Artichoke & Pecorino Romano Stuffed Mushrooms

This is an enduring recipe, because it's easy to make and is always a hit at cocktail parties. The stuffing can also be spread on bread and toasted up or used as a dip. It goes a little something like this:

1 Can Artichoke Hearts - Diced (Do This Yourself, Don't Buy Them This Way)
4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic
1/2 Diced Yellow or White Onion - Try My Favorite Vidalia
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon White Wine Vinegar

Saute a these together in a pan until the onions become translucent, then Pour in about

1/2 Cup Cheap White Wine - Nothing Sweet
1 Cup Cream Cheese

Lower heat so that the wine is evaporating but the mix is not sticking or burning. Stir on a regular basis. Once mix starts pulling together reduce heat a little more and grate in a healthy dose of Pecorino Romano Cheese. I don't put an amount here because it is about personal taste. The cheese should supply all of the salt you will need, but add white pepper to taste. Stir steadily until you feel the stuffing really thicken up, then pull it off of the heat and scrape into another pan and cool down. You want the stuffing to stand up and not be runny, so you may want to check how it pulls together by taking out a spoonfull and setting it in the fridge for five minutes.

After the mix cools completely, refridgerating over night really works best, it's time to set to work on the mushrooms. You want to use mid-sized domestic mushrooms. Remember, people need to heat these in one bite. Pull out the stem without breaking the mushroom and brush any dirt and debris off of the cap. Take a paring knife and cust accross the top of the cap so you have a nice flat spot for the open cap to rest on, otherwise; you will find them all rolling over and the stuffing stuck to the bottom of your pan.

Use a spoon to scoop the stuffing into the caps. They should be nice and heaping full, but like everything else, this too is all about moderation. Once they are stuffed line your shrooms up like little soldiers on a sheet tray and pop them in a 400 degree oven until the stuffing is nicely browned. Don't be suprised when the mushrooms drop a bunch of water and it evaporates into a wall of steam, but also beware that an unbalanced sheet tray means shrooms on the low end can be flooded and ruined. If the water is really excessive, pull the tray out and dump it off. No one will miss it.

Finally, tray with a pretty garnish and a little more Pecorino Romano and you are there. I think I may have made this sound a little more complicated than it needs to, but give it a shot and let me know how it turned out.