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Rosemary
My Weather
| | Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 03:56 pm EST : |   
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Definitely yummy. From our local newspaper....
Cooking mushrooms
I came across this technique quite by accident. I was fixing dinner one night and focusing my attention on something else -- maybe grilled lamb chops or a roast chicken … could have been a Laker game. I looked over and realized I had left the pan for the mushrooms over high heat and the butter was past foaming and even beginning to turn nutty.
I quickly dumped in the mushrooms and gave them a couple of tosses, thinking that would cool down the pan. Then I realized I'd forgotten to add the garlic and parsley, so in they went. A few more minutes and the dish was done.
I wasn't expecting much. At best, I hoped nobody would pay the mushrooms any attention. But when I tasted them, they exploded with flavor. Where did you get these mushrooms? someone asked. What kind are they? Are they wild?
What happens is this: When the mushrooms hit the hot butter, they start to give off moisture. Add the seasonings at this point and they carry back to the mushrooms as that liquid concentrates and is reabsorbed. Furthermore, the process goes very quickly, so rather than stewing slowly, the mushrooms get a chance to brown a bit before they start to become limp.
Mushroom hash
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 pound mixed mushrooms (portabello, cremini, maitake, etc.)
3 Tbsps. butter, divided
Salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1/2 cup white wine
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Tbsps. heavy cream
1 1/2 pounds mixed small potatoes (fingerlings, boilers, etc.)
1/2 tsp. sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Wipe the mushrooms clean, trim any hard stems and cut them into roughly almond-size pieces. Try to use a mixture of sizes of mushrooms so you get a diversity of shapes. The small ones can be left whole, those that are a little bigger can be cut in half, and so on.
1. Wipe the mushrooms clean, trim any hard stems and cut them into roughly almond-size pieces. Try to use a mixture of sizes of mushrooms so you get a diversity of shapes. The small ones can be left whole, those that are a little bigger can be cut in half, and so on.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until the foam has subsided and the butter turns a light hazelnut color. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with half a teaspoon of salt, cover tightly and cook, tossing occasionally until the mushrooms begin to glisten and give up their moisture, about 3 minutes. Remove the cover, add the garlic and the parsley, raise the heat to high, and continue cooking, stirring constantly until the mushrooms are richly aromatic and soft, but not flaccid, about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl. Add the white wine to the skillet. Cook over high heat until it reduces to a syrup, about 2 minutes. Strip the leaves from the thyme between your thumbnail and finger and add them to the syrup along with the cream. Cook, stirring to incorporate into a smooth liquid. Add the mushrooms back to the sauce, toss to coat well and set aside.
4. Cut the potatoes into half-inch pieces and steam in a tightly covered pot over rapidly boiling water until they are just tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Warm the mushroom mixture over medium heat and add the potatoes as soon as they are done. Do not let the potatoes cool or they won't absorb the flavors. Add the sherry vinegar and stir everything together. Adjust the salt seasoning (it will definitely need more after you've added the potatoes) and season with a grinding of fresh black pepper. (The dish can be prepared to this point up to 1 hour in advance.)
6. Before serving, warm the mixture through over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir to mix well.
Nutrition information per serving:
184 calories; 5 grams protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 22 mg. cholesterol; 16 mg. sodium.
Mushroom and winter squash gratin
Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Servings: 8 to 10
Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2 - to 4-pound) spaghetti squash
1 1/4 pounds mixed mushrooms (portabello, cremini, white button)
4 Tbsps. plus 1 1/2 tsp.s butter, divided
2 3/4 tsps. salt, divided
2 Tbsp.s minced shallots
3 slices prosciutto, cut in thin slivers
2 leeks
1 cup creme fraiche
1 cup cream
1/2 round loaf (about 4 ounces) day-old sourdough
1/3 cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Place the squash cut-side down in a roasting pan and add about half an inch of water. Bake until the squash is easily pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean, trim any hard stems and cut them into thick slices. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam has subsided and the butter turns a light hazelnut color. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with three-fourths teaspoon salt, cover tightly and cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to glisten and give up their moisture, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the cover, add the shallots, raise the heat to high and continue cooking, stirring constantly until the mushrooms are richly aromatic and soft, but not flaccid, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
4. Reduce the heat to low and, without wiping out the pan, add the prosciutto. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut away the dark green leaves of each leek, then cut in quarters lengthwise, leaving the leeks attached at the roots. Rinse thoroughly under cold, running water and slice thinly crosswise. Add the leeks to the prosciutto and cover tightly. Let the prosciutto and leeks sweat slowly, stirring occasionally until the leeks are quite tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the mushrooms back to the pan along with any liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. Stir to combine with the prosciutto and leeks. Add the crème fraîche and continue to cook slowly, stirring occasionally, while you clean the squash.
6. Remove any scorched spots from the cut side of the squash. Hold one squash half over a large bowl, and with a fork, scrape out the strands, separating them as you work from one end of the squash to the other. When there is little left but the skin, empty the squash strands into the bowl. Repeat with the other half, adding it to the same bowl. Season the squash strands with 2 teaspoons salt and stir well to combine.
7. Add the mushroom mixture to the squash and again stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart gratin dish, mounding it slightly in the center. Add the heavy cream, shaking the pan gently to distribute the cream through the squash. The cream should just be visible around the edge of the squash. Bake until the cream is bubbling and beginning to darken around the outside, about 15 minutes.
8. While the gratin is baking, prepare the bread crumbs. Cut away the crusts of the bread and cut the interior into cubes. Process in a blender to make coarse bread crumbs; you should have about 2 1/2 cups. Add the Parmesan and pulse 3 or 4 times to thoroughly combine with the bread crumbs.
9. Scatter the bread crumbs evenly over the gratin, then dot with the rest of the butter. Return to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition information per each of 10 servings:
292 calories; 7 grams protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 21 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 62 mg. cholesterol; 245 mg. sodium
Rosemary
- CT,
Zone "5"
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Susanq
My Favorite Photo
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| | Posted on Friday, November 11, 2005 - 12:46 am EST : |
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Good tip! I remember reading once not to add salt to mushrooms while sauteing, only
at the very end, because salt causes them to release moisture. Thanks again for the recipes.
SusanQ - Zone 4b-5b Wisconsin |
Deanneart
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| | Posted on Friday, November 11, 2005 - 11:17 am EST : |
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Yummy! Sounds like I have to try this.
Deanne New Hampshire Zone 5 |
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