I'm kind of on a Korean kick lately!
Ingredients:
4 portobello mushrooms
1 lb lean ground beef
1 bunch scallions, chopped fine
1 tsp garlic powder or equivalent minced garlic
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp dark sesame oil
2 ounces firm tofu
Tempura batter (my recipe is very loose - I dump some flour or cornstarch into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, then add water until it is the right texture. That is to say, thick enough to coat but thin enough that it drips freely. I make more as needed and don't get fussy about it.)
Optional:
Canola oil, enough to fully coat the bottom of a skillet
Wash the tops of the mushrooms. Remove the stems, and use a butter knife to gently scoop out the gills.
Mix the beef and seasonings and tofu together until well combined. You're less worried about overmixing than usual because the tofu and mushrooms keep it moist - go ahead and mash it together fully.
Stuff the mushroom caps with the beef mixture. Pack it in tight so they stay together.
Now, if you are going to fry them, then heat the oil to medium-high heat. Dip the mushrooms in the batter and fry until golden, about 5 minutes on each side. This is not for the faint of heart. If you cook the mushrooms a little too long, they will suddenly do what mushrooms do best and release their liquid. This will cause oil to spatter everywhere and is both dangerous and scary. Do not leave them unattended while cooking, and cover your hands with oven mitts so you can quickly move the pan if necessary without getting spattered by oil. The payoff for this is a delightfully crispy, dumpling-like dinner which you can then dip in soy sauce like a pot sticker!
If you don't want to fry them, then heat the oven to 450. Dip the shrooms in the batter and lay them on a heat-safe baking sheet. Note that most non-stick baking sheets are NOT safe at such a high heat and should not be used above 400. If you don't have a non-non-stick baking sheet, just use tinfoil. Spray them with cooking spray, then bake them for 12 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. If you overcook them they will be wet from the mushrooms, but it is less of a problem than if you were frying them.
You can also bake them with no batter at all, but you can't fry them without batter.
These make incredible lunches the next day. I like to dip them in a sauce made of chopped scallions and soy sauce, like what you dip dumplings in at a chinese restaurant.
Showing posts with label mushrooms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mushrooms. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Bibimbap (Korean One-Bowl Meal)
This iconic Korean dish has many incarnations and is excellent for using up extra bits of vegetables, though I usually go out to shop especially for it since I have favorites and want to be sure I have the stuff I like. This is healthy by almost anyone's standards, except for the sugar which can be left out if necessary (but is delicious).
Ingredients:
Seasoned spinach
1 box fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dark sesame oil
t tbsp garlic powder or 8 cloves minced garlic
Cooked brown rice
Eggs
You'll notice I didn't specify a number of eggs or an amount of rice. This is because there's one egg per serving, and the number of servings depends on how much each person will eat. Also, the amount of rice depends on how much rice you like. I only eat about 1/2 cup of cooked rice but Koreans eat way more.
To prepare the spinach, thaw it and then gently saute over medium heat in its own liquid until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the seasonings and set aside.
To prepare the cucumber, just mix it together and set it aside, separately. Incidentally, to make matchsticks, you will first cut the cucumber in half to make two shorter pieces. Then cut the pieces lengthwise into planks, then stack the planks two or three high and slice them into thin strips. Then shorten them by cutting crosswise once or twice.
Prepare the carrots by cutting them the same way, then steaming in a small amount of water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Set aside.
Prepare the beef by sauteing over high heat until it's well browned. Then add the sugar, garlic, and soy sauce or tamari. Simmer until the liquid is thick enough to coat the meat in a nice sauce. Set aside.
In the same pan, lower the heat to medium and crack eggs over it. Fry them sunny-side-up to your desired degree of doneness. I like to break the yolks and spread them out so they are totally opaque and cooked, because I think liquid yolks are gross, but it is more authentic for them to be liquid, so if you like your eggs that way then by all means, go for it.
Serve the meal by placing some rice in the bottom of the bowl. Then spoon some of each thing over the rice in little piles around the bowl: spinach, cucumber, carrot, mushrooms, and beef like a tasty rainbow. Place a fried egg over the top of each bowl and serve.
You're supposed to break up the egg and stir it together when you're ready to eat it. If you have a liquid egg yolk, the yolk forms a sauce that would be tasty if you like that sort of thing. This is also supposed to be served with sriracha or korean hot sauce. If you like it, then go for it; otherwise, it's also good without the heat.
The leftovers are even better. It's delicious as lunch the next day, even cold.
Ingredients:
Seasoned spinach
- 1 frozen block of chopped spinach
- 1 tsp dark sesame oil
- 1 tsp reduced sodium tamari / soy sauce
- 1 english cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp rice or cider vinegar
1 box fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dark sesame oil
t tbsp garlic powder or 8 cloves minced garlic
Cooked brown rice
Eggs
You'll notice I didn't specify a number of eggs or an amount of rice. This is because there's one egg per serving, and the number of servings depends on how much each person will eat. Also, the amount of rice depends on how much rice you like. I only eat about 1/2 cup of cooked rice but Koreans eat way more.
To prepare the spinach, thaw it and then gently saute over medium heat in its own liquid until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the seasonings and set aside.
To prepare the cucumber, just mix it together and set it aside, separately. Incidentally, to make matchsticks, you will first cut the cucumber in half to make two shorter pieces. Then cut the pieces lengthwise into planks, then stack the planks two or three high and slice them into thin strips. Then shorten them by cutting crosswise once or twice.
Prepare the carrots by cutting them the same way, then steaming in a small amount of water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Set aside.
Prepare the beef by sauteing over high heat until it's well browned. Then add the sugar, garlic, and soy sauce or tamari. Simmer until the liquid is thick enough to coat the meat in a nice sauce. Set aside.
In the same pan, lower the heat to medium and crack eggs over it. Fry them sunny-side-up to your desired degree of doneness. I like to break the yolks and spread them out so they are totally opaque and cooked, because I think liquid yolks are gross, but it is more authentic for them to be liquid, so if you like your eggs that way then by all means, go for it.
Serve the meal by placing some rice in the bottom of the bowl. Then spoon some of each thing over the rice in little piles around the bowl: spinach, cucumber, carrot, mushrooms, and beef like a tasty rainbow. Place a fried egg over the top of each bowl and serve.
You're supposed to break up the egg and stir it together when you're ready to eat it. If you have a liquid egg yolk, the yolk forms a sauce that would be tasty if you like that sort of thing. This is also supposed to be served with sriracha or korean hot sauce. If you like it, then go for it; otherwise, it's also good without the heat.
The leftovers are even better. It's delicious as lunch the next day, even cold.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Mushroom Pastitsio
I have no idea what a pastitsio actually is, beyond delicious, but lately Cooking Light has had a couple of recipes for it that have been amazing. Here is my take on it... It's a cheesy wonderful casserole, with excellent leftovers.
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked rotini, whole wheat works well
16 ounces baby bellas, cremini mushrooms, or regular mushrooms, or a mix
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic or equivalent garlic powder
1 tsp Penzey's Bavarian Blend or 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/3 tsp kosher salt
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
1 brick lowfat or fat free cream cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup grated mozzarella (reduced fat is okay but not fat free)
Mince the onion and chop the mushrooms finely. Saute together in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and it mostly evaporates. Add the garlic, salt, and herbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the tomato sauce.
Add the milk into the skillet and whisk the flour in while it's still cool (you can't whisk flour into a hot liquid). Cook and stir until bubbly and thick. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cream cheese and parmesan, stirring until they melt and become smooth. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir.
Pour half of the pasta mixture into a medium sized casserole dish. Spread the mushroom mixture on top, then add the rest of the pasta mixture on top of that. Finally, sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the whole thing.
Bake at 400 until the cheese melts, then serve.
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked rotini, whole wheat works well
16 ounces baby bellas, cremini mushrooms, or regular mushrooms, or a mix
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic or equivalent garlic powder
1 tsp Penzey's Bavarian Blend or 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/3 tsp kosher salt
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
1 brick lowfat or fat free cream cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup grated mozzarella (reduced fat is okay but not fat free)
Mince the onion and chop the mushrooms finely. Saute together in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and it mostly evaporates. Add the garlic, salt, and herbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the tomato sauce.
Add the milk into the skillet and whisk the flour in while it's still cool (you can't whisk flour into a hot liquid). Cook and stir until bubbly and thick. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cream cheese and parmesan, stirring until they melt and become smooth. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir.
Pour half of the pasta mixture into a medium sized casserole dish. Spread the mushroom mixture on top, then add the rest of the pasta mixture on top of that. Finally, sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the whole thing.
Bake at 400 until the cheese melts, then serve.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Mushroom Stew with Spaetzle
Another drastically modified recipe from Cooking Light, my favorite source of inspiration! The original was a vegetarian recipe out of the November 2010 issue, and called for a metric truckload of expensive cremini mushrooms as well as specifying a very difficult, messy, and culturally inaccurate method for making the spaetzle. I've been to Alsace and base my own spaetzle off of what I ate while I was there (it was amazing, FYI).
Incidentally, spaetzle are simple handmade noodles, enriched with butter and eggs, and are very easy to make. I don't have kids but I'm pretty sure spaetzle-making would be fun for children.
Ingredients:
1 pound lean beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 package cremini mushrooms, sliced thickly
1 large package white button mushrooms, sliced thickly
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Ground pepper to taste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
For the spaetzle:
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp butter, very soft
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp milk
~1 cup flour
1 tbsp margarine or butter
Brown the beef over high heat in a dutch oven. Remove with a slotted spoon, letting the juices remain. Cook those juices until the bottom of the pan is dark brown. Meanwhile, put the porcinis into a small bowl with half a cup of water and microwave for one minute. When the mushrooms have hydrated and become soft, remove them (save the mushroom liquid!) and chop them finely.
Add the vegetables, sauteeing quickly to get most of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, for 5 minutes. Add the red wine and scrape the rest of the browned bits off while the alcohol cooks down.
Put the meat back in the pot and add the broth, mushroom liquid, and salt. When it begins to bubble, turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until to desired tenderness, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, make the spaetzle. Put a medium-sized pot full of water on to boil. Mix the soft butter, the eggs, the milk and the salt together in a bowl. Add about half the flour and mix with a sturdy spoon until smooth. Add in as much of the remaining flour as you can, a bit at a time, until you have a soft dough. (For non-bread-bakers, this is similar in stiffness to cookie dough.)
Turn out onto a well-floured surface, ideally waxed paper or a Silpat, and roll out with an equally-well-floured rolling pin to about the thickness of pie crust, which is to say about 1/8 - 1/4 inch, into a long oblong. Slice the oblong dough shape along the short side into strips 1/4 inch wide, then cut them the other direction so they're about three inches long, or whatever length you want (shape doesn't much matter). If you're doing it, use a big chef's knife to make the job easy and fast, but if it's your kids, have them use a butter knife or a dull pizza cutter.
When the water is a rolling boil, drop the spaetzle into the water all at once. Boil for 3 minutes. They'll float when they're done, so if you've rolled them very thick or cut them into large shapes and they aren't all floating after 3 minutes, let them cook another 30 seconds or so. Then drain and put into a bowl. Toss with the margarine until it melts.
When the stew is done, stir half of the parsley into it and add the vinegar. Mix the 2 tbsp flour with about 1/4 cup cold water, then pour it into the stew, stirring constantly until it thickens. Serve with the spaetzle, and sprinkle the parsley on top.
Incidentally, spaetzle are simple handmade noodles, enriched with butter and eggs, and are very easy to make. I don't have kids but I'm pretty sure spaetzle-making would be fun for children.
Ingredients:
1 pound lean beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 package cremini mushrooms, sliced thickly
1 large package white button mushrooms, sliced thickly
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Ground pepper to taste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
For the spaetzle:
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp butter, very soft
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp milk
~1 cup flour
1 tbsp margarine or butter
Brown the beef over high heat in a dutch oven. Remove with a slotted spoon, letting the juices remain. Cook those juices until the bottom of the pan is dark brown. Meanwhile, put the porcinis into a small bowl with half a cup of water and microwave for one minute. When the mushrooms have hydrated and become soft, remove them (save the mushroom liquid!) and chop them finely.
Add the vegetables, sauteeing quickly to get most of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, for 5 minutes. Add the red wine and scrape the rest of the browned bits off while the alcohol cooks down.
Put the meat back in the pot and add the broth, mushroom liquid, and salt. When it begins to bubble, turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until to desired tenderness, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, make the spaetzle. Put a medium-sized pot full of water on to boil. Mix the soft butter, the eggs, the milk and the salt together in a bowl. Add about half the flour and mix with a sturdy spoon until smooth. Add in as much of the remaining flour as you can, a bit at a time, until you have a soft dough. (For non-bread-bakers, this is similar in stiffness to cookie dough.)
Turn out onto a well-floured surface, ideally waxed paper or a Silpat, and roll out with an equally-well-floured rolling pin to about the thickness of pie crust, which is to say about 1/8 - 1/4 inch, into a long oblong. Slice the oblong dough shape along the short side into strips 1/4 inch wide, then cut them the other direction so they're about three inches long, or whatever length you want (shape doesn't much matter). If you're doing it, use a big chef's knife to make the job easy and fast, but if it's your kids, have them use a butter knife or a dull pizza cutter.
When the water is a rolling boil, drop the spaetzle into the water all at once. Boil for 3 minutes. They'll float when they're done, so if you've rolled them very thick or cut them into large shapes and they aren't all floating after 3 minutes, let them cook another 30 seconds or so. Then drain and put into a bowl. Toss with the margarine until it melts.
When the stew is done, stir half of the parsley into it and add the vinegar. Mix the 2 tbsp flour with about 1/4 cup cold water, then pour it into the stew, stirring constantly until it thickens. Serve with the spaetzle, and sprinkle the parsley on top.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Chicken, Mushroom and Parsnip Soup
Cook Light's holiday edition has arrived in my mail and with it a new collection of recipes for my favorite food season. I tried this recipe tonight and it was so easy, tasty, and unique that I will be prepping it many times in the future, I suspect. As always, I didn't quite follow the recipe, so here is my version.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter or Smart Balance or olive oil (I used butter, recipe called for olive oil)
3/4 cup sliced shallots, about 2
3/4 cup sliced parsnips, about three or four
1 turnip about the size of a lemon, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 packages presliced white mushrooms, or 1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 minced garlic clove, or a scant teaspoon of minced garlic
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp minced dried porcini mushroom (optional but delicious)
The breast meat from a rotisserie chicken, chopped
Ground pepper to taste
Dash of ground chipotle pepper - if you don't have chipotle, use cayenne, or omit
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Melt the butter in a large pot, and sauté the mushrooms, parsnips, turnip and shallots until the mushroom liquid is mostly evaporated.
Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer about 10 minutes or until the turnips and parsnips are tender, stirring frequently.
You may have noticed that I didn't call for much broth. This is because I don't really make soups, as such, but rather make braised dishes. This necessitates more stirring to keep the cooking even, but it produces a more concentrated and delicious broth, and it is much easier to eat. I don't like to drink broth and so if there's too much of it, it just goes to waste. Unless you really love drinking the leftover broth in your soup, I suggest you try making your favorite soup recipes with as little as half the called-for amount of liquid. You may be surprised at how good it is!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter or Smart Balance or olive oil (I used butter, recipe called for olive oil)
3/4 cup sliced shallots, about 2
3/4 cup sliced parsnips, about three or four
1 turnip about the size of a lemon, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 packages presliced white mushrooms, or 1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 minced garlic clove, or a scant teaspoon of minced garlic
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp minced dried porcini mushroom (optional but delicious)
The breast meat from a rotisserie chicken, chopped
Ground pepper to taste
Dash of ground chipotle pepper - if you don't have chipotle, use cayenne, or omit
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Melt the butter in a large pot, and sauté the mushrooms, parsnips, turnip and shallots until the mushroom liquid is mostly evaporated.
Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer about 10 minutes or until the turnips and parsnips are tender, stirring frequently.
You may have noticed that I didn't call for much broth. This is because I don't really make soups, as such, but rather make braised dishes. This necessitates more stirring to keep the cooking even, but it produces a more concentrated and delicious broth, and it is much easier to eat. I don't like to drink broth and so if there's too much of it, it just goes to waste. Unless you really love drinking the leftover broth in your soup, I suggest you try making your favorite soup recipes with as little as half the called-for amount of liquid. You may be surprised at how good it is!
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