With Super Bowl Sunday only a day away, I discovered this dip for mushroom, cheese and herb dip from Schug Carneros Estate Winery. The recipe calls for one cup of red wine. Enjoy for the Super Bowl or any other day of the year.

Mushroom, Gorgonzola and Herb Dip

(serve with SCHUG Cabernet Sauvignon)

Ingredients

2 packages sliced mushrooms (10 oz. each)
2 tbsp. each butter and olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup dry red wine
1/3 lb. Gorgonzola cheese (5-6 oz.), at room temp.*
½ lb. cream cheese, at room temp.
¼ cup scallions, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary or thyme (or both!), finely chopped
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 or 4 dozen homemade croutons, or sturdy crackers for dipping/serving

Directions

Prepare mushrooms: 

1. Chop the mushrooms until they are in pieces about ¼-inch across. Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat then add the butter and olive oil and a large pinch of salt and several grindings of pepper. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pan and stir and cook for several minutes. Continue to stir and cook the mushrooms until all their juices have evaporated and the mushrooms are nicely browned.
2. Turn flame to medium and add the red wine. Stir and cook the mushrooms for another several minutes or until the wine has completely evaporated and there is no steam coming from the mushrooms. Turn flame off and set mushrooms aside to cool to room temperature.

Prepare cheese and herbs: 

1. Place the Gorgonzola and the cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer.  Turn machine on at low and mix the two cheeses together, scraping down the sides occasionally, until they are well blended but small pieces of Gorgonzola cheese are still visible.
2. Add the scallions, herbs and pepper and blend again until all ingredients are incorporated.
3. Next, add the room temperature mushrooms and stir again to blend evenly.**

Warm dip for serving:

1. Place mushroom mixture into a decorative 8” x 8” casserole dish. Bake the mushroom mixture for 12-15 minutes in a pre-heated 375°F oven, or until it has softened and the cheese has just begun to brown a little.
2. Serve dip with a spoon or spreader on croutons or sturdy crackers while warm. Makes enough for 12 people to have 3 or 4 servings each.

Cook’s Notes:

*Use a crumbly Gorgonzola, not a creamy one. The creamy cheeses tend to “break” or separate when heated and their oil floats to the top of the dip. Still tasty, but not as pretty!

**If made ahead of time, place mushroom/cheese mixture into a plastic container with an air tight light. Keeps for a couple days. To serve, begin recipe at warming step.

Recipe provided by SCHUG Carneros Estate Winery in Sonoma, California.

Cheers!
Kathy