For Jackie: Stuffed Mushrooms

I had a party at a flat I lived in a few years ago and Jackie was staying with me for a few days. We decided to share the cooking between us. I remember I did some Indian chicken skewers but the thing that stands out is that Jackie did stuffed mushrooms with a rocket salad and I think I recall there was a balsamic dressing on the salad. I could be wrong but that doesn't happen too often!

Tonight I've had the house to myself and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do some mushrooms. Mr. Chops hates them and everything about them.

• I dry fried 2 rashers and when really crispy I broke them up into little pieces.
• Meanwhile, I'd roasted some red pepper until blackened to remove the skin, then sliced it into thin strips.
• In the meantime, I crushed a small clove of garlic and mixed it into some light cream cheese.
• I removed the stalks from some medium sized mushrooms and placed them on a baking tray.
• I then sprinkled the bacon bits into the mushrooms.
• Spooned on the cream cheese.
• Sprinkled on lashings of black pepper, a pinch of dried parsley and covered with a couple of slices of red pepper.

They were cooked in the oven for approximately 30mins at moderate heat. Leave them sit for a minute before you eat them it gives the cheese a chance to tighten up. These are nice served with a mixed salad or some rocket like the beautiful Jackie would do.

The First Bite