Tag Archives: mushroom

French Lentils with Sautéed Mushrooms and Roasted Vegetables

Posted on by
1

This recipe was adapted from Clean Start by Terry Walters. Here’s a great opportunity to clear out the fridge, as nearly any winter root (or squash) will work wonderfully.  French green lentils are smaller and darker than brown ones.  They hold their shape in cooking, so are better for salads and pilafs.  You’ll find them at Whole Foods and many grocery stores.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups peeled and cubed (3/4 inch) mixed roots or winter squash (such as carrot, parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, celery root, potato or butternut squash)
  • 1 large onion peeled and cut into ½ inch wedges
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup dry French green lentils
  • 3 cups vegetable stock or water
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (plus more)
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 4 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine or sherry
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 ° F.  Toss roots with olive oil to coat.  Place on a baking sheet.  Toss onion with olive oil to coat and place on a separate baking sheet.  Roast both until tender (onions will take about 25 minutes, roots about 35).  Turn once or twice during cooking.
  2. While vegetables are roasting, place lentils in a saucepan with water/stock and a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover.  Simmer until tender (about 20 minutes).  Drain well.  Toss with one Tablespoon olive oil and one Tablespoon lemon juice.
  3. In a large skillet, heat butter with one Tablespoon olive oil.  Sauté mushrooms until they’ve reduced in size and browned in many spots.  Add sherry and one Tablespoon lemon juice.  Add thyme and cook until liquid is mostly absorbed.   Fold in lentils and roasted vegetables (with any caramelized pan drippings).  Heat through.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Toss with parsley and add more lemon juice or olive oil as needed for taste.

Mushrooms a la Julia C.

Posted on by
Reply

Recently we were reacquainted with the delightful movie, Julie and Julia, which features some of culinary grand dame Julia Child’s advice. As in, for proper browning, don’t crowd the mushrooms in the pan. Believe me, it makes all the difference. If you need to cook a bunch, do it in multiple batches. All you really need to enjoy these creamy morsels is a spoon to shovel them down, but serve them on toast or tucked inside a classic French omelette when company calls. Bon appétit.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons butter
  • Button mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Vermouth or sherry
  • Half and half
  • 2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and/or fresh chives

Method:

  1. Clean mushrooms with a brush or soft cloth to remove any bits of grit. Slice cleaned mushrooms until you have about 2 cups.
  2. Heat oil and butter in a wide sauté pan. Place mushrooms in the pan in a single layer, with room between them. After two minutes add the garlic and continue to cook. Initially the mushrooms will release a lot of moisture into the pan, but the liquid will eventually cook off allowing the mushrooms to brown. Watch closely at this stage and turn periodically so they brown on both sides.
  3. When most of the mushrooms are a bit golden brown, deglaze the pan by adding a healthy splash of vermouth. Stir and scrape browned bits off the side of the pan. Add a bit of half-and-half (a couple of Tablespoons or so) and stir to combine. Add some chopped herbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chinese Style Stir-fried Vegetables

Posted on by
Reply

(Serves 4-6)

This dish is my version of vegetable stir-fry and doesn’t really come close to the delicious dish pictured above, served up in the authentic way by my friend, Ewen – but it’ll do nicely for a start.

My  melange allows wide latitude for substitution – feel free to use vegetables you have on hand, such as bell pepper, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas of all kinds, cabbage, bok choy and other greens.  Be sure to stir-fry each type of veggie separately – as they cook at different rates.

Ingredients:

  • 2 or more Tbsp peanut or canola oil
  • ½ package firm tofu, drained and cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
  • 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup broccoli stems and floret pieces
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 6 scallions or green onion, cut into 1 inch slices
  • 1 large handful spinach, rinsed and stemmed
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ to 1 Tbsp minced ginger root (to taste)
  • 2 cups warm vegetable stock
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp dry Chinese wine or dry sherry
  • 1 tsp sugar or agave nectar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Method:

  1. Mix last 5 ingredients together (stock-sesame oil).  Set aside – keeping slightly warm.
  2. If desired, pan-fry the tofu cubes very gently in a bit of oil in a hot wok.  Turn to fry on all sides until golden.  Remove from wok and drain on paper towel.  Set aside.
  3. Reheat wok and add a bit of oil.  Stir-fry carrots, mushrooms and broccoli, separately, one type of vegetable at a time (to ensure even cooking).  Remove from pan, set aside in a large bowl, then cook the next.
  4. Add more oil to the wok, then quickly stir-fry green onions, garlic and ginger root together.  Quickly add the reserved cooked vegetables, bean sprouts, tofu (pan-fried or un-cooked) and spinach.  Stir-fry until spinach is just wilted.
  5. Pour the reserved liquid over the vegetables and toss lightly.  Serve over pan-fried noodles.

 

Mushroom Ragu

Posted on by
Reply

This recipe comes from Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food, one of the most used reference cookbooks in our kitchen.  This book contains a wealth of basic culinary information, and classic tried and true recipes that are winners every time.  I turn to this reliable volume knowing that whatever I make will come out just right!  As a variation she suggests adding one half cup chopped leafy greens (such as spinach or arugula) when adding the cream.

Continue reading →