

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
1 cup white wine, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing the sauce
2 cups onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta pot
1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste
1 cup zucchini, diced
6 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
1 branch fresh basil, with lots of leaves
1 pound rigatoni
1 cup Grana Padano, freshly grated, plus more for passing
 

Preparation

Remove the sausage casings, and crumble the meat into a large bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of the wine over the meat and mix this in with your fingers, breaking up any big meat clumps, so the sausage is evenly moistened.

Pour the olive oil into the big skillet and set it over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Scatter the sliced garlic in the pan and season with the salt and peperoncino. When everything is sizzling, crumble in the sausage and stir with the onions. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup wine, raise the heat a bit and cook, stirring, as the wine cooks away and the sausage becomes all browned, about 10 minutes. Add in the diced zucchini and stir to incorporate. Pour in the tomatoes and a cup of water (which you’ve used to slosh and rinse the tomato cans and bowl). Submerge the basil branch in the liquid, cover the skillet and bring to a boil. Set the cover ajar, adjust the heat to keep the sauce bubbling steadily and cook for an hour or more, until the sauce has developed good flavor and reduced to the consistency you like for dressing pasta. Remove and discard basil branch. You can use some of the sauce right away—you’ll need half of it to dress the rigatoni—or let it cool, then refrigerate or freeze for later use.

For cooking and dressing the pasta, bring a large pot of well-salted water (at least 7 quarts water with 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt) to a rolling boil. Heat half the sausage-tomato sauce, about 4 cups, to a bare simmer in a wide skillet or sauté pan (if you’ve just made the sauce, use the same pan). If the sauce has cooled and thickened, loosen it with some of the pasta water. Add the rigatoni to the boiling water, and cook until just al dente.

Lift out the pasta in big bunches with a spider, let drain for a moment, then spill them into the simmering sauce. Over low heat, toss the rigatoni and sauce together for a minute or two, until all are coated and perfectly al dente. (Thin the sauce, if necessary, with hot pasta water or thicken it quickly over higher heat.) Turn off the heat, and sprinkle the grated cheese over the rigatoni and toss well. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, toss again and heap the pasta in warm bowls. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

I love this recipe because it's quick and easy, and it's the ideal comfort food. Trust me when I say this, this pasta is really super delicious! I was salivating while shooting the photos- I couldn't stand to wait and eat it! Don't forget the wine and bread! I know some of you will think I'm bonkers for having bread with pasta, but I grew up eating like this and I love it. So extra yummy when you dip it in the sauce! ;P

Lastly, for a really adorable, entertaining video of Lidia, Rachel Ray and Nate Berkus working in the kitchen on this recipe, click here for lots of laughs and more! Seriously, Nate... you and the sausage! OMG! HA HA HA!

Until next time, have a great weekend everybody!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

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