Lunch and Dinner Archives | Page 13 of 16

Gardening 2010: Lessons Learned

July 28, 2010

As the beginning of August approaches, we are still knee deep in gardening goodness. I’ve learned a lot this season. There were many mornings I thought it would be easier to forget it and buy from the Farmer’s Market. However, I have to admit that the feeling you get when you prepare or eat something you grew yourself is incredibly rewarding.

We still have quite a bit of the season to go because we are planning some fall crops. We are hoping the melon, pumpkins and spaghetti squash begin producing soon, too.

Even though there is more to come, I’ve done a little reflecting on what this first year with a large garden has taught me. Whether it’s just for a laugh or it proves helpful, here are my gardening lessons learned.

Grass is a powerful, powerful plant. It grows incredibly well everywhere except where you would like it to.

The garden which we would prefer to be grass-free is like a fertile home for the green stuff. It threatened to take over the strawberries several times, succeeded in doing so with the potatoes and nearly took over the corn. The more we pull the more it grows. Yet, we have some completely bear spots in our new yard. Though we transfer sod and plant new seed, it seems the grass would rather be in the garden among friends.

Not only do you need the time to plant and pick it, but you need the time to cook and eat it too.

We’ve been pretty good at managing our gardening time. Between some early mornings and working late in the evenings, the weeding and picking has been under control all season. Then, I realized that what was being picked needed to be eaten. Believe it or not, that is when things got crazy.

If we head to a cookout for one evening or I meet a friend for lunch one afternoon, the produce piles up like crazy and I get behind. Now, this isn’t exactly a bad problem to have but one can only eat so many cherry tomatoes.

Garden gifts aren’t as easy as I thought they would be.

We moved to a house with a big yard for a big garden. The problem? All our neighbors have gardens, all my friends who don’t are about 40 minutes away, and I work from home. I envisioned gifting all our extra produce. I had no idea it would be such a difficult task.

My garden plans are as exotic as my tastes for food.

This year we planted a lot of basics – tomatoes, squash, corn, bell peppers, hot peppers, potatoes. Then we got a few out of the ordinary plants (for around here) too – celery, artichoke and asparagus (which won’t produce for a while) and a Japanese eggplant.

As I’ve read gardening stories online and witnessed things at the area farmer’s markets I have my sights set incredibly high for next year. I’m thinking lots of heirloom tomatoes, more varieties of eggplant, Thai chiles, bok choy, and tomatillos to name a few things.

Cucumbers and zucchinis are enormous plants.

They seem to just keep growing and growing. The one cucumber plant that actually lived has taken over all of the space we had planned for three of them.

If you put nine jalapeno plants in your garden, beware.

Why would you only buy one small jalapeno plant when they come in packs of 9 for a mere $3? Seems crazy, right? That is, until you begin to drown in a sea of hot peppers.

I wish I could put into words my glorious visions of all the perfect jalapenos I would preserve and salsa I would make. I was so excited when the first few began to ripen. And then more began to ripen, and more, and more. I have never seen so many jalapenos in my life. Box after box has been entering our kitchen and new blooms show that they are not stopping anytime soon.

I’ll talk about my canning experiences more later, but my first batch failed miserably. Although, future batches got better, I can’t help but look at the boxes sitting in the kitchen and dread slicing them. The bright side is that I’ve found a few new recipes for canning beyond the standard pickled jalapeno so hopefully some creativity will inspire me. One thing I do know is we will be having one spicy winter around here!

In addition to jalapenos there are a few other specific items we are drowning in; namely, cherry tomatoes and zucchini. I’ve been trying to make all that I can with them so the next few posts will be devoted to those recipes.

First up – Baked Zucchini and Japanese Eggplant. I really like making individual servings of casserole-type dishes so that is what I did here. This dish is great with or without a side of pasta.

Baked Zucchini and Japanese Eggplant

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tsp dried basil
¼ cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese, grated
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Olive oil
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 Japanese eggplant, sliced
2 cups marinara (any type, preferably homemade, will do)
1 ½ cups whole milk mozzarella

Preheat the oven 400 degrees F. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. On a plate, combine the bread crumbs, basil, 2 tbsp of Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Drizzle the slices of zucchini and eggplant with olive oil, and spread to coat each piece.

Place each slice in the bread crumb mixture and press to cover evenly, arrange on the cooling rack. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.

On a separate baking sheet arrange four, 4 to 5 inch wide ramekins. Spread 2 tbsp of sauce in each one. The order I used was zucchini, sauce, mozzarella, eggplant, sauce, mozzarella and Romano so you can divide up each of the ingredients per layer and ramekin. Sprinkle the top with any remaining bread crumbs.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cheese melts and begins to brown, and the sauce is bubbly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve in the individual ramekins.

Spiced Local Lamb over Israeli Couscous

July 16, 2010

At a party about a week or so ago we were having a discussion with friends about cooking. It was mentioned how fortunate my husband is to be the recipient of all my cooking creations. This particular friend didn’t overly enjoy cooking and was frustrated with the same dishes. Even more so, she was frustrated when she put in the time and things didn’t turn out well.

It was at this point that I took the opportunity to say that while I enjoy cooking my creations aren’t always especially delicious either. I have about a 60/40 success rate. Sixty percent of the time I end up with something that tastes and looks good and 40 percent of the time something is lacking. It might be the flavor, the appearance, or both.

Sometimes I mention my failures here, but to be honest I have limited time to edit photos and write up posts. So why would I concentrate on all the bad things I make? No, I put up all the great things! It isn’t about being dishonest; I just think most people would like to see things they can recreate that will taste good.

So just know it isn’t all roses in Lori’s kitchen. Sometimes I have difficulty keeping the ugly weeds from popping up.

Let’s use Israeli couscous as an example. I am completely new to it. I read the directions carefully including the part that said – cook the couscous in a skillet over low heat, but do not let it get brown. Ooops!

This is a dish I was able to save in the end with lots of flavorful toppings, but if you look closely, pieces of the couscous are definitely brown! Some almost burnt. Better luck to me next time, but you can recreate this with no problem at all and hopefully you won’t burn the couscous like me.

I’ve never cooked with lamb before (look at that, two new ingredients in one post!), but for the first time I am now in an area with a local producer, Windhover Farm. We picked up a pound of ground lamb at the Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago and I hope to buy more in the future because it was delicious.

I first started out with lamb patties, but soon realized that crumbled lamb works better in this dish. You can use either. I seasoned the lamb, topped it with all kinds of fresh stuff and came up with one tasty dinner in a bowl!

Spiced Local Lamb over Israeli Couscous

3 cups Israeli Couscous, cooked
1 lb ground lamb
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp onion, grated
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

¼ large onion, thinly sliced
8 slices of tomato

Sauce:
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup cucumber, finely chopped and squeezed dry
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

In a skillet, brown the lamb. When it has been cooked about ¾ of the way through add the allspice, coriander, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until done and stir in the parsley.

(If making lamb patties add the spices to the raw, ground lamb and mix well. You might also want to add a couple tablespoons of bread crumbs. Shape into four patties and cook in a skillet about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.)

Divide the cooked couscous into four bowls and top with one-fourth of the ground lamb. Add onion and tomato slices followed by 2 tbsp of the yogurt sauce. Enjoy! Serves 4.

Mexican Tapas in Geneva, IL

July 9, 2010

It wasn’t until this past weekend that I realized there are some really enticing small towns that reside along the river outside Chicago. With their boutique shops and attractive landscaping, the main streets are overflowing with restaurants. It was on one of these streets in the small city of Geneva, IL that we had the pleasure of experiencing Bien Trucha.

My brother-in-law and his wife had told us about the place prior to our arrival so the anticipation had been building for a while. This little restaurant and its Mexican tapas are in high demand. Apparently the restaurant began with about six tables and has since expanded to twelve or so.

Lunch service began at noon and we arrived early to avoid a line which we’ve heard is the norm. Surprised to be the first ones at the door at 11:45 am, it took a mere 30 seconds before others started filing in. By the time the restaurant opened the line was long enough to fill every table inside.

The atmosphere was an inviting mix of quaint, cute, rustic and authentic. The dining room gave hints of a romantic evening ambiance, but at the lunch hour it was bustling with couples, friends and families, loud conversation and few cocktails round the tables.

I was still trying to soak everything in, with my camera in hand of course, as we were quickly asked for our drink order. I barely had time to look at the menu as the waiter rattled off several margarita selections. A quick glance and three were ordered at our table – Pinasada with grilled pineapple, Pepino or cucumber, and the Flor de Jamaica with hibiscus flower extract. The water of the day was also ordered which was mango.

My drink was the Pepino and the rim came adorned with a chili-type salt that melded the flavors together. It was refreshing with that familiar tequila kick. Yes, cucumber is a wonderful ingredient in a summer cocktail.

The menu boasts a creative list of appetizers, soups, salads and tortas, but the real draw are the tacos. Each order comes with four, tapas-style, served on a wooden platter.

Before we took on the tacos, we began with the guacamole of the day. What distinguishes the guacamole of the day from the traditional guacamole is that it is topped with fresh fruit. Ours had grapes and apparently watermelon has been the fruit of choice on other visits. For me, the texture was perfect as far as guac goes. Creamy, but still slightly chunky and the sweet grapes added a nice contrast with the slight heat of peppers and tart lime.

Still not done with starters we continued to look over the menu. My husband immediately noticed the ceviche. We weren’t sure how our hosts would feel about it, but fortunately they were game. I say fortunately because the ceviche was delicious, not to mention beautifully plated.

While the standard selection on the menu was with tilapia there was a special the day we were there. Our choice was the ceviche with shrimp, strawberry and melon with an avocado mousse. I’m not extremely experienced in ceviche, but this creation was outstanding.

We chose three different varieties of tacos, and with four people at our table this meant that we all got one of each. The Pescado came highly recommended by our family and included beer battered, fried tilapia topped with a red cabbage slaw made with chipotle-morita aioli. Crispy, crunchy, spicy, creamy – these tacos had it all. The red cabbage really added to the presentation as well.

As a side note, I was unfamiliar with morita. It turns out that Chile Morita is a small reddish-purple chile. It can literally be translated too small blackberry pepper.

Next up were the Pastor tacos with ancho-guajillo marinated pork, morita salsa and a piece of grilled pineapple. As you can imagine the sweet pineapple tasted wonderful with the mildly spicy flavor of the meat and salsa.

The grand finale was the Bien Trucha taco. These had both grilled skirt steak and homemade chorizo. The salsa was roasted tomatillo-serrano. What a way to end our meal! The chorizo really made this one for me. There was just a little bit added, but the flavor took over in a very good way.

To be honest, there is no way I could pick a favorite. Each item we sampled had its own appealing characteristics and individual flavors. Visiting Bien Trucha reminded me how much I crave authentic food which we tend to have very little of where we live unless you want a southern favorite.

There is little if anything on the menu that has been altered to appeal to the US American palate. Even the style of service from the refilling of water to serving sodas in a can was incredibly Latin American.

Bien Trucha is the type of place where you adapt to the food, the food doesn’t adapt to you. The type of place that makes this former expat think – perhaps this whole repatriation thing isn’t so bad after all.

Bien Trucha
410 West State Street
Geneva, IL 60134-2104
(630) 232-2665

Foodbuzz 24×24: Around the World with Grilled Pizza — A World Cup Celebration!

June 27, 2010

What is one event that brings the world together?

The World Cup!

What is one food that you can find in some form in almost every country of the world?

Pizza!

How do you give pizza summer twist?

Well that is where this comes in.

Yesterday my husband and I hosted our first party in our new house since moving back to the US. Given our adventures the past few years, what better way to celebrate than with an international theme intended to bring friends together through food.

I guess Foodbuzz thought it was a pretty good idea too as we were chosen for the Foodbuzz 24 x 24 event this month!

Around the World with Grilled Pizza: A World Cup Celebration was a hands-on event for our guests. My husband and I brainstormed six different pizza combinations each representing a country in the World Cup. We prepped the dough for the attendees and then let them create their pizzas based on our menu suggestions and their own preferences.

The preparations began on Thursday with many batches of whole wheat pizza dough (a modification of the Spelt Pizza Dough from fellow food blogger, Off Her Cork). These then became 104 mini-pizza crusts. We wanted them large enough to hold a few toppings, but small enough to fit multiple on the grill at once and for our guests to make several different varieties.

Work continued into Friday and Saturday with roasting tomatoes and garlic for the red sauce, and soaking and cooking dried garbanzo beans for the hummus. There were also herbs to be picked and garden fresh vegetables to be pre-grilled.

We managed to represent the US and Kentucky with many of the ingredients. These were then used to create more international flavors to build on the World Cup theme of the party.

We had three main sauces for the pizzas. A Roasted Tomato Sauce that quickly came together after roasting tomatoes, onion and garlic for about an hour and then pureeing it with a little salt, pepper, mascavo sugar and basil. The Mediterranean Hummus sauce was your basic combination of beans, garlic, tahini and fresh lemon juice.

I decided not to tackle making my own barbeque sauce. There is a local producer in the neighboring town that makes a fantastic corn syrup-free sauce by the name of Kentucky’s Smokin’ Grill. We picked up a couple jars of that, transferred it to the squeeze bottle and it was a huge hit.

The smoked pastured chicken which my husband prepared on the grill before the big event, as well as the pastured heritage breed pork sausage, came from Pike Valley Farm. If you’ve read my blog often you know is my favorite farm around.

Most of the vegetables and herbs came from a variety of local sources including jalapenos, yellow squash, green bell pepper and basil from our garden; onions, tomatoes and zucchini from a nearby farmer’s market; and zucchini from my Dad’s garden (not exactly local, but in the family). We threw in a few extra toppings to invite creativity such as button mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, black olives and even some bananas for the dessert pizza.

You simply can’t have a Kentucky party without bourbon. It paired nicely with iced tea and the fresh lemonade sweetened with Demerara sugar. There was also plenty of Kentucky Light to go around, a Kölsch style beer brewed locally.

Now that I’ve told you how it was all prepared. Here’s how it all came together. After topping their partially grilled crusts guests headed out to the grill where my husband finished the cooking process and melted the flavors.

Our friends took some advice for pizza combinations and then added some creativity. To our surprise, the biggest hit seemed to be the goiabada for Romeu e Julieta dessert pizza like the kind we used to enjoy in Brazil. Many people were new to the guava paste and became fans of the guava and cheese combination.

Below was our World Cup pizza menu!

Greece

Grilled summer squash and onions, feta cheese and Mediterranean hummus

Mexico

(based of off Mexican themed pizzas we’ve had in Brazil and in the Caribbean)

Pastured pork sausage, fresh or pickled jalapenos, cheddar cheese and roasted tomato sauce

USA

Grilled pastured chicken, chopped onions, chopped dill pickles, cheddar cheese and Kentucky Smokin’ Grill barbeque sauce

Italy

Fresh basil, mozzarella cheese and roasted tomato sauce

Brazil

Goiabada, cinnamon sugar and mozzarella cheese

Switzerland

Chocolate fondue and chopped bananas

We were extremely pleased with the overwhelming response and everyone’s creativity, as well as a willingness to try some new flavor combinations. I think we have forgotten what hard work it is to entertain a large crowd, but fortunately as the sun went down the party continued with entertaining lawn games as well as rest and relaxation on our back patio. We were reminded that there is nothing like good food, great friends and summer nights no matter where you are in the world.

Our Greek pizza has also been submitted to the Regional Recipe Greece Round-up hosted by Eats Well with Others!

Ataulfo Mango Jalapeno Pizza

June 9, 2010

These days I’m feeling incredibly mango deprived. Actually, I’m feeling tropical fruit deprived in general.

Ataulfo Mango Jalapeno Pizza | Fake Food Free

Wow, has it been difficult to go from fresh bananas, pineapples, guava, mangos, papaya and oranges at the local farmer’s market in Brazil, back to mediocre store-bought apples and grapes. Things are looking up now, of course. Spring brought strawberries. Summer will bring blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and peaches. The wonderful central Kentucky apples will follow this fall.

I missed all of these things when I was in Brazil. Now that I’m back, I miss mangos! They did have a very distinct season where we lived, but when ready, the flavor was incredible. The local Japanese market would also import several different varieties from around the country.

One variety that I did not find there, however, was the Ataulfo, or Champagne, mango from Mexico. This was introduced to me by a friend in the States. I just love these tiny little bundles of sweetness. Everything you read about the flesh being rich and buttery is true.

These are still available at the stores around here so when I saw Mango & Tomato’s 2 year recipe contest I knew I had to pick one up and enter!

About this time last year I introduced you to one of my favorite mango combinations – the Sweet and Spicy Mango Quesadilla. I decided I needed to somehow include a tomato in the mix for my recipe entry. I first considered fresh salsa, but I expect that many people will consider that as well, so I kept thinking.

Finally, it came to me – pizza! Now, I was a little leery of how the tomato sauce on the pizza would go with the mango and jalapeno, but I love pineapple on my pizza so I went for it. Good thing, because the combination turned out wonderfully.

I’ve been wearing out Off Her Cork’s Spelt Pizza Dough recipe. It is excellent! I made it again here, but this time I used whole wheat flour for the spelt and white wheat flour for the unbleached. I also added a half teaspoon of salt and an Italian seasoning blend. You can use any crust of your choosing, of course.

This pizza is every bit as good as the quesadilla combo with a different twist. If you like a sweet and spicy combo on your pizza, this is one for you!

Ataulfo Mango Jalapeno Pizza

Makes: 1 to 2 servings

Ingredients

Sauce

1 (14 oz. can) no-salt, tomato puree (this will soon be fresh tomatoes once they arrive in the garden!)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ tablespoon mascavo sugar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Toppings
1 Ataulfo mango, sliced or chopped
¼ cup sliced pickled jalapenos
¼ cup whole milk mozzarella, chopped or shredded

10 to 12 inch size of your favorite pizza dough

Prep

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium sauce pan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Heat over medium-high and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside. You will likely have much more sauce than you need so you can make another pizza or use it another day.

Roll the dough out to your desired thickness and coat the bottom with cornmeal. Place on a pizza pan and spread on about ¼ cup of the sauce over the dough. You can use more or less based on your preferences.

Top the sauce with the mango, jalapenos and cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown and bubble. Allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, slice and serve.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Ho Fan

May 24, 2010

I can’t believe a full week has already gone by, but it is time to pick the winner of the dried, organic Black Trumpet mushrooms from the Hoosier Mushroom Company! Before I do, let me tell you what I decided to make with mine.

I’ve never cooked with Black Trumpets before and the first thing I noticed was the intense aroma when I opened the package. This is one flavorful mushroom, more so than any variety I think I’ve had before.

I poured boiling water over the mushrooms and soaked them for about 20 minutes. What resulted were thin, delicate ribbons of mushroom and a dark, rich broth some of which I used in this recipe and the rest I froze to add to soups later. I combined the mushrooms, broth and homemade chicken stock and served it over Ho Fan, a flat Asian noodle. I’ve read that Ho Fan is made of rice flour, but according the package, the variety I bought was made of wheat. I really enjoy this noodle; it holds up well in broths and vegetable stir-fry with a somewhat firm texture.

The Ho Fan was a nice match for the rich mushroom broth. This ended up being a very easy, simple meal, and with the Black Trumpets, the flavor is outstanding!

Black Trumpet Mushrooms over Ho Fan

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 green onions, sliced
1 oz dried Black Trumpet Mushrooms, soaked, drained and roughly chopped
6 cups chicken stock (I used homemade)
1 cup mushroom broth, reserved after soaking
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 – 12 oz pkg Ho Fan noodles, cooked and drained

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot on medium-high heat, add the garlic and onion; cook for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the stock, broth and thyme (you can remove the sprigs after cooking). Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Taste the mushrooms; if they are tender the broth is ready. If not, continue to simmer until tender.

Divide the noodles into 6 separate bowls. Divide the stock evenly and pour over the noodles. Serve hot.

Without further delay, as selected using Random.org, the winner of the Black Trumpets is Emily from A Nutritionist Eats!! Congrats! Just drop me an email at lori (at) fakefoodfree (dot) com and we’ll get the package sent out to you. Thanks to the Hoosier Mushroom Company for allowing me to experiment with their delicious products and for hosting this giveaway!

This post was submitted to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

Disclaimer: The Black Trumpet mushrooms were sent to me free of charge from Hoosier Mushroom Company. I was not required to review them and received no compensation for doing so.

BLT Pizza with Spicy Chipotle Mayo

May 20, 2010

The Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich is a symbol of summer for me. Growing up, when the lettuce was ready in the garden and the tomatoes perfectly ripened this sandwich was on the menu. It is quick and easy with both protein and vegetables, not to mention some fat to help you absorb the veggie vitamins. I will admit that often my sandwiches were bacon and cheese as a kid, but fortunately I now appreciate the fresh vegetables so I’ve graduated to full BLT status.

Last week I was looking through one of my cookbooks and found a recipe for a BLT pizza. I thought it was a great idea for spicing up the traditional and decided to give it an even greater twist with a little chipotle mayo.

I bought the bacon from St. Asaph Farm not too far from the town we live in. I’m really excited to be finding so many natural farms around central Kentucky that implement the practices of Joel Salatin and Polyface Farm. In addition, I enjoyed talking with the owner, Rachel. She has lived abroad in the Dominican Republic and her husband in India and then they moved to India together after they were married. I’m always amazed at the international experiences I encounter here at home.

The bacon is jowl bacon from pastured pork and has a delicious flavor. It cooked up nicely. I like mine crispy and my husband likes his chewy so I usually cook a few slices of bacon longer than the others.

The lettuce came from my Dad’s garden which we got when we were visiting over Mother’s day weekend. The tomato, from a hydroponic grower at the farmer’s market.

I made this Focaccia recipe from Tyler Florence, split it into four loaves and sprinkled on some shredded parmesan before baking. I used the chipotle salsa from the Shrimp Taco Dorado I posted recently. It is really just a chipotle mayo. To make it, combine some mayonnaise, one to two chipotle peppers in adobe (based on how spicy you want it) and a squeeze of lime juice and blend it up.

Summertime BLT Pizza with Spicy Chipotle Mayo

Adapted from Weight Watchers Dining for Two

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 individual rounds of baked focaccia or your favorite pizza crust

8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped1 large tomato, chopped

4 cups lettuce, chopped
½ cup chipotle mayo (more or less to taste)*

Prep

In a large bowl, combine the bacon, tomato and lettuce. Pour over the mayo and toss to coat all the ingredients. Divide into four servings and place on top of each pizza. Cut into slices with a knife and serve.

*See explanation in text above the recipe.

Chicken Shiitake Manicotti in Garlic Cream Sauce

May 17, 2010

When I was younger I used to hunt for morel mushrooms with my older brothers in the woods behind our house. I guess that is when I learned other mushrooms existed besides the white button variety so plentiful in US supermarkets and salads. Other than that, however, my mushroom knowledge was limited.

Fast forward 20 years and I still know very little about mushrooms, but I’m learning. Two things I’ve learned is that they offer multiple health benefits and they are highly respected ingredients in the culinary world with deep, complex flavors.

After reading food blogs and articles about mushrooms I was beginning to think they were another one of those gourmet ingredients most plentiful on the food-rich coasts of the US or abroad. Then I learned of The Hoosier Mushroom Company. Yep, an Indiana company. Not only am I living close to Indiana, but I am originally from there. That’s where we did all that morel hunting as kids.

The Hoosier Mushroom Company is a small, family run operation in Nashville, Indiana that began as a mushroom farm growing six varieties – Oyster, Shiitake, Maitake, Lion’s Mane, Nameko, and Reishi. Despite the fact that morel hunting is a pretty big deal in Indiana, there were very few resources in the state for mushroom hunting. This company has evolved into that much needed resource.

It is now both a retail shop in Brown County, Indiana and an online store. Mycologists on staff are available to help hunters identify mushrooms, and books, hunting and cultivation supplies are all available. The store offers gourmet foods like dried mushrooms and truffle oils, and even mushroom-inspired gifts.

I, of course, was interested in the gourmet food, and the kind owners, Megan and Stephen, sent me two packs of mushrooms to try — Organic Dried Shiitakes and Organic Black Trumpet Mushrooms.

I started with the Shiitakes and researched a bit why I could benefit from these little nutritional powerhouses. First of all, edible mushrooms are considered functional foods which are sometimes given the name nutraceuticals. According to the American Cancer Society animal studies which are now expanding to human studies show that Shiitakes have three main health benefits. They are considered antitumor, cholesterol-lowering and virus-inhibiting.

Shiitakes contain lentinan which is a beta-glucan. Beta-glucans stimulate the immune system and activate the attack of cancer cells. This has been associated with slowing tumor growth. Another component of shiitakes, eritadenine, has been found to lower blood cholesterol levels because it blocks the way cholesterol is absorbed into the blood stream.

The great site, WH Foods, reports that Shiitakes contain antioxidants. These mushrooms have one of the highest concentrations of L-ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant. The best part? This antioxidant doesn’t appear to be destroyed when the mushrooms are cooked.

All set to get cooking and enjoy these health benefits, I decided to combine the shiitakes with some leftover local, pastured chicken we grilled last week. It resulted in a manicotti filled with delicious mushrooms, tender chicken and creamy ricotta cheese. The sauce is made with sweet roasted garlic. If you want to use less dairy feel free to substitute a stock for the milk in the sauce. I added a lot of black pepper to this dish which ended up giving it a nice, mildly spicy background flavor that goes well with the mushrooms.

You don’t have to slave over the stove long to make this dish. It comes together pretty quickly, but you do need to start a little ahead of time to roast your garlic and reconstitute your mushrooms.

Chicken Shiitake Manicotti in Garlic Cream Sauce

Preparation:
Olive oil
1 head garlic
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
Boiling water

Manicotti:
6 manicotti, cooked to al dente
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1 large green onion, sliced, greens reserved
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
¼ tsp each salt and black pepper

Sauce:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp white whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
2 tbsp parmesan, grated
¼ tsp each salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice off the top third of your garlic head, place it cut side up on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in the foil and bake for about 45 minutes or until soft. Set it aside to cool.

Place the mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to sit for about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and reserve the water for stock. Gently dry the mushrooms and then roughly dice. Reserve about a 1/ 4 cup for the sauce.

Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute then add the mushrooms, chicken and water. Cook for about 5 more minutes until everything is heated through. Stir in the parmesan, ricotta, salt and pepper. Set aside and allow to cool so that you can handle the filling.

In a sauce pan create a roux by melting the butter over medium heat, and then whisk in the flour to form a paste. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk constantly to smooth out any clumps. Return to the heat, still whisking, and allow the sauce to thicken to your desired consistency. It should coat the back of a spoon when it is ready.

Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the roasted garlic cloves (careful not to let any of the skins to fall in), parmesan, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Stir in the reserved mushrooms.

Spread 2 tbsp of the sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Divide the filling into six equal parts and fill each manicotti shell by hand or with a spoon. Place each shell in the baking dish, and then pour the remaining sauce over the top.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Then serve and garnish with the reserved onion greens, or scallions. Serves 2 to 3 people.

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Hungry for mushrooms, now? Well you are in luck. The Hoosier Mushroom Company has offered to give away a pack of organic dried Black Trumpet Mushrooms to one of my readers! Entries (via comment) are due by 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, May 23rd. I’ll announce the winner next Monday along with some more information on Black Trumpets and how I used them.

To enter follow the steps below. For each entry to count be sure to leave a separate comment saying you followed, tweeted, etc. You have the opportunity for 4 entries/comments. You will also need a US address to win.

Leave a comment telling me if you’ve used dried mushrooms before and how you would use the Black Trumpets.
Follow me (@lori1329) and The Hoosier Mushroom Company (@hoosiermushroom) on Twitter and tell me you do or did so.
Tweet the giveaway and @ both of us. Tell me you did so in a comment.
Like (become a fan of) The Hoosier Mushroom Company on Facebook and tell me you do or did so in a comment.

Resources for health benefits of Shiitakes:
American Cancer Society: Shiitake Mushroom
WHFoods: Shiitake Mushroom
Chang, R. Functional properties of edible mushrooms. Nutr Rev. 1996 Nov;54(11 Pt 2):S91-3

Disclaimer: I received the mushrooms mentioned in this post free of charge from The Hoosier Mushroom Company. I was not required to review them and received no compensation for doing so.

Shrimp Taco Dorado and a Cookbook Review for Cinco de Mayo

May 4, 2010

This is one of the first cookbooks I reviewed here at Fake Food Free. I still go back to it on occasion for fun taco and drink ideas! This recipe remains a favorite for quick and tasty tacos.

It’s shameful. A complete disgrace. A food blogger in Kentucky without one post about the Derby or related food traditions. How could I?

Yes, I realize I have let you down. My excuse is that other than watching it on Saturday night there were no celebrations around here for the event. We didn’t even know the favorite horses this year which is uncommon for us. The reason? Well, it was also marathon weekend for my husband which I will recap later this week.

No pies with sugar or juleps with bourbon could be found in the house for several weeks before this event. We’ve vowed to do better next year. Fortunately, Derby should fall the weekend after the Flying Pig marathon events in 2011 so we are all good

I decided that I could not let another special day pass without a celebration in the form of a post and, as you know, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. Lucky for me, I received a new cookbook to review for the occasion!

Mexican food has become of interest to me recently. I mean real Mexican, not the version we get here in Kentucky. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever had real Mexican since I haven’t been to Mexico or to many places in the southwestern part of the U.S. I just tend to watch it explained on television as my mouth waters.

So I was thrilled to check out the brand new cookbook, Amor y Tacos: Modern Mexican Tacos, Margaritas, and Antojitos by Deborah Schneider. The author is the executive chef and partner in SOL Cocina in Newport Beach, California and was also a nominee for the 2009 James Beard Award. She has written Baja! Cooking on the Edge and Cooking with the Seasons, neither of which I have checked out, but I plan to now.

This cookbook though small in height compared to others on my book shelf makes up for it by being tall on flavor and creative recipes. Its focus on tacos and antojitos (little bites, sometimes referred to as the Mexico version of tapas) makes you want to throw taco-tasting bash!

It is full of recipes using fresh ingredients from margaritas with a homemade sweet and sour mix and fruit juice blends to salsas and guacamoles with everything from pineapple to chipotle. There is one minor hiccup that doesn’t go along with my eating plan, the beef simmered in soda, but I can overlook that to see all the other great options the book has to offer.

I made the Shrimp Taco Dorado. It combines tender shrimp with smoky chipotles on corn tortillas with jack cheese. Simple, yet incredible flavor! The ingredient list suggests toppings of chipotle salsa, guacamole and mango habanero salsa all homemade from recipes in the book. I chose to go with only the chipotle salsa, a mix of chipotle peppers in adobo, mayonnaise and lime juice blended into a sauce. It alone was perfect on the tacos so I can only imagine how much better they would be with the additional toppings.

I’m thinking this is just the start of a taco and margarita summer!

Shrimp Taco Dorado

From Amor y Tacos by Deborah Schneider reprinted with permission from Abrams Books

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons butter or olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, tails removed and cut in half if large
1 teaspoon finely chopped chipotles in adobo
¼ teaspoon salt
Large corn tortillas
1 ½ cups grated Jack cheese
Cilantro sprigs
Suggested toppings: Chipotle salsa, Guacamole and Mango habanero salsa (recipes provided in cookbook)

Prep

1. In an 8-inch sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil over medium heat. When it is heated, but not brown, add the garlic and shrimp, and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are pink. Stir in the chipotles and salt and remove from heat.

2. Preheat a heavy pan or griddle over medium heat and brush it lightly with some of the remaining butter or olive oil. Set a corn tortilla on the griddle and scatter 2 tablespoons of shredded Jack cheese evenly over the tortilla. Set 3 or 4 shrimp on one side of the tortilla. When the cheese starts to melt, fold the tortilla in half over the shrimp, and continue to cook on both sides until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is lightly crisped and golden brown.

3. Open the taco. Dollop 1 teaspoon of the chipotle salsa on top of the shrimp (or drizzle from a squeeze bottle) and follow with the remaining toppings. Tuck a couple of cilantro sprigs into the opening and serve right away.

The recipe makes 12 substantial tacos, enough for 6 hungry people.

Disclosure: The review copy of this cookbook was sent to me free of charge. I was not under any obligation to write about it and I did not receive any compensation for doing so. This post contains affiliate links.

Pastured Sausage and Jalapeno Pizza

April 23, 2010

When we were in Antigua last December our resort had a lunch restaurant with a wood-fire pizza oven. Well, it wasn’t just a lunch restaurant it was actually open until about 5:00pm. The pizza was delicious, and I’m not going to lie, there were some fourth-meals consumed in the afternoon between lunch and dinner.

A few days before we departed we decided to try the Messicana pizza. This is a bit of an inside joke because everything supposedly Mexican in nature is “Mexicana” in Brazil, which is actually pronounced “meh-sh-cona”. So it is interesting to see what some cultures associate with Mexican cuisine. Trust me, we aren’t the only ones who completely screw it up. For example, the Mexicana pizza where we lived in Brazil often had Doritos on it. I rest my case.

This pizza in Antigua was topped with sausage, and jalapenos. At first I wasn’t incredibly motivated to try it, but once we finally did (very late in our trip) we were beating ourselves up that we hadn’t ordered it sooner. Such a simple combo, but it is so good.

This past weekend when my parents were in, I made my Brown Biscuits with the pastured pork sausage I got from Pike Valley Farm. I held some of it back to use later in the week for this pizza. Fortunately I also had some pizza crust in the freezer so it was a quick meal.

I don’t have a favorite crust at the moment. I typically use the recipe on the back of the Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat flour bag and substitute White Whole Wheat Flour to make it a little lighter. Turns out great.

For the sauce, I use tomato puree in my basic marinara and usually add a little more crushed red pepper to spice it up a bit. Although with the jalapenos on this pizza, that wasn’t really necessary.

Sausage Jalapeno Pizza

2 pizza crusts, about 8 to 9 inch
½ cup pizza sauce
¼ lb. pastured pork sausage, browned
1 cup cheese, shredded (I like cheddar with this combo)
½ cup sliced jalapenos

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. I know I’m a bit odd with this, but I don’t like my pizza dough to be uncooked or soggy in the middle. The only way I’ve been able to master this with at-home pizza is to bake it for about 5 to 7 minutes before adding the toppings.

Divide the sauce and spread on each pizza. Top with the sausage (with pastured you won’t need to do any draining or rinsing), then the cheese. Next spread your jalapenos evenly on each pizza. Bake 7 to 10 minutes more until cheese is browned and bubbly.