Mushrooms Casino

Source: McCormick, Inc.

125 mushrooms
10 bacon strips, raw
1 1/4 pounds lean ground sausage
5 onions, chopped
1 pound celery, chopped
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
5 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, toasted
1 cup corn oil

Rinse mushrooms in a colander. Pat dry with paper towels. Remove the stem from each mushroom then hollow out the center of each mushroom cap. Set caps aside. Finely dice the stems and pieces. Reserve.

Cut bacon strips into small pieces. Cook bacon until almost done. Remove bacon from pan and reserve. Remove all drippings from the pan.

Add sausage to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Break the sausage up as it cooks. Thinly dice onion and stir into sausage. Add celery, hot sauce, Worcestershire, reserved mushroom pieces, cooked bacon, and the Old Bay Seasoning. Stir and cook until all vegetables are soft.

Add bread crumbs to pan, and carefully mix. If necessary, add bacon drippings to mixture to bind all ingredients together.

Pour oil into a small bowl. Dipping a pastry brush into the oil, paint the outside of each mushroom cap. Place the caps on a sheet pan hollowed side up. Place an equal portion of the cooked meat and vegetables into each cap.

Broil until lightly browned or bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Yields 25 servings.