Bacon Guacamole & Stuffed Mushrooms

I don't know if you guys know who Ingrid Hoffman is? I didn't, until I got an e-mail from Clarkson Potter, asking if I wanted to review her new book: Simply Delicioso. (You can read more about the book, and about Ingrid, here.) Now, this book is all about latin food - light, colorful, flavorful latin food. Ingrid talks a lot about "chicas" and is completely geared toward women, and I rather like her style. She seems like a latino version of Nigella, kind of! The book has tons of recipes and beautiful photos, and the chapter that really appealed the most to me is about snacks. There, I found these two recipes that I've adapted a little bit to share with you. They're both brilliant - you just HAVE to try the bacon guacamole! I can't believe I hadn't thought of that before, because it was seriously one of the best things I've ever made. My guests all agreed - and jokingly said that if it had just had some cheese too, it'd have been the ultimate food.

I forgot to take a photo of the mushrooms, but they were also really tasty. I was extremely sceptical at first - stuffing mushrooms with grapes? - but I'm glad to report that it really, really worked. It gives a bite of sweetness that plays off the saltiness of the filling perfectly, and it works texture-wise as well. It can definitely be prepared the night before, so I'd say it's perfect party food.



Bacon Guacamole
140 g bacon, finely diced and fried until crispy
3 avocados, mashed
1 tomato, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 fresh chili, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 limes, juiced
salt, black pepper

Fry the bacon and let it drain off a little on some paper towels. Mash the avocados with the lime juice and add tomato, chili and red onion. Add coriander and bacon, and season with some salt and black pepper. Serve with corn chips.

Stuffed Mushrooms

about 600 g buttom mushrooms (choose small, firm mushrooms)
200 g cream cheese
100 g serrano ham
1 tsp fresh thyme
300 g seedless green grapes
olive oil
shredded parmesan

Clean the mushrooms: remove the stems, and clean up the holes so that they're easy to fill. Dice the ham and mix with thyme and cream cheese.

Place the mushroom caps on a baking sheet or in an oven proof dish. Place a grape in each. Top with some filling and cover the grape completely. Drizzle with olive oil, and finish by sprinkling some parmesan over it. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to let the filling set. (Up to overnight is fine, but wrap it in plastic if you're leaving it that long.)

Bake at 200 degrees for about ten minutes, and serve warm.

Recipe in Swedish:
Bacon guacamole och fyllda svampar