Tag: mushroom

Stuffed Mushrooms

This tasty mushroom recipe is from the first diet plan that ever worked for me. It doesn’t taste like diet food because yummy melted cheese! Found in Suzanne Somers’ Get Skinny on Fabulous Food cookbook, they are cheesy and tasty with no rice or bread. They are easy to make and can be served as an appetizer if you are entertaining. Picture is my mom, son, and daughter enjoying Tofino in Vancouver Island.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound mushrooms
  • 4 TBS butter
  • 4 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 TBS chopped thyme, parsley or tarragon (she uses fresh lemon thyme in the book but I have trouble finding that)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:

Carefully pull stems off the mushrooms, finely chop stems. Select the 12 largest caps and set aside for filling. Finely chop the remaining mushrooms. Melt the butter in a large skillet, add shallots and saute until golden brown. Add chopped mushrooms and herb and saute until brown and crispy. Add wine and cook off the alcohol for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and preheat broiler.

Place the mushroom mixture in a mixing bowl with 1/2 the cheese, stir until well combined. Lightly rub the caps with oil and place on cookie sheet. Fill each cap and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Broil for 5 minutes. Cheese should be bubbly and the caps a little brown.

 

 

 

Coq Au Vin

Every other Friday my best friend Dawn comes over with her son and I make a new dish. Having a meal with friends makes it so much more fun. This recipe called for adding cognac and then lighting it on fire. That was a blast and now I want to find more dishes that I get to light on fire. This is the one and only Julia Child’s recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Ingredients;
3 to 4 oz chunk of lean bacon
2 TBS butter
2 – 3 lb chicken, cut up.
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup cognac
3 cups full-bodied red wine
1 to 2 cups chicken or beef stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 TBS tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/4 tsp thyme
12 to 24 brown-braised onions
1/2 lb sauteed mushrooms
salt and pepper
3 TB flour
2 TB softened butter

Directions;
Remove the rind of the bacon and cut into lardons. Simmer for 10 minutes, rinse in cold water and dry. Use a 10 inch fireproof casserole dish. Saute the bacon slowly in hot butter (2 TB) until it is lightly brown. Remove to a side dish.

Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it in the hot fat. Season the chicken, return bacon, cover and cook for 10 minutes turning the chicken once.
Uncover and pour in the cognac. Averting your face, light the cognac with a match and shake until the flames subside.

Add wine, stock, tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to simmer, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. While the chicken is cooking prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Recipes are as follows:

Brown Braised Onions

Ingredients:

18-24 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter

1 Tbs butter

1 1/2 Tbs oil

1/2 cup beef stock, wine, or water. (red or white wine is fine)

salt and pepper to taste

A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp thyme.

When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onion and saute over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. Pour in the liquid, season to taste, add the herbs. Cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes.

Sauteed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 Tbs butter

1 Tbs oil

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms

Directions:

Heat the butter and oil and as soon as it starts to foam add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4-5 minutes. As soon as they have browned

Returning to Coq Au Vin recipe

Remove the chicken to a side dish.

Simmer the chicken cooking liquid for a minute or two skimming off the fat. Raise heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 1/4 cups. Season and discard bay leaf. Blend the butter and flour into a paste and beat into hot liquid with a wire whip until thick enough to coat a spoon.

Place chicken, onions, and mushrooms together and baste with sauce.

Spinach-Mushroom Melts

 

I have been an on and off vegetarian my entire life. Starting at age 11 and trying at least 5  times since; my most successful stint being for 5 years. As you can tell by my recipes, I have given up on the vegetarian way of life. However, I would love to share a few recipes I use to eat as a vegetarian. This was one of them. Found in Vegetarian Times magazine, Jan 2006 issue.

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces Portobello mushroom caps (about 4 medium), stemmed
  • 2 TBS pine nuts
  • 1 TBS olive oil
  • 4 green onions (white and pale green parts), thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)
  • 1/2 lb fresh spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
  • 4 slices country bread, 1/2 inch thick, lightly toasted
  • 3/4 cup shredded smoked mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F, wipe tops of mushroom caps. Using spoon, remove gills from inside caps and discard. Cut caps in quarters and thinly slice.
Toast pine nuts in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often until golden and fragrant, 1-2 minutes, transfer to a bowl.
Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in same skillet over medium heat, add mushrooms and green onions until mushrooms begin to soften, 4-5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl.
Add remaining 1/2 tbsp oil to skillet and heat over medium heat, add garlic for 15 seconds, add spinach and toss until wilted, 2 minutes, remove from heat and add mushroom mixture, stir in pine nuts and toss.
Arrange bread slices on baking sheet; top with spinach-mushroom mixture, dividing equally, and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

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