Balkan Ajvar Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms 🍄✨

Description

Balkan Ajvar Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms are warm, juicy mushroom caps filled with ajvar, toasted walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, and a little white brined cheese. They bake until golden, savory, and spoon-tender, with a smoky pepper filling that feels rustic, colorful, and perfect for sharing.
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Hook ✨
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Juicy mushrooms, smoky ajvar, toasted walnuts, garlic, herbs, and golden crumbs make this Balkan appetizer bold, warm, and impossible to ignore. 🌶️

Ingredients

• Mushrooms 🍄
• 🍄 500 g large mushrooms, stems removed (14–16 mushrooms / 1.1 lb)
• 🫒 20 ml olive oil (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• 🧂 3 g fine sea salt (½ tsp / 0.1 oz)
• ⚫ 1 g black pepper (½ tsp / 0.03 oz)
• ‌
• Ajvar walnut filling 🌶️
• 🌶️ 160 g ajvar (⅔ cup / 5.6 oz)
• 🌰 70 g walnuts, toasted and chopped (⅔ cup / 2.5 oz)
• 🍞 55 g breadcrumbs (⅔ cup / 1.9 oz)
• 🧄 3 garlic cloves, finely grated (3 cloves / 0.5 oz)
• 🧀 80 g white brined cheese, crumbled (½ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🌿 15 g fresh parsley, chopped (⅓ cup / 0.5 oz)
• 🍋 10 ml lemon juice (2 tsp / 0.3 fl oz)
• 🌶️ 2 g sweet paprika (¾ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• ‌
• Finish ✨
• 🫒 15 ml olive oil for drizzling (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🌰 15 g chopped walnuts for topping (2 tbsp / 0.5 oz)
• 🌿 10 g fresh parsley for topping (¼ cup loose / 0.35 oz)
• 🍋 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Prepare the mushrooms 🍄
2. ‌
3. Heat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Wipe the mushrooms clean, remove the stems, and place the caps on a lined tray. Brush with olive oil, then season with salt and black pepper.
4. ‌
5. 2️⃣ Chop the stems 🔪
6. ‌
7. Finely chop the mushroom stems. Cook them in a dry pan for 5 min, stirring often, until their liquid evaporates and the flavor becomes deeper.
8. ‌
9. 3️⃣ Toast the walnuts 🌰
10. ‌
11. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 4 min, until fragrant. Cool slightly, then chop them roughly so the filling keeps texture.
12. ‌
13. 4️⃣ Mix the filling 🌶️
14. ‌
15. Combine ajvar, cooked mushroom stems, toasted walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, white brined cheese, parsley, lemon juice, and sweet paprika. The filling should be thick, moist, and spoonable.
16. ‌
17. 5️⃣ Fill the caps ✨
18. ‌
19. Spoon the ajvar walnut filling generously into each mushroom cap. Press lightly so it holds, but do not pack it too tightly.
20. ‌
21. 6️⃣ Bake golden 🔥
22. ‌
23. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 200°C (392°F) for 22 min, until the mushrooms are tender and the tops are golden.
24. ‌
25. 7️⃣ Finish fresh 🌿
26. ‌
27. Top with extra walnuts and parsley. Rest for 5 min, then serve warm with lemon wedges.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 18 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 31 min
🛋 Rest: 5 min
⏰ Total: 54 min

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