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Updates and Mushroom Recipe Challenge!

October 18, 2010

First of all, thanks to everyone for the kind birthday wishes last week. It was a wonderful day! I couldn’t feel more blessed by all the celebrations and acknowledgements.

Yesterday was supposed to be the date of my 2nd half marathon. Yes, I said supposed to be.

I’ve been very sick lately. It’s been going on about 2 weeks now. After a couple bugs, I had a bad reaction to my antibiotic so it has been slow getting over.

I was in bed all weekend and after my second trip to the doctor last Friday I had to make the final decision that I would pull out of the race. I was incredibly disappointed because I had plans to meet up with Andrea of Off Her Cork. There was just no way I could run, though, so now I’m looking ahead to the half in Cincinnati next May.

So now you know where I’ve been. Why I haven’t commented on many of your blogs or posted many recipes of my own.

Until I’m back up and running around here I hope you’ll check out Friday’s post about the International Blogger Holiday Cookie Recipe Exchange I am co- hosting with Adrienne of Gastroanthropology. We are hoping this will be a fun way to get some new cookie recipes this season!

Finally, I’m excited to announce that the Mushroom Recipe Challenge from Marx Foods will be open for voting today. I entered my Acorn Squash Soup with Porcini Mushroom Cream and Wild Mushroom Goat Cheese Toasts.

Apparently all the entries were so delicious that 10 prizes will be awarded instead of just one! If you liked my recipe, I’d greatly appreciate your vote.

Acorn Squash Soup with Porcini Mushroom Cream and Wild Mushroom Goat Cheese Toasts

October 7, 2010

A Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge? I’d love to participate!

That sums up my response when I received an email from Justin of Marx Foods a couple weeks ago. I was invited to participate, and after accepting the offer, a box soon followed in the mail.

In this box were five – ½ oz sample packs of dried mushrooms – Porcini, Lobster, Morel, Matsutake, and Black Trumpet. To conclude the note that accompanied them, Justin wrote:

One of my own personal pet peeves is when restaurant menus say that a dish is made of wild mushrooms when it is only portabellas, shitakes, or other cultivated varieties. This box contains only mushrooms that are actually hand-foraged from the forests of the Pacific Northwest.

As you can imagine, I was even more thrilled I had accepted the challenge.

My mission? To create a recipe using any or all of the mushrooms in the box.

This recipe will be put up for a vote on the Marx Foods blog.

What could I win if my recipe is voted the favorite? Three shipments of fresh wild mushrooms, one of which can be Oregon Truffles instead of mushrooms!!

I knew right away that I wanted to draw on the flavors of fall and having bought an acorn squash just before the mushrooms arrived, I decided this winter squash would be the mushroom partner. I also decided I wanted to work with the three mushroom types I had received which I’d never cooked with before – Porcini, Lobster and Matsutake.

Having chosen soup as the main attraction, I needed some type of sandwich on the side. A simple toast with herbed goat cheese topped with caramelized onions and wild mushrooms seemed the perfect solution.

Just as I was hoping, the earthy flavor of the Porcini mushrooms in a rich cream sauce paired nicely with the slightly sweet acorn squash. It went together even better than I expected, if I do say so myself.

I think Lobster mushrooms may be my new favorite. The combination of the tart goat cheese with the mushrooms goes so well with the soup.

So here you have my entry to the Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge by Marx Foods. If you like it too, I’ll let you know where to vote around October 18!

Acorn Squash Soup with Porcini Mushroom Cream

Porcini Cream

½ oz dried porcini mushrooms
½ tbsp olive oil
2 tsp onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp white whole wheat flour
1 cup milk or cream (I used a half and half and 2% milk combo)
¼ cup fresh parmesan, grated
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Acorn Squash Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ large onion, chopped
2 tbsp apple, diced
1 pinch dried sage
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 acorn squash, roasted, flesh removed and mashed
2 cups of mushroom soaking liquid

Make the Cream:

Submerge the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water for at least 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pat dry, reserve the soaking liquid.

Dice the mushrooms. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions and mushrooms are tender. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until incorporated. Add the milk or cream a little at a time whisking vigorously to prevent clumps. Continue to whisk as the sauce thickens. Once it reaches desired consistency, preferably when it coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat. Stir in the parmesan, salt, pepper and cooked mushrooms and onions.

Set aside, but stir occasionally to prevent a film from forming on the top.

Make the Soup:

Heat the olive oil in a small soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Add the apple, sage, salt and pepper, and cook about 3 minutes more.

Stir in the acorn squash and slowly add the mushroom soaking liquid. Heat through and allow to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.

Divide the soup into bowls and garnish generously with the mushroom cream. Makes about 4 appetizer-sized servings.

Wild Mushroom Goat Cheese Toasts

½ oz mixed dried wild mushrooms (I used Lobster and Matsutake)
½ tbsp olive oil
¼ onion, thinly sliced
2 oz herbed goat cheese
8 slices toasted bread or baguette

Soak the mushrooms in hot water for at least 20 minutes. Dry on a paper towel and finely chop.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until onions are browned and mushrooms are tender.

Spread an even amount of goat cheese on each toast. Top with the onions and mushrooms. Makes 8 toasts, two for each person.

Disclaimer: These mushrooms were sent to me free of charge for the Marx Foods Mushroom Recipe Challenge. I was not required to participate and received no compensation for doing so. 

Vegetable Fried Rice

August 6, 2010

Is anyone else experiencing a cooking low right now? I’m feeling uninspired and I blame it on the current season. Just weeks ago I was still giddy over garden goodness and content with fresh salads, light vinaigrettes combined with the occasional grilling.

The grilling is still interesting, and for that matter I could bake and bake, but I am stumped for main courses to cook. Nothing sounds good at all.

While part of me is saying – it’s still summer, enjoy fresh and light meals, another tiny voice which grows by the day is saying – fall is right around the corner. I think about pumpkin, casseroles, stews and dumplings, and then I realize it is still much too hot for all that heavy food. As a result, I got nothing.

How will I combat this problem? Well, I’ve decided that I will devote much of the month of August to making other people’s recipes. I’ve been pulling out the cookbooks and revisiting all the great food blogger recipes I have bookmarked.

Otherwise I’m going to try to combine the two seasons – light and summery with filling and comforting. That is how I decided on Vegetable Fried Rice.

My mom made the best fried rice when I was growing up. I’ve made it myself before, but after enjoying it last week I have no idea why I don’t make it more often.

I used a variety of vegetables from our garden and tossed in some shiitake mushrooms. (Those came from Indiana.) The eggs are from friend nearby who has her own chickens and runs a small sustainable homestead at Wonder of Life Farm.

The rice is white. Why? Well, because I love white rice. I eat plenty of whole grains on a regular basis so I have no issues with including white rice from time to time. Brown rice has its place, and feel free to substitute it here, but when traveling all around Southeast Asia I rarely saw it eaten. White rice is more traditional to me so that is what I stick with.

This dish didn’t pull me out of my cooking blahs completely, but I think it was a good start. Now I’m off to check out some more cookbooks, two of which I hope to review for you next week.

Vegetable Fried Rice

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small candy onion, diced
½ cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ orange bell pepper, chopped
2 Anaheim peppers, sliced
3 cups cold, day old rice
2 eggs
3 tbsp tamari

In a large, deep skillet heat the oil and add the garlic and onion. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook about 2 minutes more. Finally add the peppers and continue to cook until all vegetables are tender.

Add the rice and stir to incorporate, heating the it through. Push all of the ingredients to one side of the pan and add the two eggs to the empty side of the skillet.

Break the yolks with your spatula and allow the eggs to cook for 30 to 60 seconds. Once they are almost cooked through, stir them into the rest of the rice, distributing the egg evenly.

Stir in the tamari and you are ready to serve. Add salt and pepper to taste if you desire. I find the tamari is enough for me. Serves about 4.

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.

**************

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.

Newer Posts

Mushrooms

Updates and Mushroom Recipe Challenge!

Acorn Squash Soup with Porcini Mushroom Cream and Wild Mushroom Goat Cheese Toasts

Vegetable Fried Rice

Chicken Shiitake Manicotti in Garlic Cream Sauce

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