The Laughing Wolf

Carnival Of The Recipes: Mushrooms

Well, she had to do it. She had to challenge me. So, I wandered around the temporary lair singing (sort of) “Just you wait, Teresa Higgins, just you wait” like Audrey did to Rex Harrison, or at least how she would have had she been built like an out-of-shape linebacker and singing base. She wants a challenge? Then here it is, my entry in this week’s Carnival of the Recipes, a two-for since I missed last week. An entry of mushrooms.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Hardware:
Bowl
Baking pan
Oven
Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients:
Whole baby Bella, Crimini, or white mushrooms
Good sausage, spicy is better
Egg
Bread Crumbs (optional)
Grated real Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Grated sharp or smoked cheese (optional)

Clean mushrooms and remove the stem. Trim stems and chop up fine. Place chopped stems in bowl, combine with sausage, an egg, a small amount of bread crumbs, and cheese (savory) if used. Place mixture into mushroom caps and place caps in backing dish. Put water into dish at least quarter way up the caps. Sprinkle caps with grated parmesan cheese. Cover dish with foil and place in 350 degree oven for at least 20 minutes. Check then to see if sausage is cooked, continue cooking as necessary. Once sausage is cooked, remove foil and allow top of stuffing to brown. NOTE: you do not have to use water, but I have found that it helps the mixture cook evenly. Do not use too much as it will make things soggy.

Mushroom Ragu

Hardware:
Cutting board
Knife
Large skillet

Ingredients:
As wide a variety of mushrooms as you can get
Dill, pepper, kosher salt, fresh garlic
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Wine (optional)
Butter

Clean and slice mushrooms as needed. Mince garlic. Place skillet on medium heat and when hot add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and a tablespoon or two of butter. Add in garlic and fresh ground pepper, do NOT let burn. Add in heaviest/densest mushrooms first and begin cooking. Add a small amount of dill. As things progress, add in the mushrooms that take the shortest time to cook. Towards the end, add salt to taste. NOTE: The idea is to bring out the flavor of the mushrooms, not to hide it. That said, however, if you need to add liquid, add water, a small amount of balsamic vinegar, or wine of your choice. I tend to go with water for the most part, and let the heat pull out the large amount of water in the mushrooms, so that it forms a mushroom stew. Good mushrooms to use for this include portabella, oyster, chanterelle, baby bella/crimini, miatake, woodear, and enoki. Use white if you need to or want to, but they don’t tend to add much to the flavor. Go light on the spices on this one, for what you want to do is draw out the flavor of each along with the water. Dill and garlic complement this nicely, as can a small amount of balsamic.

Enjoy.

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