Comfort food: Portobello mushrooms with cream cheese & bacon

(serves 3-4)

This is an old favourite that my best friend Carolyn came up with during high school ~ she doesn't cook often but this was one of her classic finger foods - I definitely remember at least a couple of birthdays and Christmases where these were there to greet me! It has all the essentials of comfort food: simple, cheesy, creamy, filled with bacon - always a winner! It's pretty heavy (on the arteries), so I have opted for the light cream cheese but for those who are less health conscious then go all out!

Prep time: 10 min

Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:

3 portobello mushrooms

1x250mL tub of light cream cheese

2 rashers bacon, finely diced

1/4 spanish onion

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 T chopped shallots (or parsley)
10g shaved parmesan (optional)

Method:
1. Preheat the grill to medium heat, or the oven to 180˚C.
2. Wipe the mushrooms and remove the stalk. Place the mushroom with the inside facing down first, and grill for 5-8 minutes.
NB. Don't peel the mushrooms otherwise they will exude water and not be able to retain their shape and cook properly.
3. Meanwhile, pan-fry the garlic, onion and bacon. Cool and mix in with the cream cheese and shallots.
NB. If you are super lazy, you can get away without pre-cooking the bacon.
4. Turn the mushrooms over and fill the insides with the cream cheese mixture.

5. Grill/bake for another 15-20 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and the cream cheese melted. If desired, sprinkle the top with some shaved parmesan and grill for another 2-3 minutes. Serve warm!