Cornmeal muffins stuffed with mushrooms are delightful rustic small preparations, easy and very practical, because they can be taken to work, school, in your free time, and can be eaten with hands, thus falling into the category of so-called ‘finger food’. They are very appreciated in buffets or as a starter. The presence of cornmeal enriches them and gives them a more rustic taste and texture, while the mushrooms make them very tasty. This recipe, besides being very delightful, is vegetarian, but we can customize our savory muffins according to our tastes and needs.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 12/14
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 0.5 cup fine cornmeal
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.4 cup potato starch
- 1 packet baking powder for savory cakes
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3 medium eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 0.4 cup milk
- 1.1 lbs champignon mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed fine salt
- 1 tbsp dry white wine
Preparation
First, let’s prepare the filling. Wash and clean the mushrooms, slice them, and place them in a non-stick pan with a lid over low heat to remove excess moisture. Repeat this process a couple of times, discarding the water. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate, while in the pan, sauté the garlic clove with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Then add the mushrooms, let them sauté for a minute over high heat; then, pour in the wine, let the alcohol evaporate, add salt, cover, and let them cook for about ten minutes (you can add chopped parsley if you like) over low heat. Once cooked, turn off the heat, remove the garlic, and let them cool.
Prepare the savory muffin batter. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, whip the whites to stiff peaks, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 340°F
In a large bowl, sift the all-purpose flour with the baking powder for savory cakes, add the potato starch (it contributes to giving the muffins more softness, but if you don’t have it, you can replace it with corn starch or use 2.5 cups of all-purpose flour instead of 2), the salt, then add the yolks, oil, milk, and mushrooms. Mix all the ingredients well. At this point, gradually add the whipped egg whites, incorporating them into the batter with a circular motion from bottom to top to avoid deflating them. When the egg whites are perfectly incorporated into the batter (you will get a soft and creamy mixture), fill the muffin cups halfway. Place all the cups on a baking tray, making them easy to handle and put in the oven.
Bake the tray with our savory muffins on the lowest rack for about 20/25 minutes. Once baked, remove them immediately and let them cool before enjoying.
Additional idea. We can enrich our muffins with porcini mushrooms, but don’t overdo it as their flavor is strong. We can also add chili to the mushrooms or directly to the muffin batter if you like.
