The Infamous Burgundy Mushrooms

I started my Christmas vacation on December 19th which let me stay home, clean, do a million loads of laundry, finish my Christmas shopping and start cooking again. I also started watching daytime TV and I was quite disappointed there are so many waste-of-my-time talk shows, dumb reality shows and the Food Network just seems to run the same "Cupcake Wars" or "Chopped" episodes. I was really getting pissed off when I stumbled upon a show I've never seen before called, "The Pioneer Woman" on the food network. The Pioneer Woman, a.k.a. Ree, was cooking like a half a cow, a gazillion cinnamon rolls and she made this Burgundy mushroom recipe. After I saw it and she mentioned that it takes 9 hours...yes, NINE HOURS, to make, I was intrigued. "This I can make!" I told myself. "Bring on the mushrooms!"

Let me just say that the 9 hours are worth the wait. What I did is I measured all my ingredients the night before and had stuff ready to go in the fridge, so that way I woke up at 5am the next morning and just dropped everything in the pot and let it simmer. Also, I wanted to use my Crock-Pot® for this but my crock pot is like from 1984 and it's not big enough to fit the 4 pounds of mushrooms and the liter of wine. But I don't see why you can't make this recipe on one of those new, huge, beautiful Crock-Pots I drool over whenever I'm over at Williams Sonoma.

These mushrooms make a great side dish, or just serve them as an appetizer, but if you let them cool, you can use them in a salad or as your main dish because once you taste these mushrooms you will think you're eating meat...seriously!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds White Button Mushrooms
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 liter Burgundy Wine (other Reds Will Work)
• 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 cups Boiling Water
• 4 whole Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 4 whole Beef Bouillon Cubes
• 1 teaspoon Dill Seed
• 5 cloves Garlic, Peeled

DIRECTIONS

Thoroughly wash the mushrooms and throw them into a large stockpot. Add all the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for six hours.

Remove the lid, then continue cooking, uncovered, for three hours.

The mushrooms will be very dark in color. Simmer until needed. Server straight from the pot or in a serving bowl. Dip crusty bread in the juice!

Pappardelle with Slow-Braised Leeks and Crispy Porcini Pangrattato

I bought a bunch of nice looking leeks at the farmer's market this weekend, and when I got home I didn't know what to do with them. Sometimes I'm one of those food shoppers that buys interesting or weird looking foods or vegetables if they're on sale. Anyway, I got some suggestions for leeks soup and vichyssoise, but I decided to try this pappardelle recipe with braised leeks. The original recipe (below) comes from Jamie Oliver, however I cut it down by 1/3 since it's just me and the peanut right now. I also used pancetta because I could not find Parma ham.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 big leeks, outer leaves trimmed back, washed
• Olive oil
• 3 good knobs butter, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• A small wineglass white wine
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
• 12 slices ham, preferably Parma
• 2 (8-ounce) packages fresh lasagne sheets
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

Pangrattato

• 1 small handful dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 ciabatta bread, preferably stale, cut into chunks
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

DIRECTIONS

Halve the leeks lengthways and cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices and place in a large bowl of water to clean. Pat dry with a paper towel. Heat a wide saucepan, add a teaspoon of oil and a knob of butter, and when you hear a gentle sizzling add the sliced garlic, thyme leaves and leeks. Move the leeks around so every piece gets coated. Pour in the wine, season with pepper and stir in the stock. Cover the leeks with the slices of Parma ham, place a lid on the pan and cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes. Once the leeks are tender, take the pan off the heat.

To make the pangrattato:

Whiz the mushrooms and bread with a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Heat a generous tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic cloves and the rosemary and cook for a minute, then fry the bread crumbs in the oil until golden and crisp. Keep shaking the pan - don't let the bread crumbs catch on the bottom. Drain on paper towels, discard the rosemary and garlic and allow the bread crumbs to cool.

Bring a big pan of salted water to the boil. Lay the lasagne sheets on a clean working surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Place the sheets on top of each other and slice into 1/2-inch strips. Toss through your fingers to shake out the pappardelle, then cook in the boiling water 2 minutes or until al dente.

Remove the Parma ham from the saucepan, slice up and stir back into the leeks. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the Parmesan and the rest of the butter. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the leeks. Add a little of the cooking water if need be, to give you a silky, smooth sauce. Serve quickly, sprinkled with some pangrattato, extra Parmesan and any leftover thyme tips. Serve the rest of the pangrattato in a bowl on the side.

Mushroom Quiche

I wanted to make Thomas Keller's Over-the-Top Mushroom Quiche but it was just too much for one person. It had almost two pounds of mushrooms! Instead, I made a simple, yet very delicious mushroom quiche (and I added a few leftover zucchini pieces I had). I used a frozen pastry shell instead of making my own crust, but that was just for a time saver. If you're not a mushroom lover, you can use other veggies such as cut up pieces of sauteed broccoli, or sauteed spinach, or even roasted asparagus pieces. Try a French Rose with this quiche.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6 - 8 people)

• One 9" frozen pie shell **
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced (OPTIONAL)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup good Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Line pie shell with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Place baking weights, or rice or uncooked beans on top of pastry. Blind bake the pie shell for 10 minutes. Let cool and remove the rice or beans afterwards.
3. In a large skillet add the olive oil and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and cook for one minute. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
4. Keep cooking for another 8 minutes until mushrooms are a dark golden color.
5. Add the zucchini, if using, and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Spread half of Gruyère cheese at bottom of pastry shell. Add the mushroom mixture on top and top with remaining Gruyère cheese.
7. In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture carefully over ingredients in pastry shell.
8. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until set. Serve hot or cold.

** Side note: I forgot to blind bake my pastry shell; the quiche still came out good, but the bottom of crust was just a tiny bit soggy.

Traditional Irish Breakfast

Happy St. Patricks day everyone! Today is one of my husband's favorite holidays, mainly due to his Irish heritage. And one of his most favorite Irish dishes is the traditional Irish breakfast. You can totally make this at home; you'd be surprised how many specialized markets and online stores carry food from Ireland. You totally need the real thing to make this, but you can always improvise, as well. Don't forget to serve Irish hot tea and brown bread on the side. This meal is just brilliant!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 1 packet of Irish Sausages
• 1 packet of Irish bacon (or Canadian bacon)
• One Pack of White Pudding
• 4 Eggs
• 2 large tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 pint white mushrooms, sliced
• Irish Butter
• Grated Dubliner Cheese

DIRECTIONS

You are basically going to fry the bacon, sausages and white pudding until they are fully cooked and golden brown all around (do not fry the bacon crispy, keep it soft and well browned.) Keep them in a warm oven, covered with foil while you finish the rest.

Next, fry the mushrooms in Irish butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside in oven.

Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and fry them, cut side down. Set aside in oven.

Finally, fry the eggs and grate Dubliner cheese on top if desired. Divide all this Irish goodness among four plates and be ready for your tummy to be happy!

Pan Seared Rib Eye Steaks with Mushroom Sauce

Okay, okay, I know I'm probably over doing the who cast iron skillet thingy, but dang do I love cooking in it. What I love the most is the fact that if you keep your skillets seasoned, they basically become non-stick and you have to use very little oil to cook in them. Anyhoo, this recipe is great, but then again how can anyone ever go wrong with rib eye steaks? NUMMY.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

• 2 rib eye steaks, about 1" thick and 1/2 lb. each
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Montréal Steak seasoning by McCormick
• 1 shallot, minced or 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 1/2 pint pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine or chicken stock
• 3 - 4 Tbsp sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning. Evenly distribute marinade over both steaks and tightly wrap with plastic wrap or place them in a zip-loc bag; marinate 30 minutes, or longer, in the refrigerator.
2. Take the steaks out of the fridge and bring to room temperature, about another 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 500ºF and place a 12" cast iron skillet that has been slightly wiped with canola oil in the oven as it preheats.
4. Unwrap the steaks. When the oven is finished preheating, take the skillet out and place on the stovetop over high heat for another few minutes. Be very careful because the pan is very, very hot. Use your oven mitt!
5. Add the steaks to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds on one side. DO NOT MOVE THE STEAKS! This is essential to developing the seared crust.
6. After 30 seconds, flip the steaks and cook for another 30 seconds on the second side.
7. With an oven mitt on, put the pan with steaks into the 500ºF oven for 3 minutes. Flip the steak then back in the oven for another 3 minutes on the second side (4 minutes for medium well).
8. Take the pan out of the oven and remove the steaks; tent with foil and let it rest while preparing the mushroom sauce.
9. Return the pan to the stovetop on medium high heat; the pan should still be very hot. Add the shallot and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for one minute. Add the wine (or stock) and bring to a boil and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of skillet. Simmer for another minute.
10. Remove pan from heat and add sour cream, any juices from the seared steaks, and season with salt and pepper, and cook for a minute. Serve immediately mushroom sauce with steak. Delish!

Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe for pan seared rib eye recipe on FoodNetwork.com.

Spinach and Gorgonzola Cream of Wheat

I was having a polenta craving last night but lo and behold, I did not have any quick-cooking polenta in the pantry. Incredibly enough, my local food shop did not have any polenta in stock. I was shocked, but that didn't stop me from making something up...so I came up with this recipe using cream of wheat. Yes, you heard right, cream of wheat--you know that stuff we used to eat as kids? Of course, it's not really the same as polenta, but it has that creaminess and richness that polenta possesses. If you do have polenta in your pantry, you can use that instead, but let me tell you this is a very unique version! This makes a great side dish to chicken or even fish.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

Mushroom Saute

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
• 1/4 cup white wine or champagne
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Salt & pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Savory Cream of Wheat

• 1 2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup Malt-o-Meal Cream of Wheat
• 2 Tbsp. half and half
• 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz. (about a palmful) of Gorgonzola cheese (you can also use Gruyère cheese or mozzarella, if you don't like Gorgonzola or blue cheese)
• 4 oz. fresh spinach

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for one minute. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until they are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine or champagne and raise the heat to medium-high. Let all the alcohol evaporate. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the chopped parsley, mix to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a 4 quart sauce pan, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Slowly add the cream of wheat, whisking constantly with a whisk. Once all cream of wheat is incorporated, add the half and half and lower heat to medium. Keep whisking for 3 minutes until it becomes creamy. Add Parmesan, Gorgonzola (or whichever cheese you're using), mushroom mixture and spinach. Mix it all to combine, and serve immediately.

Turkey Cakes with Morel Sauce

Earlier this year when I was on holiday in Minnesota, I was introduced to morel mushrooms. I had never seen an actual fresh morel mushroom because they are usually sold in dried form here in Southern California. However, up in the Minnesotan-Wisconsin region, these lovely 'shrooms grow wild and they are plentiful. The mushrooms have a very meaty and nutty taste and really wake up bland meats such as chicken or turkey. I played with the ingredients in trying to recreate the pheasant cakes with morel mushroom cream we had at Legends Grill in Prior Lake, MN. It didn't come out exactly the same, but it was still yummy. If you don't like asparagus, you can omit them from the morel sauce...I just used them because I had leftovers.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• 1 oz. dried morels, reconstituted in warm water for 30 minutes and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 c. panko or breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Morel Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup asparagus, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 3 spears)
• 1 oz. dried morels, reconstituted in warm water for 30 minutes and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the chopped shallot and sauté until soft, about 2 minute. Add 1 ounce morels and minced garlic, and sauté until garlic becomes fragrant, about another minute. Put mixture in a large bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Once it's cooled, add the ground turkey, worcestershire sauce, egg, parsley, parmesan cheese, panko and salt and pepper to the shallot and morel mixture. Combine the mixture, without overworking it. Shape into 4 patties about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.

Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add patties; cook 4 minutes. Turn patties; cook 4 more minutes or until no longer pink in centre and internal thermometer inserted into centre of turkey reads 165°F. Cover the patties with foil and place them in the warm oven while you make the sauce.

Morel sauce: Wipe the same sauté pan with a paper towel and heat 2 tablespoons butter on medium-high heat. Sauté the shallot and asparagus for one minute, then add remaining one ounce of morels and garlic. Sauté for another minute then stir in the white wine. Bring to a boil then simmer for a couple of minutes, or until wine is reduced by half. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste then place the warm turkey patties in the sauce and simmer for about a minute. Serve the sauce over the turkey patties and a side of Minnesotan wild rice will go well with this dish, too.