Had the girls over last night and opened one bottle of white and one bottle of red. The white, Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, I served with Wesleydale with apricots and crackers. ( Almost like dessert first!) The red was Acacia Pinot Noir and made these tasty little morsels to enjoy with it! The filling can be made a few days in advance, and even freezes well, so it’s a no hassle appetizer!

• 1 lb Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp sherry
• a few drops hot sauce
• 12 large mushroom caps, stems removed
• melted butter or olive oil for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crumble and cook sausage and chopped onion in skillet until cooked through. Drain any fat from the sausage, then melt the butter with the sausage. Add cheese and breadcrumbs and mix well. Sprinkle sherry and hot sauce over the sausage mixture, and stir to combine. Remove from heat to cool.

Grease a casserole pan. When mixture is cool enough to touch, fill mushroom caps with heaping spoonfuls and use fingers to press the filling into the mushrooms. Drizzle melted butter or olive oil over mushrooms and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked through.

Optional: I sometimes add an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese on the top of mushrooms before baking.