The Chew and Mom and Stuffed Mushrooms

I’m writing this blog post on Mother’s Day 2023.

I should probably be sharing another one of my mother’s wonderful recipes with you, but instead, I’m going to share a wonderful memory, and of course, a recipe that I think you’ll enjoy.  

On the days that I sit down at my kitchen table and have lunch, I miss my mom and I miss the television show, The Chew.  What do these two things have in common?  If it was lunchtime, you knew my mom was eating her lunch while watching The Chew.  For many. many years, I would watch The Chew at my house while eating lunch, and I knew she was doing the same.   We’d often call each other to comment on the recipes or something funny that happened on the show that day.  Whenever I stopped by for a visit at lunchtime, we’d watch together, which would save us a phone call.  

After her death, I carried on this lunchtime ritual, but I felt an emptiness because I couldn’t share it with her.  My sister and I continued watching and would often comment on which recipes we thought our mom would have liked.  This kept the feeling alive for us.  However, when The Chew went off the air in June of 2018, we were devastated!  Even though the reason for cancellation was riddled with controversy, the show had become part of our family, and part of our lunchtime tradition.  It kept us close to our mom on some level.  Now even the show was gone.  

This hurt.  Another loss.  

Thank goodness I have the cookbook. This is the reason why I love my cookbooks so much.  They preserve memories.  Even though this cookbook is not my favorite, it brings back lovely memories.  Sometimes I pull it off the shelf when I sit down to lunch just for company and the remembrance of her.

“Food makes memories.”  There’s no other way around it.  

Oh, the beautiful memories that we savor through food.  

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mom, you would have loved these mushrooms………

RECIPE: 20 mushrooms

20 button mushrooms, scrubbed clean and stems reserved ( I used Baby Bellas)

3 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP shallots, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 TBSP almonds, chopped

salt, to taste

3 TBSP. parsley, chopped

1 tsp. herbes de Provence or dried thyme

2 TBSP whole wheat bread crumbs ( or regular will do…I even used Panko)

2-3 TBSP. vegetable stock

2 TBSP Pecorino cheese, grated (I used double)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Finely chop the mushroom stems. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chopped mushroom stems and the shallots for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the garlic and almonds, and season with salt. Stir well and saute 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, herbs de Provence (or Thyme) and bread crumbs.
3. Pour the vegetable stock into a food processor, then the rest of the stuffing . Pulse several times to get a fine mixture, almost a paste.
4. Toss the mushroom caps with olive oil. Fill each mushroom with the stuffing. Sprinkle grated Pecorino cheese over each mushroom and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese browns a little and the mushrooms are warmed through.

**NOTE: Confessions of an “over-stuffer”: I was extremely generous with each ingredient because I can’t help myself….I must over-stuff.