Creamy Mushroom Bruschetta/ Crackers November 18, 2009

Turns out ‘mushroom’ is the most sought-after keyword that brings people to this blog. So, if you are one of the mushroom-people give this quick appetizer a try – you will love it! I enjoyed it more with crackers (the President Choice multi-grain crackers from Superstore), but the initial recipe was for bruschetta. You’ll need: mushrooms – some 400gr of mushrooms – mix white mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, enokitake mushrooms, oysters mushrooms (really, anything you find! dried mushrooms work as well), 1 tbsp sour cream, 1 onion, oil, cooking wine, roasted pine nuts, basil, salt, and pepper.

Instructions:

1. Wash and slice all mushrooms.
2. Cut onion and saute for 2-3 minutes in a large pan with a bit of oil.
3. Add mushrooms.
4. Add a bit of cooking wine, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, mixing constantly.
5. When mushrooms are almost done, add the basil.
6. Put them in a bowl, add the sour cream and mix.
7. Add roasted pine nuts and mix.
8. Serve on crackers or toasted baguette.

Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes May 22, 2009

Three pepper by chefranden

Stuffed peppers and tomatoes are more easier to make than it may sound. You’ll need: 3 bell peppers, 3 large tomatoes, 3 Roma tomatoes, 1 onion, 2-3 garlic cloves, 300-400 gr. ground meat (I prefer a mixture of pork and beef, but it works well with any meat or, if vegetarian, with rice and mushrooms), basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, oil and chicken/ vegetable stock (if you don’t have stock, just dissolve 1 maggie cube in water or use vegeta).

Instructions:

1. Prepare the bell peppers and the large tomatoes: remove tops, then discard seeds (with the tomatoes, use a teaspoon and spoon out the contents). Put aside.
2. Prepare the meat: finely cut onion and fry it for 1-2 minutes in a large pan with a bit of oil. Add the garlic, finely chopped or crushed, then add the meat and stir for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and put in a large bowl. Add all the spices (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley) and salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Spoon meat mixture into hollow peppers and tomatoes (if using a mixture of rice and mushrooms, follow exactly the same steps, but do not fill your peppers and tomatoes completely, because rice will expand a bit). Place them in a cooking pot.
5. Remove skin from the remaining Roma tomatoes (put them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes), then cut and add to the pot.
6. Add stock to cover the peppers.
7. Cook on stove for 30 minutes, medium heat. After it has boiled, move to oven (350F) for some 30 minutes.
8. Serve hot with sour cream on top.

Rosemary Pork with Mushrooms and Rice May 12, 2009

This dish works wonderfully with beef as well. Get the meat already cut into small cubes or strips, and marinate it over night. You’ll need: 300-400 gr meat, 7-10 white (or a combination of white, wild and portabella) mushrooms, 3-4 minced garlic cloves, olive oil, 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp fresh thyme, 1 tsp parsley, salt, pepper, cooking wine, 1 minced onion, 1/2 cup rice, 3-4 sundried tomatoes.

Instructions:

1. For the marinade: in a cup, mix thoroughly some 2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tbsp cooking wine, the minced garlic cloves, the fresh rosemary and thyme (make sure you chop them to release the flavor), the parsley,  salt and pepper. Pour over meat and let stand in the fridge for 3 -24 hrs.
2. Heat a bit of olive oil into a big frying pan, then fry the meat (make sure you pour all the marinade) for 5 minutes. Remove from stove, and remove the meat.
3. Add into the remaining juices the mushrooms, cut into pieces. Return to stove, and add cooking wine. Lower the heat (under medium) and put a lid on to get the juices from the mushrooms out. Mix every 2-3 minutes.
4. When there’s plenty of juice in the pan, pour everything into a pot, add the meat and cook until everything is tender (for some 10-20 minutes).
5. In a small cup, soak 3-4 sundried tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes.
6. In a separate pot, heat a bit of olive oil and fry the finely chopped onion for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add 1/2 cup of rice and a bit of cooking wine.  Stir and leave for a few seconds, then add 2 cups of water (or stock if you have any). Add the soaked tomatoes.
7. When the rice is soft, put it in the same pot with the meat and the mushrooms and let on the stove for 5 more minutes. If there’s not enough liquid, add some cooking wine and some water/ stock. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Pasta with Sour Cream Sauce April 7, 2009

If you get those white mushrooms (not the colorful ones from the photo!) and don’t know what to do with them, you can try this recipe for a sour cream sauce. You can also add pasta to the recipe.

Ingredients: 400-500 gr. mushrooms, 1/2 cup cooking wine, 2 tbsp butter (or oil), 1 cup sour cream, 2 tsp white flour, salt and pepper. Optional, pasta, 2 tbsp grated cheese.

Instructions:

1. Wash and slice mushrooms, then put them in a bowl and sprinkle the cooking wine and a pinch of salt.
2. In a cooking pan, heat the butter (or the oil). Add mushrooms and put a lid on to get the water out of the mushrooms. Remember to stir every now and then (if the water evaporates too quickly, add a bit).
3. When the mushrooms are cooked (tender) and the water is almost evaporated, add the sour cream and the flour. Optional: add cheese. Leave until it boils once, then remove and serve hot.
4. If you want to add pasta, boil it while you prepare the mushrooms as described above. Drain the water, then dump the mushrooms on top of the pasta. Add the sour cream, white flour and cheese as described above.

Photo credits: love janine

Mushroom Stuffed Salmon February 4, 2009

Another tasty way of cooking salmon: stuff it with mushrooms, olives and green onion! To preserve the flavor, cover the pot with aluminum foil when you put in the oven.

Ingredients: 1/2 salmon (the fish, not fillets or anything else, so that you can stuff it), 200 gr mushrooms, 1 bunch green onion, 100 gr pitted black olives, bread crumbs, oil, 1/2 lemon, cooking wine, salt, pepper, and any spices (like basil, parsley, oregano, thyme…).

Instructions: Wash fish, season with salt and pepper, a bit of olive oil and the juice from the lemon. Set aside. Wash and cut green onion, mushrooms and olives. In a frying pan (large enough to put all ingredients in), fry the green onion for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper and other spices. Add a bit of cooking wine. Leave for 5-7 minutes. Add black olives, remove from stove and incorporate enough bread crumbs to make the mixture sticky. With a spoon, stuff the salmon with the mixture. In an oven-proof dish, sprinkle a bit of olive oil and add cooking wine (just enough to have a liquid film covering the dish). Place salmon, add any remaining mixture on the fish, and cover with aluminum foil. Put in the oven (350F) for20-30 minutes, or until fish is ready.

Mushrooms anyone? October 28, 2008

I like mushrooms a lot, probably because they are full of proteins (and I am a meat lover). I usually buy the white, bulk ones from Superstore, which are quite cheap, and I prepare them with tomatoes. The dish goes so well on its own, or as a companion to something else. Here’s what you’ll need:

600-700 gr. mushrooms, 1/2 canned diced tomatoes, onion and garlic, a bit of oil, salt, pepper and spices like basil, oregano, thyme, parsley. For enhanced taste: a bit of cooking wine…

1. Wash mushrooms under warm water and cut them into smaller pieces.
2. In a pan, heat a bit of oil and add chopped onion, then garlic.
3. Add mushrooms, stirring. Leave for some 2-3 minutes (keep on stirring, otherwise they’ll get burnt).
4. Add diced tomatoes. Bring to boil. For enhanced taste, pour a bit of cooking wine.
5. Add salt and pepper, than spices. It’s always best to add spices towards the end (just taste the mushrooms and if they seem done to you, add the spices), to preserve their flavor.