Archive for the ‘Cooking Tips’ Category

Lights! Camera! Mushrooms!

We recently worked with Dan Coha to take some amazing pictures of delicious mushroom dishes from chefs and their restaurants across the country.

To find these delectable mushroom recipes, we first tapped our network of champion mushroom chefs.  We received an overwhelming amount of recipe submissions from chefs in high-end, trend-setting restaurants, university dining halls and even fast food chains- the variety and breadth of mushroom love knows no bounds.

It was a tricky task to narrow down all 50+ recipes to only eight for the final shoot. We chose recipes that embodied new culinary trends, demonstrated creative mushroom applications and of course…tasted absolutely delicious!

Shooting eight mushroom dishes took more than you might think. A chef helped recreate each of the recipes while a special food stylist – armed with a pair of tweezers – painstakingly made each dish look picture-perfect (no pun intended).

But, the picture wouldn’t be complete without the help of a prop stylist. What’s a prop stylist you may ask? Check out the image below; lots of time and energy goes into each photo’s environment, so to speak, to create the perfect ambiance that accentuates the dish being photographed. This Thai Stroganoff was especially tricky. We went for the warm feeling of the brown setting.

Below are just some of the mouth-watering pictures we got to take home, but stay tuned; we’ll be featuring these new photos and their accompanying recipes regularly as we interview the chefs who created them.

Queso Fundido con Champinones Adobados – Chef Richard Sandoval, Zengo, Washington, DC

Sugarcane Portabella with Arugula Salad – Chef José Luis Ugalde, Gibraltar, El Granada, CA

Featured Contributor: Mushroom Beef Gravy Recipe from In Erika’s Kitchen

Erika Kerekes is a dot-com product manager by day and a relentless home  cook and food blogger by night. She started writing In Erika’s Kitchen in 2008 because she was tired of hearing her mother ask “When are you going to write a cookbook already?”  A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern California and marvels every day about the fact that food grows on trees in her backyard.

There are nights when only comfort food will do. In my house, these nights typically follow days like this:

  • Wake up before dawn.
  • Get two boys fed and into the carpool with their lunches, backpacks, completed homework, assorted permission slips, musical instruments and the like.
  • Get to the office to find that more than 100 emails have accumulated while you were sleeping.
  • Go from meeting to meeting, inhaling lunch (maybe) while dealing with the additional emails that have piled up during said meetings.
  • Arrive home and realize that if dinner is not on the table in half an hour, there will be major meltdowns – and they won’t all be coming from the kids.

Comfort food means different things to different people, but for me it’s got to be hot, creamy, salty, and on the table fast. That’s why mushrooms often figure into my comfort dishes – they’re hearty, satisfying, and quick to prepare. We buy two-pound containers of Baby Bellas at our local Costco, and on a comfort food night, they’re the first ingredient I reach for.

This mushroom beef gravy is a cross between a stroganoff and creamed chipped beef, which, inexplicably, is what I was craving that night. It took just a few minutes to prepare; I served it over biscuits, but it would be equally good served over thick slices of toasted country bread if time is really tight.

Mushroom beef gravy

  • 2 lbs Baby  Bella mushrooms, cleaned
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup beef broth (or water plus 1 packet  Savory Choice liquid beef broth concentrate)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Separate the stems from the caps of the Baby Bella mushrooms. Slice the caps. Put the stems into a food processor and chop finely.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and the chopped mushroom stems and cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Pour in the sherry and stir until most of the liquid has boiled off.

Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture and stir for a minute or two until it is well incorporated. Add the milk and broth, bring the mixture back to a boil, and turn the heat down. Simmer the mushroom gravy about 5 minutes more, or until the gravy has thickened and is creamy. If it’s too dry, add a little more broth or milk.

Season with salt and pepper to taste – if the broth was salty, you’ll probably want very little additional salt, and in any case you’ll want a good dose of pepper. Serve over warm biscuits or thick slices of toasted country bread.

Your Questions Answered Part II: Our Interview with Keri Glassman

We are thrilled to once again have author and nutrition expert Keri Glassman answer  questions submitted by our amazing fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter. Fresh off the release of her new book, The O2 Diet, Keri dishes with us on nutrition, superfoods and her tips for maintaining a healthy diet. And we can’t help but notice she’s a big fan of mushrooms. If you missed last week’s edition, we have to highly recommend checking that post out.

Q: I’ve heard a lot of talk about vitamin D lately. How important is it for our bodies? Brian (Grand Rapids, MI)

A: Most of us don’t get enough vitamin D, which is troublesome because it plays an important role in supporting a healthy immune system and lowering the risk of certain diseases. You can increase your D levels by including foods containing D in your diet. I mentioned that mushrooms are the only item in the produce aisle to contain vitamin D; salmon and dairy are great sources as well.

Q: I’m trying to lose weight. Where can I cut corners on calories without feeling hungry and bored? — Jill (Boulder, CO)

A: It can be challenging to find foods that fill you up, but are good for you. Reach for foods that are low in calories and high in fiber like fruits and whole grains. Try substituting veggies for meats once a week to lose weight. For example, studies have shown substituting four ounces of mushrooms for four ounces of meat once a week for one year could save more than 18,000 calories and nearly 3,000 grams of fat – that adds up to more than five pounds. Lastly, sauté an assortment of vegetables as a meal starter; it’s a great way to pack in antioxidants and help you eat less throughout your main meal.

Q: How can I satisfy snack cravings without killing my diet? — Jessica (St. Louis, MO)

A: Be a conscious snacker. You can’t go wrong dipping cut up veggies in hummus. You can sprinkle a few mushrooms into a quesadilla, or grill up a veggie sandwich for a satisfying snack. Consider keeping a healthy side salad around as a snack, especially when making dinner for the kids. Marinated mushrooms with pine nuts is a great one! And if you need something sweet, you can give in a little without giving up; I love dark chocolate and almonds, and portion controlled treats make managing snacking a lot easier for me. Just put one serving of almonds or chocolate in small Ziploc bag, and keep it in your purse or desk drawer for when hunger strikes.

Q: I have a deep love for cooking and food, but I also have a passion for health, and I am taking the steps of going back to school to pursue a career as a Registered Dietitian. What are your thoughts on combining a career as a personal chef with a dietetic degree? — Renee (Chicago, IL)

A: I always say that I love food, which is one of the reasons I love being a nutritionist. You have to love food! Combining being a chef with an RD is a powerful combo and I wish you the best of luck!

A special thanks to Keri for making a special guest appearance on the Mushroom Channel. To learn more about Keri Glassman and The O2 Diet, visit www.nutritiouslife.com.

Wordless Wednesday: Fiddleheads with Shiitake Mushrooms from Earthly Delights

This week’s Wordless Wednesday comes courtesy of Earthly Delights. A beautiful recipe that calls for dried shiitakes but my guess is that you could easily go fresh, opting for a quick saute rather than rehydrating them.

Featured Contributor: Yaki Shiitake from La Fuji Mama

Editor’s Note: Rachael is the inventive home chef behind La Fuji Mama. Now a mother of two, many of her dishes take inspiration from the time she spent living in Japan. While she’s no stranger to mushrooms (the Japanese diet are rich with them), this is her first post for the Mushroom Channel. Check out her recipe below but make the jump over to her main site when you’re done!

Yakitori, a dish of chicken threaded on skewers and cooked over a charcoal fire, is one of those foods that I start to crave when the weather turns sunny and warm. With all the beautiful weather we’ve been having, I decided it was time to break out the bamboo skewers and make some. Instead of making the traditional chicken skewers, I used fresh shiitake mushrooms and sliced scallions. Shiitake mushrooms, a native fungi of Japan, have a rich meaty and slightly smokey flavor. These mushrooms are fat free and a great source of protein, iron, dietary fiber, and vitamin C. Grilling them brings out their wonderful meaty flavor. You’ll find you won’t miss the chicken!

This is also a great way to introduce kids to shiitake mushrooms. I’ve found that kids are more receptive to anything served on a stick. Case in point—when my three year old saw we were making yakitori, she got very excited and told me, “I want some!” She didn’t even know what we were putting on those skewers!

Yakitori, a dish of chicken threaded on skewers and cooked over a charcoal fire, is one of those foods that I start to crave when the weather turns sunny and warm. With all the beautiful weather we’ve been having, I decided it was time to break out the bamboo skewers and make some. Instead of making the traditional chicken skewers, I used fresh shiitake mushrooms and sliced scallions. Shiitake mushrooms, a native fungi of Japan, have a rich meaty and slightly smokey flavor. These mushrooms are fat free and a great source of protein, iron, dietary fiber, and vitamin C. Grilling them brings out their wonderful meaty flavor. You’ll find you won’t miss the chicken!

When you are buying shiitake mushrooms, look for mushrooms that are plump, firm, and clean, and avoid any that have wet slimy spots on them or are wrinkled. They can be stored in the refrigerator in a loosely closed paper bag for about a week until you are ready to use them. Making the skewers is easy. You simple clean the mushrooms and discard their stems, and wash and cut the scallions into pieces. Then you thread the mushrooms and scallions onto the skewers. Make sure to soak your bamboo skewers beforehand so that they do not burn. Fresh shiitake mushrooms mushrooms are soft, so do not squeeze or push too hard. If you are having difficulty pushing the skewer through a mushroom, gently rotate the skewer as you are trying to push it through.

When you have finished putting the skewers together, you brush them with a tiny bit of vegetable oil and then set them on a preheated grill, with the mushrooms facing gill side up. You can also cook these skewers under the broiler. If you do this, make sure you start by cooking the skewers gill side down.

When the skewers have finished cooking and you are ready to serve them, brush them with a bit of tare (a slightly sweet and savory Japanese basting sauce) and serve them. They make a fabulous appetizer or side dish for a Spring or Summertime menu.

Yaki Shiitake (Shiitake & Scallion Yakitori)

Makes 8 skewers

For the tare (basting sauce):
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup mirin
¼ granulated sugar

For the skewers:
16 large fresh shiitake mushrooms, preferably donko
1 bunch scallions
Vegetable oil

1. Make the tare: Put the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, and continue cooking over low heat for 20 minutes. Skim any scum off the surface as the sauce is cooking. Set aside.

2. Make the skewers: Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes. Preheat the grill. Clean the mushrooms with a slightly damp paper towel or cotton cloth, then cut away and discard the stems. Cut the firm white and whitish green parts of the scallions into 1 ¾ inch lengths.

3. Thread two mushrooms (lengthwise through the mushroom caps) and two pieces of scallion onto each skewer, alternating between the mushrooms and scallion pieces. Brush the mushrooms and scallions with a light layer of vegetable oil.

4. Place the skewers on the grill, with mushrooms facing gill side up. Cook the skewers until the tops of the mushroom caps are dry. Turn the skewers over (mushrooms gill side down), and cook them until the insides become wet with the mushrooms’ own juice. Turn the skewers over (mushrooms gill side up) one more time and cook for about 1 or 2 minutes more until the mushrooms and scallions are completely cooked through.

5. Remove the skewers from the grill, and with a pastry brush, baste them with the tare. Arrange the skewers on a large plate and serve.
Yakitori, a dish of chicken threaded on skewers and cooked over a charcoal fire, is one of those foods that I start to crave when the weather turns sunny and warm. With all the beautiful weather we’ve been having, I decided it was time to break out the bamboo skewers and make some. Instead of making the traditional chicken skewers, I used fresh shiitake mushrooms and sliced scallions. Shiitake mushrooms, a native fungi of Japan, have a rich meaty and slightly smokey flavor. These mushrooms are fat free and a great source of protein, iron, dietary fiber, and vitamin C. Grilling them brings out their wonderful meaty flavor. You’ll find you won’t miss the chicken!

Mushrooms Climb the Ivy Tower

We recently sported our crimson swagger while hanging out with the crème de la crème of college students: the elite ivy leaguers of Harvard U.

harvard logo final

As an encore to last year’s successful mushroom festival on this Cambridge, Mass. campus, another mushroom event with Harvard Dining Services took place at the end of March. Our nation’s brightest young minds were put to the test in a new subject: creating the perfect mushroom pizza.

Harvard students from the 13 campus dining houses submitted their best mushroom pizza recipes and had to assemble their pizza creations in the dining hall for judgment from their very own peers. One winner from each house was chosen, and a mushroom extravaganza ensued.

Mushrooms were found everywhere on campus: all of the dining houses were armed with full-blown mushroom sauté stations, each equipped with live chef demos; lots of signage touting the health benefits of mushrooms; and extensive mushroom displays (including specialty varieties like enoki, maitake and shiitake, which the students were thrilled to taste-test as they noted that it was a rare occasion to dabble in such delicacies).

harvard table

While on campus, not only were these awesome sauté stations set up, but the winning mushroom pizzas from the student contest were served hot off the line at each house, allowing all 6,600 students to enjoy their own house winner. Wondering how to cook for such a large group? Well for starters, it may look something like this:

harvard bin

We made stops at each dining house, kicking-off the evening at Kirkland House, the old stomping grounds of Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones. We got to walk the halls of where these two icons once lived, breathed, and ate… mushrooms of course (we hope!).

On our rounds, we heard from the lively coeds that Quincy is in fact the most fun of all the dining houses at Harvard. We also noticed that Cronkhite House took their mushroom displays very seriously (fitting that Cronkhite is home to the grad students, huh?):

harvard assortment

The night ended at Annenberg House, the spot for the frosh class to dine. Their customer service manager told us that whenever Annenberg serves mushrooms on the menu, students can’t seem to get enough. Their winning feta and shiitake pizza ran out as students were taking two-three slices at a time, but we sure aren’t blaming them!

Overall, the ivy leaguers confessed their love for ‘shrooms throughout the night and were able to learn all about mushroom nutrition, how mushrooms are grown, plus some fun mushroom cooking tips. To see all of the event photos, check out our album over on Facebook.

Video Post: Polenta with Mushrooms and a Poached Egg

Are you all already reading Food52?  I think that it’s easily my favorite new food project to be executed online in that last year, which is why I ask.

The brain-child (perhaps better described as the appetite-child) of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, both of the New York Times in different capacities, Food52 is now a cozy hub to many many other independent food writers.  You may have noticed a few mentions of their good work when they did a robust and delicious program all about mushroom soup last year.

The best thing about group sites for me is that there’s a constant sense of discovery with so many formidable cooks in the kitchen.  Food52 recently introduced to another interesting set of chefs- the siblings behind Working Class Foodies, a web video series delivering champagne feasts on light beer budgets.

Check out the following video for Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms and a Poached Egg.

Kitchen Swap: The Fabulous Flavors of Fusion Fungi at China Grill

Mushroom Profusion Pasta

China Grill is a fusion restaurant chain not afraid to think outside the wok. Eating at China Grill takes you on a globetrotting journey through its Italian, Japanese, French, Chinese and American influences. Mushrooms, being the versatile cross cultural ingredient that they are, pop up all over the menu.

Executive Chef Philippe Pinon shared his recipe for Mushroom Profusion Pasta with Sake Madeira Cream Sauce with us.  A blend of Portuguese Madeira, Japanese sake and exotic mushrooms make this pasta sauce deliciously international.

Mushroom Profusion Pasta with Sake Madeira Cream Sauce

Ingredients

Sake-Madeira Sauce
3          pounds mushroom stems, washed
3/4        cup sliced shallots
6          tablespoons minced garlic
2          cups sake
1          quart Madeira wine
3          quarts heavy whipping cream
Kosher salt, to taste
Togarashi pepper spices, to taste

Mushroom Pasta
6          Portabella mushrooms, gills removed
3          pounds dried linguini
3          ounces unsalted butter
1          pound 3 ounces sliced white mushrooms
1          pound 3 ounces sliced oyster mushrooms
1          pound 3 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
3          cups sliced scallions
1 1/2     cups sliced oil-packed, drained sun-dried tomatoes
6          tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2     cups mushroom or vegetable stock
1 1/2     cups Madeira wine
1 1/2     cups sake
12         ounces grated parmesan cheese
3/4        cup chopped fresh thyme

Directions

  • To make the sauce: Sweat the mushroom stems, shallots, and garlic. Deglaze the pan with the sake and Madeira. Simmer to reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce until slightly thicker, or desired consistency.
  • Puree the contents of the pan. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the mixture lightly, and discard the solids. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool the sauce in an ice bath.
  • To make the pasta: Toss the Portabella mushrooms with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Roast in a 350-degree oven until tender. Set aside to cool.
  • Parcook the linguini.
  • Melt the butter and sauté the sliced mushrooms, scallions, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic until lightly browned and soft. Season with salt. Deglaze the pan with the broth, sake, and Madeira. Add in the Sake-Madeira cream sauce, 6 ounces of the parmesan, and the thyme. Simmer until slightly thickened and flavorful. Set aside to cool.
  • For each serving, to order: Reheat 1 cup of linguini. Reheat about 1 cup of the sauce and vegetables over low. Thinly slice a Portabella and reheat 3 to 4 slices under the broiler. Plate the linguini, top with the sauce, Portabella slices, and a sprinkling of parmesan.

Big Ten Campus Dining Gets D-licious

Big Ten Recipe Winner: Purdue

You could blame Olympic fever or the pursuit of mushroom excellence but the Mushroom Council is having a lot of fun with contests these days and our latest from the Big 10 is no exception.

This contest pitted executive chefs and foodservice directors from the 11-school conference against each other in a friendly competition to create mushroom recipes for three categories of university-favored cuisine: Pizza, Sandwich, and Entrée. Most entries were vegetarian, with mushrooms at the heart of the dish, which reflects the increased interest in vegetarianism among college students – a 2006 Aramark survey found that 30% of college students want vegetarian options when dining out.

“Based on the caliber of recipes we’ve seen through this contest, universities are redefining the concept of what students will eat, taking them in a very positive and healthful direction” said Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council. “More and more students who have embraced a vegetarian or flexitarian diet have found mushrooms add a satiating “meaty” mouth-feel to their favorite dishes. Now, universities across the nation are catering to their preferences. ”

In the final round of judging, students at Kendall College’s School of Culinary Arts in Chicago prepared tasting portions of five top-scoring recipes in each category for a judging panel that included Minor, along with Liz Grossman of Plate magazine and Frank Chlumsky from Kendall. Recipes were judged based on creativity, flavor and visual appeal.

Purdue earned Big Ten bragging rights by winning two of the three recipe categories, including best overall recipe, landing them the grand prize package that includes a trip for four to the NCAA men’s national basketball championship in Indianapolis this April. The University of Iowa’s recipe for Chorizo Breakfast Sandwich with Mushroom Gravy scored best in the sandwich category. As category winners, both schools will receive scholarships to attend the 2010 National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) annual conference in July.

The top entries from the Big Ten “Best Mushroom Recipe Goes to Indianapolis” contest are featured on MushroomInfo.com.

Check out Purdue’s Grand Prize Winning recipe for Vegetarian Mushroom Stir Fry below. Never did I think I would wistfully daydream on returning to my dorm days for the food but here we are, that day is upon us.

Vegetarian Mushroom Stir Fry

Serves 24

Sauce

  • 1 ½ cups vegetarian oyster sauce
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¾ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 4 ½ quarts water
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¾ cup vegetarian soup base

Stir fry

  • 5 pounds firm tofu, drained, cut into triangles (½ x 1 ½ inches)
  • 3 pounds dry rice stick noodles
  • 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup minced garlic
  • ½ cup minced peeled ginger
  • 6 pounds cleaned, sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 ½ pounds sliced carrots, blanched and drained
  • 5 pounds Chinese broccoli, cleaned and cut into 4-inch pieces, blanched and drained

To make the sauce: Whisk together the oyster sauce, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer. Whisk together the water, cornstarch, and soup base. Combine with the oyster sauce mixture and heat until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat. Makes about 6 ½ quarts.

Heat a deep fryer until 375 to 400°F. Deep-fry the tofu triangles in batches until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

For each serving, to order: In a deep fryer, cook 1 ½ ounces rice stick noodles until puffed but not browned. Drain on paper towels. In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Stir-fry ½ teaspoon garlic and 1 teaspoon ginger until fragrant. Add 4 ounces mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 ounce carrots, 2 ½ ounces broccoli, and about 2 ounces fried tofu. Stir-fry to heat through, 1 minute. Add about 1 cup sauce mixture and simmer until heated through. Put the rice sticks in a bowl and ladle the vegetables and sauce on top. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Recipes of the Week: Double the Fun

Well as an unintended by-product of a very fun contest, I missed Mushroom Recipes of the Week last week.  No seriously…I missed it a lot. So to make up for lost time, I present to you twice the recipes we usually highlight!

Photo Credit: Elly Says Opa!

I love fancy food as much as the next hungry person but this? This is what a cozy craving is made of.  Perfect for these transitional days between winter and Spring when I start to crave that sweet crisp pea but am still in hibernation casserole mode. Elly Says Opa! nailed this Chicken, Mushroom, Pea and Stuffing Casserole right on the head.

Photo Credit: Nick Gerber

Soup is another meal category that seems especially perfect for transitions. This selection also speaks to the joy in my heart when bloggers who don’t typically talk about food give us a peek into their palates. Anonymous Midwest also happens to capture the process behind this Mushroom, Leek and Potato Soup beautifully.

Photo Credit: Sandy Coughlin

To carry through that last point, check out this Spanish Stew recipe from the Reluctant Entertainer’s Napa trip last week!  I included a prep pick so you could see all the fabulous fungi in the mix but click through for the whole shebang and a recipe.

Photo Credit: Smitten Kitchen

Oh Smitten Kitchen…you never fail to impress.  As I announced to Twitter last night, the combination of mushrooms and hazelnuts is not something I would have ever thought of on my own. Now I can’t get it out of my head.  I’m hosting a brunch tomorrow and this Warm Mushroom Salad with Hazelnuts has just the flavor balance I never knew I was looking for.

Photo Credit: Cakes and Ale

Not only is Smitten still coming up with her own inventive mushroom combinations but she’s inspiring other food bloggers to try them out.  Amanda from Cakes and Ale was very happy with how Smitten Kitchen’s Mushroom Bourguignon recipe turned out when she made it at home.

Photo Credit: Rachel Matthews

Just another deliciously easy weeknight recipe from a friend to fungi, Rachel from A Southern Fairytale.  And by “just another,” I clearly mean isn’t it nice to have talented friends? With veggies making up more than half of the ingredients, this one is on the light side as well!

Photo Credit: Stacey from Chowmama

Speaking of easy, family-friendly dinners, Stacie from Chowmama threw this together when she was sick. That’s how low-maintenance a health meal can be if you’re just stuffing good things into a portabella cap. Good things like chiles, rice, spinach and onion.

Photo Credit: Carrots 'N' Cake

Last but not least, something you could even make for brunch this weekend! Tina from Carrots ‘N’ Cake combined some breakfast classics with an Italian staple to create a delicious take on Breakfast Pizza. As a longtime fan of pizza for breakfast, I think this is a healthier and likely a tastier version of the leftovers I ate cold in college…