Polenta and mushrooms

Day three saw the use of some mushrooms that had been hiding in the back of the refrigerator.

Polenta * Sage * Mushrooms
Prepare the polenta as shown here, adding a small handful of chopped sage to the broth before adding the cornmeal.
Saute the mushrooms in a touch of butter and season with salt and pepper. When they are cooked, drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Top the polenta with the mushrooms and drizzle with more vinegar, season with salt and pepper and top with thinly sliced sage.

Chili Glazed Tofu and Mushrooms

Sometimes you just look for a way to use the stuff you have in the refrigerator... Last night was one of those times. I had pea tendrils and snap peas, tofu and a couple of mushrooms and found this salmon recipe.

The mushrooms and tufo worked as great substitutes for the fish, and it didn't require a separate trip to the store.

Sweet Chili Glaze, Sugar Snap Peas, and Pea Tendrils

1/4 cup Asian sweet chili sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger, divided
portobella mushrooms and/or tofu
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry
3 cups pea tendrils
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Whisk chili sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon ginger in small bowl. Place mushrooms and tofu in a shallow oven safe dish. Spoon chili sauce marinade over and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

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Bake in 400 over for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in wok or heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon ginger and minced garlic; stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add sugar snap peas and stir until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, rice wine, and pea tendrils and stir just until wilted, about 1 minute.

I served this over rice, place some of the veggies then the mushroom and/ or tofu on top and drizzle with sesame oil.

I love my sister in law...

...so much so that I shared with her my morels. At $3 per oz... this is not something you just toss around... but they are well worth it.

Morels have a fairly short season in the spring and if you get to the farmers market early enough you can count on River Valley having them.

To clean them cut in half and rinse under cool running water to remove any dirt. Then pat dry.

For this simple orzo dish, I sauteed the mushrooms in oil and butter that was infused with fresh herbs, brought by my sister in laws girlfriend. (She is an awesome gardener, unlike myself, and always brings awesome treats...that is if you could basil and tomatoes as treats. Thanks Noa!)




To flavor the oil, warm in a pan and add fresh herbs, here I used sage and rosemary. Cook for a minute or two until the herbs begin to bubble.



Drain the herbs and put the oil back in the pan, add a touch of butter and add the mushrooms. Saute over medium for a few minutes until the soften. Season with salt and pepper.



I used orzo, though any pasta will work. After draining, toss with oil and add the cooked herbs and mushrooms. I also tossed in some fresh spring onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with fresh Parmigiana. This is great served at any temperature.

Mushroom Patties

I was looking for another take on mushrooms burgers to make and came across this one. Though I usually don't go for vegan recipes, as they often lack a little something, this turned out great with a few tweaks. Without parsley, I substituted the greens from the tops of spring onions, and used the base in place of the onions

1 1/2 pounds (685 g) cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup (30 g)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided
2 large-size yellow onions, finely chopped
3 large-size garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 to 2 cups (165 to 220 g) bread crumbs or cracker meal
1 tablespoons mustard
3 tablespoons (45 g) tahini
2 tablespoons (30 g) hoisin sauce
3/4 cup (85 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
3 tablespoons (45 ml) tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon (2 g) dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
salt and ground pepper, to taste

In a food processor, mince mushrooms and greens to form a smooth paste.

Meanwhile, in a pan over medium heat, warm about 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook onions and garlic for until soft, about five minutes.

Toast the nuts. I like to do this in a dry pan over medium high heat. Stirring to prevent browning. Chop when cooled.



Transfer onion mixture to a large-size bowl, and combine with minced mushrooms and parsley, bread crumbs, tahini, hoisin sauce,mustard, chopped nuts, tamari, oregano, sage, salt, and pepper. Add extra bread crumbs to make sure the mixture comes together to form a smooth, but not too wet mixture.

Place mixture in refrigerator for at least half an hour. Mixture will be soft, but you should be able to form patties.

Create patties using your hands. Then roll in more bread crumbs to coat. In a sauté pan, warm remaining oil, and fry patties over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crispy. Be careful to keep patties intact.

I served them on whole wheat ciabatta with caramelized onion and arugula, and a side of home made sweet potato chips.

Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Toasts

The other night we went to Abigail's with our friends Adam and Renee, there we had an appetizer with mushrooms and truffles. I was inspired by this.

I had recently read on SeriousEats.com about a new method to caramelize onions, using two slight changes. One is to caramelize a small amount of sugar, this jumps starts the process, the other is to add baking soda (a base) which changes the pH and allows you to cook hotter and breaks the onions down quicker. The end result was surely tasty and likely took a bit less time, was somewhat mushy. So for an application like this dish, it works great, but for something where you wanted pieces of onion, it would not work.

Mushroom with Goat Cheese Caramelized Onion Toasts
half a large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1/8 baking soda
pinch salt to taste
oil and/or butter

1 - 2 cloves garlic, sliced
a couple cups thick sliced mushrooms
2 - 3 ounces goat cheese
3 - 6 slices bread
small bunch arugula
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste

To make the onions, start by heating a stainless pan over medium heat, add the sugar and cook until melted and slightly golden.





Add the onions, and turn to coat. Then add the baking soda and salt, and butter and/or oil. Cook over medium heat turning occasionally. If the onions stick add a touch of water and incorporate any of the browned pieces.



Cook until the onions are broken down and have a nice caramel color. Cool completely before adding to the cheese.



To prepare the mushroom, add a touch of oil to a pan and add the garlic and a touch of salt. Cook for a minute to soften then add the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, until cooked though and soft.



Mix the cheese with the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Toast the bread, then spread with the cheese.



To finish, top with the mushrooms, then with the arugula. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grilled Mushrooms with Pesto

The other night I made some arugula pesto, last night I used the left overs with some mushrooms.

I thinned the pesto with more oil and tossed with mushrooms.




I grilled them, on a grill pan for about 5 minutes.



To serve, I topped with a touch more cheese.

Mushroom Burgers

I was looking for something new to do with a whole bunch of mushrooms. A few months back we had received mushroom burgers from Irv and Shelly and I thought I would give it a go. I found this recipe on Epicurious and used it for inspiration.

Mushroom Burgers
about a pound of mushrooms
1 leek or onion, sliced
2 - 3 cloves garlic, diced
about 1/2 cup brown rice
1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parm
1 egg
salt and pepper

Start by preparing the rice. I cooked it in a large pot with lots of salted water, like you would for pasta, until done about 40 minutes. Drain and cool.


In a large pan, heat oil and add the leeks and garlic, cook on medium about 5 minutes until they soften. Season with salt and pepper.

While the leeks are cooking, chop the mushrooms or place in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped but not mushy.


Add the mushrooms to the leeks and cook a few minutes until the mushrooms are cooked.


Place the mushroom mixer in a large bowl and add the cooled rice.


Add the about 1/4 cup bread crumbs and the cheese and mix. If the mixture is still wet add more bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then add the egg, siring until smooth.


Form the mixer into balls about 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Roll the balls in more bread crumbs and pan fry them on both sides until warm and crispy.


I served them as a sandwich with corn and black bean salad, salsa verde and grated cheddar.

Mushroom Risotto

We once again picked up some awesome mushrooms from River Valley at the farmers market this weekend.

This is a simple risotto, that really lets the mushrooms stand out.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

about 1 lb mushrooms, cleaned

2 onions, diced

2 - 3 stocks celery

1 - 2 oz dried mushrooms

bouquet garni

about 1 cup arborio rice

about 1/2 cup dry white wine

cheese to taste (I used some fresh mozzarella and tomini with truffle)

salt and pepper

olive oil

butter

Start by making a mushroom stock. In a large pot add the dried mushrooms, one onion, celery, herbs and any mushroom pieces (i used the stems from criminis), then fill with about 2 quarts of water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook for about an hour and keep warm as you make the risotto.

While the stock is boiling, chop the mushrooms and dice the second onion.

In a large pot add a little butter and oil and the onions. Cook over medium until they begin to soften. Then add the mushrooms and cook another minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the rice and cook a minute.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape any bits off the bottom.

Add the strained stock about a half cup at a time into the rice, and stir regularly to keep from sticking. Add the liquid gets absorbed add more until the rice is cooked and has a creamy texture. Then add the cheese and stir to combine.

You can garnish with a touch more cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Spiced Mushrooms

Day 5 of the 30 recipes brought a simple mushroom dish. I am currently without a grill, so rather than grill these as is called for in the recipe I cooked them in a hot pan.

This recipe is from Chris Schlesinger from East Coast Grill.

Spiced Mushrooms
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 lb medium white mushrooms (2 inches wide), stems trimmed flush with caps
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat a dry small heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately low heat until hot, then toast coriander and cumin seeds, shaking skillet frequently, until a shade darker, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer seeds to mortar or grinder and cool completely, about 3 minutes, then finely grind.

Remove spices and smash garlic, then add the softened butter along with parsley, red pepper flakes (to taste), and spices until combined well.

Toss mushrooms with oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl, then grill on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, 12 to 14 minutes total.

Toss with butter mixture and salt and pepper to taste.