Green Wheels

When I was living in Germany, winters were brutal with temperatures plummeting to below - 20 C on some days. On cold and snowy days, home parties were popular. We always had neighbours and close friends come over for starters, meals and drinks.
I developed this recipe on a winter morning when I had some mushrooms, basil leaves and pine nuts in my pantry.
This recipe is a hit not just with my friends in Germany but also friends in the United States and Singapore.
Green Wheels are extremely easy to make and should be served piping hot when they get out of the oven. Like I said, it's perfect when you have a small gathering of close friends or even when you want a simple meal of soup and starters.

Here's what you need -

Ingredients

10-12  mid-sized brown mushrooms/white mushrooms
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a brush and then gently extract the stalks and keep aside.
 6 tablespoons Olive oil
Grated cheese (any cheese that melts and becomes goeey is fine) as topping
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
25 gms of basil leaves chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
two cloves garlic peeled and chopped roughly
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika flakes

Method
Pre-heat the oven at 170 degrees C.

Gently brush the mushrooms with olive oil inside out and keep in a oven proof glass casserole.
You can use the stalks to make a pasta sauce base like I used in  pasta with cauliflower and anchovies. 

Now in a mixer, add the basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, ground pepper, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, paprika flakes and garlic cloves.

Grind well.

Use this ground paste to stuff the cavities of the mushroom.

Top with grated cheese.

Place the green wheels in the pre-heated oven and allow to bake for 25 minutes. The cheese should melt and get gooey and start bubbling.

Take it out and serve hot with wine/champagne/ beer/ juice.

Enjoy!