I am ecstatic to have another contributor to The Ranting Chef. Naomi is a friend from high school (eons ago) and after she put this post out on Facebook, I pestered her to let me put it up. Naomi brings another view as she eats both vegetarian and kosher. Please welcome Naomi.
Let the festivities begin! And cleaning and cooking!
This week my daughters came home and asked my husband, Rob, why he had bought so many cans of mushrooms; he told them it was the first round of Pesach (Passover) shopping. The mushrooms are for one of our favorite recipes – mushroom dip – that has been in our family for a long time.
When I was a teenager at Mira Costa High School, my friend Jim… used to host a New Year’s Eve party every year. He would serve a delicious artichoke heart dip (served warm) with toasted pieces of homemade bread. When Rob and I got married, Jim gave us the cookbook with the recipe, Horn of the Moon Cookbook: Recipes from Vermont’s Renowned Vegetarian Restaurant by Ginny Callan.
At some point in the early years of our marriage, Rob suggested we make it with mushrooms. I was skeptical at first, but it came out delicious, and thus was born one of our favorite recipes. We make it for special occasions and has made its way into many friends homes. With one simple modification of matza meal for bread crumbs, the recipe can also be made kosher for Passover.
Mushroom Dip
Ingredients:
15 ounces canned mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain the liquid from the mushrooms. Blend or process the mushrooms and garlic. Add the lemon juice, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, mayonnaise and cream cheese. Mix well. Put it in a small oven-proof pan. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Found in Hoboken Cooks: Favorite Recipes from the Mile Square City, compiled by the United Synagogue of Hoboken
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Oh my stars…it’s nowhere near lunchtime and I want that mushroom dip. Delicious. I’m going to have to make this. Soon.
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Yum, I’m going to have to try this one! Looks delicious.
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I have been craving mushrooms recently (perhaps there’s something wrong with me). This is exactly the kind of recipe I’ve been looking for – thank you 🙂
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I remember the classic artichoke dip from family holiday dinners at my aunt and uncle’s (University Hts, Ohio, BTW) – addictive. It disappeared very quickly. Mushrooms sound like a delicious alternative. Now…about veganizing it…
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I was so excited to read that you had had the original artichoke version. I still like it too even though my family 99% of the time opts for mushrooms. I wonder what other bases for the recipe would be good…
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do u think fresh mushrooms would work as well?
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I tried it once with fresh mushrooms but found that the texture of the mushrooms was completely different from canned ones and I didn’t like it as much. However, if you experiment, please post about your results. I would love to find a way to cook it with fresh shrooms
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did you cook the mushrooms down first – I was thinking of sauteing them with a bit of garlic until there were soft – what do you think?
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I think cooking / sauteing them first sounds like a great idea. I did not do that when I used fresh mushrooms year ago. I look forward to hearing how it goes!
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What a joy for me too, to hear from You! Mhmhm! with such a fine meal! My husband & i´ll prepare it. Coming soon to tell You about our efforts!
Annamaria
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Looks yummy! I a vegetarian, the hubby is not, but I know this will go over very well with us both at the dinner table.
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Yes, this recipe has tended to be liked by lots of people. The only ones who have not liked it are people who don’t like garlic (like my father-in-law) or mushrooms (like my brother-in-law). I once made it with out garlic which earned me points with the in-laws. And regarding the mushrooms, the artichoke version is still a possibility.
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Since yummy fresh veggies come so easy to me here in Israel. I think I am going to make this for Pesach. Love it!
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This looks delicious!!! I’ll definitely have to try this next get together 😀
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I’m so going to “veganize” this recipe! Thank you.
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mushroom dip sounds soooo good! I’m just gonna have to make it for myself, now!
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No worries…when I “veganize” it, I will point my followers to your site to say that I was inspired by your version. That’s if I CAN veganize it and it’s yummy! 😉
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Please share if you do come up with a vegan version. I would love to have that option.
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I absolutely will, Naomi!
Thanks! 🙂
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Sounds delish! BTW, our local Asian grocery store carries many different varieties of canned mushrooms – oyster, straw, golden, shitake, etc. Would be fun to try different types of ‘shrunes… 🙂
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Jim/Naomi,
What is “1/2 cup plus”? Is that of lemon juice or is something missing?
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Thanks for finding that. I have updated the post. It is 1/2 cup grated parmesan plus 2 T of grated parmesan.
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Thank you, Jim.
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What a great recipe. This is one to hold on to!
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I am going to try this, and let you know
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Loving the mushrooms. Looks so yummy!
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Yum… I’ll have to try this. My youngest son has it in his head that he really dislikes mushrooms. So, I have been fixing them in different ways and he decides he likes them THAT way. The last effort was on homemade pizza. Now he likes mushrooms on homemade pizza. Maybe he’ll like this dip. I think I certainly will.
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I hope he likes it. I have found that sometimes changing the texture of the food (like going from fresh mushrooms to diced and cooked) can make a difference. Good luck!
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Thanks, Naomi.
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oh my goodness this looks amazing!!!
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That sounds so tastey, having friends over tomorrow nite, now I know what to welcome them with!
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This is one sounds like a must try……already on the job…. thanx
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Mushrooms are my world, I have never had mushroom dip though. I must remedy this!
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looks delicious! Will be perfect for an event I am going to this weekend!
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But wanna admit that this is very helpful , Thanks for taking your time to write this. 846776
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Oh goodness, do I love mushrooms. I am making this as soon as I get to the grocery store. YUM! I bet this will be great on French bread.
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Looks delicious! 🙂
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Excited to see a vegetarian in the mix, and I looooove anything mushroom plus dip. Happy Passover!
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Oh, yum!! This recipe calls for having a party!
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French bread sounds delicious!
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Your site is delicious! I love the inspiration! Thank you for visiting mine as well.
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Saved as a favorite, I enjoy your site!
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Just discovered this and I am so glad! Can’t wait to try this recipe this coming Passover. Thank you for posting!
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