See?

This is one of those “Dear Lord what am I cooking tonight?” dishes. The refrigerator was skimpy and so was the pantry. I used to have a regular day for everything…Grocery shop on Monday,clean on Tuesday and Wednesday, day off on Thursday, paperwork and scheduling on Friday…

Please note the words “used to”. Now I get so busy I forget to shop and then we have the unique meals that would totally ruin any reputation as a foodie I have. I have not yet lowered myself to the point of making peanut butter ravioli with jelly sauce..but I am not saying it couldn’t happen…

This was made of a few scraps of Fontina, some left over pecans, a whisp of celery and a couple of spinach leaves that would have had to go to the chickens by the next day..

Yumm…sounds appetizing doesn’t it? Just remember; it isn’t you you start…it’s how you finish!

This makes a great luncheon dish, side dish, or vegetarian main course. There is lots of flavors and textures happening on the plate. If I make it again I am going to try adding some unpeeled, chopped apples just lightly sauteed. I wish I would have thought of it this time.

A friend of mine saw Maple Pepper on a trip to New Hampshire. She sent me a jar of it and…wowza! That stuff is potent. If you don’t have access to the maple pepper, add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the vegetables at the end of saute time, and add a finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo as well.

Need a menu? Try this with:

Autumn Dinner

Autumn Pasta with Fontina and Pecans

Honey Glazed Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

Baguette or  Rosemary Cracked Pepper Bread

Apple Bundt Cake

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Night. PPN is the brain-child of Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and Abby of Eat th Right Stuff is the hostess for this week.

Autumn Pasta with Fontina and Pecans

• 1 lb  whole wheat penne, cooked a la dente
• 1/2 to 1 cup pecans, chopped and  toasted*
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach cut on a chiffonade**
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms of choice, sliced ( a mixture of several is nice here)
• 4 oz fontina, grated
• 1/2 tsp maple pepper
• salt to taste
• olive oil and butter combo for saute pan (about 2 tbs each)

*To toast pecans toss them in a heavy pan and stir over medium high heat watching that they don’t burn.

**To cut chiffonade: layer several spinach leaves on top of each other. Roll up tightly and then cut horizontally very thinly. You will end up with thin strips of spinach.

1. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in pan until just soft
2. Add mushrooms and saute until done
3. Add maple pepper and stir well
4. Put penne in a large serving bowl, spoon ingredients over the top
5. Add pecans, fontina, and spinach
6. Toss lightly and serve immediately with extra fontina

serves 4-6 (8-10 appetizer or side dish servings)

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

I know my surgery was over a month ago but I am just now beginning to cook a little. It wiped me out. I feel like such a wimp! I am exhausted in the afternoons. Anyway, I decided to try out the mushrooms and see how I liked them. We don’t get a huge variety of mushrooms here in Texas, at least not in my area. I was amazed at the selection I was sent, and there are even more on the site. Dried mushrooms are great because the flavors are more intense and they keep practically forever.

I decided to make my Faux Stir Fry Dinner. I will be posting the recipe a little later, we love it because it is cheap easy and quick!

I  used the Maitake mushrooms. These have a unique, nutty, woodsy-rich flavor and a buttery texture.  The texture really held up well during cooking. I rehydrated them with some hot water for about 20 minutes before adding them (and the water) to my recipe.

The flavor was wonderful. The dish was a huge hit – Kyrie ate two helpings, which for her is amazing. The child looks like a spider-monkey. Even those who aren’t at all keen on mushrooms loved this dish. Best of all, the mushrooms are organic. They are a little expensive but  the flavors are rich enough that you can use them as a flavoring agent in almost anything. If you are not using the water that you rehydrated them in in your recipe be sure to save it for soup or stew. It holds a lot of flavor.

The flavors were fresh and intense, and I like the fact that you can use these whenever without worrying about having them spoil. Marx Foods is the company that does the environmentally friendly palm leaf disposable plates I  reviewed.

If you want to add some mushroomy goodness to your foods but don’t have access to a wide variety this is a great way to try some new flavors and textures.

image:marye audet

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The chicken breast is covered with a dusting of herbes de provence, to which I added fennel pollen. If you don’t have the fennel pollen just use fennel or omit it. I baked the chicken, but  it could be grilled for even more flavor.

Served with green beans and biscuits, with the rest of the Coconut Cherry White Chocolate bars for dessert,This recipe was a big hit at our house.

Herbed Chicken Breast with Portobello, Bacon, and Parmigiano Reggiano

• 12 boneless chicken breast halves
• Herbes de Provence
• Fennel Pollen
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups sliced portobello mushrooms
• 4 slices applewood smoked bacon, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ozs or so of good Parmigiano Reggiano

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Lay the chicken in a large pan with sides and sprinkle it liberally with the herbs.
3. Sprinkle it with salt and put in the oven.
4. Cook until it reaches an internal temp. of 165F
5. Saute the bacon until it is done and crisp.
6. Pour off the fat and reserve it.
7. Add the onion to the pan and saute until transparent.
8. Add more bacon drippings as  needed to to keep the vegetables from sticking and scorching.
9. Add the garlic and saute three minutes.
10. Add the mushrooms and stir ingredients together.
11. Cook slowly, stirring often, until mushrooms are tender.
12. Add 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes.
13. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
14. Add the mushrooms
15. Spoon some of the mushrooms over each chicken breast and garnish with a few shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Serves 12

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

When Marc and I were at Presidio we new an instructor that went out every weekend mushrooming. He must have been pretty good at it, he was only hospitalized once.

When I think of Monterey I think of a lot of fresh foods. I haven’t been back there in over 25 years but back then it had a great small town feel, lots of fresh produce and sea food, and some wonderful memories.

This dish is named Pasta Monterey because it has mushrooms and lots of fresh produce, as well as Monterey Jack cheese. The sauce is creamy and delicate….and the flavors are perfectly, in my opinion, combined.

I served it with a Blueberry Walnut Salad with Lemon, Lavender and Ginger Dressing, and Mexican Chocolate pudding. I will try to get those recipes posted soon.

Use any type of pasta you want in the salad, I used Da Vinci organic penne and it was perfect.

This is my submission for Presto Pasta! Michelle at Greedy Gourmet is hosting and you know she is going to do an amazing job! Check out the site for more Presto Pasta dishes…and..if you need a good wine recommendation, you know, Cathy is brilliant at that.

Pasta Monterey

1 lb cooked pasta

2 cups chopped mixed mushrooms: portabella, button, enoki, morels, whatever…

2 green peppers chopped

2 red peppers chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 bunch green onion for garnish

1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the peppers, onions, garlic, and mushrooms in the olive oil until soft. Stir often.Add the cream and simmer until mixture is reduced by 1/4 and slightly thickened. Add the butter, taste and adjust seasonings. Add to the penne and toss to coat the pasta. sprinkle cheese and chopped green onion over all and toss just before serving.

Serves 8

Image: Marye Audet 

Post from: Baking Delights

This month’s ingredients were mushrooms, cheese, and herbs.  I had at first thought of Parmesan and mushroom palmiers, which are something that I love but I wanted something different…unique.  Unusual. Hmmm. I have been fascinated with Beggars’ Purses since I read about them a few years ago but had not taken the time to make them…hmmm..Maybe? I clicked through my mental flavor rolodex and came up with…ah..perfection!

Tempting,  aren’t they?

Mushroom, Oregano, and Gorgonzola  Beggars’ Purses in Brown Butter Sauce.  The filling is a nice juxtaposition of mushrooms, garlic, onion, and oregano with a salty bite from the gorgonzola.  It is rich and creamy  in the mouth followed by a slow, surprising heat from, what else? A tiny touch of smoky dried chipotle.  White flour crepes would have been too bland for this, so whole wheat crepes add their delicate, nutty flavor and enhance the nuttiness of the browned butter.

Wow. I love it. I am so pleased with how these came out! I think you will be, too.  Make sure you get whole chives for the ties, they need to be long and set them in boiling water for no more than a minute or they are too hard to work with. The filling and crepes could be  done ahead and assembled at the last minute.

Mushroom, Oregano, and Gorgonzola  Beggars’ Purses

Make Crepes:

3 eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup milk

pinch salt

Blend together in blender until smooth.  Set aside for about an hour for the gluten to relax.

Filling:

8 oz mushrooms, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp dried chipotle granules (optional)

1 onion, chopped

1/3 c fresh oregeno, stems removed and leaves chopped.

6 ozs of gorgonzola  cheese, crumbled.

1 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbs butter for sauteeing.

Saute all ingredients except cheese in pan until soft, and almost creamy, and flavors have blended.  Stir in gorgonzola and set aside.

For Crepes:

Heat a nonstick pan on a burner and rub a stick of butter over the pan. Pour in about 3 tbs batter and swirl pan to get a thin coating on pan.  Cook batter until edges brown.  With your fingertips peel crepe from pan and flip it for a few seconds. Put on plate. Put one tablespoon or so on center of crepe and bring edges up around it. Tie with chive stalk.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile put 1/2 c butter in a pan and simmer until amber brown without stirring.

Pour butter sauce on plate.  Set Beggars Purses on plate and spoon more sauce over top. Garnish with some gorgonzola.  Serve immediately. Makes 12

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