Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

18 large mushrooms, wiped clean
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped shallots

 1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. EVOO
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 lb. spinach, stems removed, the leaves washed, drained, squeezed dry & coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
3 oz. mild goat cheese

Carefully pull out the mushroom stems and chop them finely, either by hand or in a blender or food processor. Set the mushroom caps aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the broth, 1/4 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of the shallots and the thyme over medium heat. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook the mixture for about three minutes. Add the mushroom caps, bottoms facing up, and sprinkle them with the lime or lemon juice. Cover and cook until the mushrooms have shrunk by a third - six to eight minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Take the caps out of the pan one at a time, tilting them to let any juices run back into the skillet. Put them on a baking sheet, bottoms down, to drain them further.

Return the skillet to the burner and reheat the contents over medium heat. Add the chopped mushroom stems, 1 tbsp oil and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt; cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed, six to eight minutes. Transfer the chopped stems to a bowl.

Wash the skillet and return it to the burner. Add the oil and heat it over high heat. When the oil is hot, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of shallots and the garlic. Immediately place the spinach on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until all of the liquid has evaporated, about four minutes. Transfer the spinach mixture to the bowl containing the chopped mushrooms stems and sprinkle with pepper. Stir to combine. Break the goat cheese into small pieces directly into the bowl, then carefully fold in.

With a teaspoon, mound the spinach and cheese mixture into the mushroom caps. Place them in a baking dish and bake until they are browned on top and heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve warm!