Deer Hunting

Drunken Mushroom Bites

Caramel-ed onions cooked in white wine and Worcestershire sauce, a little bit of ground venison and heaps of Parmesan cheese on top of earthy, succulent mushrooms... makes a great complement to a good glass of white wine. Nothing screams the holidays like yummy party appetizers. If you want to celebrate this Christmas "hunter style," these Drunken Mushroom Bites are a great finger food to serve your hungry guests.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 tbs. butter
- 1/2 large onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 lb. ground venison
- 1 lb. Shitake mushrooms (or white/Crimini)
- 7 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- splash of white wine
- fresh Italian parsley, minced
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut stems off mushrooms.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbs. of butter and cook mushrooms for 2 minutes, just until they start to cook. We cooked in batches. Move to a baking pan, cap side down. Sprinkle some salt on the mushrooms.
3. Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tbs. butter in a skillet. Cook onions for about 15-20 minutes until very soft. Splash in some white wine, just enough to cover the onions and 4 splashes of Worcestershire sauce.
Let the onions simmer until the liquids cook down, about 5 minutes.
4. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add ground venison and brown, breaking the meat up into small pieces. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Spoon venison onion mixture onto the mushroom caps. Sprinkle a good amount of Parmesan cheese on top of each mushroom. Bake in a baking pan at 325 degees F until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil the mushrooms for 2 minutes, or until the cheese turns golden. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with good white wine.

For those who like pictures, we've got step-by-step photos on our blog:

http://foodforhunters.blogspot.com/2011/12/drunken-mushroom-bites.html