Mini Mushroom Quiche Caps

Many mushroom apps are easy to prepare, and they can be and budget-friendly, too.  Plus, they allow you to offer crowd-pleasing bites with different colors, flavors and textures. Serve ‘em on cocktail napkins for an easy clean up!

Stumped for ideas? Well, we’ve made a list and checked it twice. Serve one of these scrumptious ‘shroomy apps to bring holiday joy to all!

Stuffed Shrooms (Gluten-Free and Vegan) from Sassy Kitchen

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom & Gruyere Tartlets from Brown Eyed Baker

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Phyllo Bites from Kitchen Confidante

Caramelized Mushroom & Shallot Bruschetta from Shutterbean

I’ve often said that I am a breadatarian. I could never give up carbs, because bread is just too darn delicious. Comforting and convenient, it’s hard to resist a warm slice of fresh bread. When in England at 15, our small group would buy small boules to snack on as we toured small villages. Granted, this was partially due to thrift and picky taste buds, but looking back on it I realize that we were enchanted by the idea of a shop devoted solely to bread.

These days bakeries aren’t so few, but now I’ve moved on to the enchantment of baking my own bread, and my family happily imbibes my offerings. My current obsession is throwing all sorts of different ingredients into dough and seeing what happens. One of the best vehicles for this is foccacia, a versatile bread that can take on anything, from meat to grapes.

With the holidays upon us one of my favorite flavors has been taking center stage: sage. This odiferous herb pairs wonderfully with a number of ingredients, and mushrooms are a great example. I chose shiitake mushrooms to help create this savory focaccia, sauteing them for a few minutes with shallot and sage to really bring out the flavors before adding them to the top of the unbaked dough. Once baked, the flavor permeates through the bread, making it a lovely accompaniment to soup, salad, pasta, or grilled meats.

Mushroom Sage Focaccia

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon diced shallot
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage

Mix together flours, yeast, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer. Slowly add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the water while stirring the dry ingredients. Once the dough comes mostly together in a large ball, work it together with your hands, then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead dough to form a smooth ball, then place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk; about two hours.

Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll out dough into a large circle or rectangle and let rest.

Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over medium. Add ½ tablespoon olive oil and heat through. Add the mushrooms, shallot, and sage, and saute until the mushrooms are softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Make indentations in the dough using your fingers, then drizzle remaining olive oil over the top. Scatter mushroom mixture over the dough, then sprinkle on remaining salt.

Bake at 375 degrees on a pizza stone or greased baking sheet for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown.

If you were looking for a stunning, straightforward side to pair with your Thanksgiving feast, one that is sure to elicit gasps for both its beauty and earthy deliciousness, we have your recipe right here. This comes to the Mushroom Channel courtesy of the ever so talented Paula at Bell’Alimento.

There is something so comforting about a warm casserole straight out of the oven. Especially in the colder months when I’m craving comfort food. I gravitate towards them. This casserole is hearty and filling. It could be eaten as a light lunch or as a side to dinner.

Purple potatoes pair beautifully with mushrooms. If you can’t find purple potatoes you can absolutely use regular potatoes. A mandolin will save you gobs of time when slicing and makes you look like a professional knife wielder {don’t worry we won’t tell if you’re not} I’ve been fascinated with purple potatoes lately. They have the most brilliant color and are tasty to boot. I’ve used button mushrooms here but feel free to substitute any mix you like.

Purple Potato and Mushroom Casserole

What you’ll need: {Serves 4}
4 tablespoons unsalted butter – divided
1 large purple potato – peeled and thinly sliced
salt
8 ounces button mushrooms – thinly sliced
3 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley – roughly chopped, divided
¾ cup Parmigiano Reggiano – grated, divided
3 tablespoons dry white wine

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 x 6 ovenproof dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Pour butter into bottom of dish.

3. To assemble: Place a layer of potatoes onto bottom of dish. Lightly season with salt. Top with a layer of mushrooms. Top with 1 tablespoon parsley and ¼ cup cheese. Add additional 2 layers. {NOTE: Top layer should only have potatoes, salt and cheese.} Pour wine over potatoes.

4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50-60 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Two weeks from today, many of this country’s citizens will still be recovering from what is traditionally the heaviest feast day of the American calendar year- Thanksgiving. Now I could never knock a holiday built around food (let’s be honest, most holidays are built around food so far as I’m concerned) but the Mushroom Channel would love to help you avoid that overstuffed food hangover that sets the stage for the kind of winter layer we can’t pull off like a wool sweater once the heat kicks on.

Mushrooms are a key ingredient to filling your feast with a lot of beloved fall flavors, minus the big time calories. For the next two weeks, we’ll be highlighting a few recipes per post that would make for a meal the whole family can enjoy- including the vegans or vegetarians at the table (or in the kitchen, for that matter).

The goal is simple: providing options so that no one feels like they need to skip their favorite dishes to keep from feeling like they swallowed Plymouth rock for days afterward. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish you think we should feature? Leave us a link in the comments!

Leek Pear and Chanterelle starter from Happy Yolks

Sauteed Mushrooms with Caramelized Shallots side from Eating Well

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Stir Fry from the New York Times Eating Well blog

Today’s holiday-inspired post comes to us from Mardi of Eat. Live. Travel. Write.

For my last Mushroom Channel contribution, I wanted to give a nod to the season. Yes, the season of joy and giving. And sometimes, the season of stress – shopping, entertaining, parties a go-go and constant cooking and baking.  Whilst I am the first one to challenge myself and take on too much, it’s not always good to be stressed out in the kitchen.  These appetizers are bite-sized yet really pack a flavour punch.  I love the Asian-inspired flavours that make a nice change from the sometimes-heavy holiday fare, and I think they would go well with a glass of champagne on Christmas Eve.

Wonton “Pizzas” with Asian-Style Mushrooms

Yield: About 20 hors d’oeuvres

Ingredients

• 20 wonton wrappers, cut into rounds (use a cookie cutter) and shallow fried until crispy (these can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container)
• 4-6 tablespoons mushroom (or vegetable) stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh shitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup brown mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup scallions, sliced finely
• 2 tablespoons Ponzu
• Juice and zest of one lime
• Fresh cilantro, to garnish

Method

Simmer the stock and add the ginger, garlic, mushrooms and scallions.

Season with the ponzu and lime juice, and reduce over a low heat until sauce has just about evaporated.

Add the lime zest and stir to incorporate.

Spoon a teaspoonful of the mushroom mixture onto the fried wonton wrappers and garnish with fresh cilantro.

If ever in need of a mood lift, throw a dinner party that’s potluck.  Invite an interesting mix of people, hand out food assignments early (quite easy: appetizer, side dish, salad, vegetable, dessert) – the host does the main entrée. Surprise! wine always seems to show up with the delicious eats.

Recently invited to a gathering of fellow high school classmates of my husband Larry’s, I felt the urge to go MUSHROOM.  Larry attended an all-boy’s Catholic prep school, Loyola High, so “the guys” were going to be the main focus of the evening. And we all know, guys do like mushrooms. Grilled, stacked and stuffed, try these Grilled Mushroom and Ham Crostini appetizers.”

GRILLED MUSHROOM AND HAM CROSTINI

16 whole mushrooms, approx. 1 ½ inches in diameter

2/3 cup olive oil, divided

¼ teaspoon minced garlic

3 teaspoons stone ground mustard, divided

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 large baguette of bread (you will use approx. ¾ of the loaf)

1 cup diced ham

Fresh chives for garnish

Remove stems from mushrooms and carefully peel the caps (or brush with dry mushroom brush).  Place cleaned mushrooms in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, blend together 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon mustard, garlic, and a little salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle over mushrooms; gently mix around with a pastry brush to coat all inside and out. Set aside at room temperature for one hour.

In a small bowl, mix together ¼ cup mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon mustard. Refrigerate.

In another small bowl, mix diced ham with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon mustard, refrigerate.

Cut 16 one-inch slices of bread, use remaining olive oil to brush both sides of each piece very lightly.  Heat grill to medium-hot; toast both sides of bread and remove to serving platter.

Grill the mushrooms starting with the smooth side down.  Turn over and cook the interior of the mushrooms.  You will see them darken in color and soften.  Once cooked through, place on a paper towel to drain until cooled to room temperature.

To assemble: spread about ½ teaspoon mayo-mustard mix onto the toasted bread. Top with mushroom interior side-up. Fill mushroom with diced ham mixture, top with a tiny dollop of the mayo-mustard mix and affix fresh chives.  Serve within an hour at room temperature, makes 16 appetizers.

Assembly Blueprint:

As a child, there were only a few things I would not eat, and one of them was mushrooms.

This caused my mycophilic parents great anxiety. Mushrooms featured heavily in the family lore, as they were on the menu the first time my father ever cooked dinner for my mother (sautéed with an entire stick of butter.  My dad knew how to woo the ladies), and my folks simply could not understand how I could miss out on the joys that are mushrooms.  They tried everything they could to make me see the light, offering sliced raw mushrooms in salad, mushrooms baked into macaroni and cheese and, for the win, as the pizza topping of choice.

However, despite their most earnest entreaties, I remained steadfast in my dislike of mushrooms, eating around them in the mac and cheese, turning up my nose at the salads, and picking them off my pizza, one by one.

What my otherwise loving and wise parents did not understand was that my objection to mushrooms was all in my mind.  My eight year old self knew they were fungi, and the slippery texture of the cooked mushrooms my parents plied me with did nothing to distract me from that knowledge.

My conversion from a mushroom hater to a mushroom lover had to come in another form, where the texture of the mushrooms became secondary to that woodsy, earthy, haunting flavor that the best mushrooms offer.  Fortunately for my culinary education, a mushroom pate offered just that – a distillation of the flavor of mushrooms, with a texture closer to the finest country terrine.  I was offered a pate like this one, happily ate it up, and promptly decided that maybe mushrooms weren’t so bad after all.

Now, as an adult, I can say with all honesty that I love the slippery little buggers, and I am more than happy to top a salad of spring mache with a sauté of delicate chanterelles, or add some earthy portobellos to my pizza.  And my daughter shows no sign of my childhood proclivities – she will happily gobble silky shiitakes in a stir fry, or chow on a pungent porcini pasta.  But then again, she’s only two, and the opinions about texture might just come later.  So I’ve created this recipe for mushroom pate, sweetened with hazelnuts, brightened with lemon, and almost meaty with cremini mushrooms, sautéed in butter.  Just in case.  After all, we wouldn’t want her to miss out on the joys that are mushrooms.

Mushroom Pate

Adapted from Sunset

• ½ ounce mixed wild dried mushrooms (my daughter often throws these in the shopping cart – the one I use is a blend of dried shiitake, porcini, oyster and wood ear mushrooms)
• 1/ 4 c. boiling water
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms
• 2 large or 3 small shallots
• 3 T butter
• 1 c. whole hazelnuts
• 2 T olive oil
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste

1) Rehydrate the dried mushrooms by soaking them in a bowl with the boiling water until the mushrooms are plump and soft.

2) Wash the cremini mushrooms by passing them under running water (contrary to myth, this won’t make them spongy.  But it will make them clean), and remove the stems.

3) In a food processor, combine the rehydrated mushrooms with the water they soaked in, the cremini mushroom caps, and the shallots (peeled).  Pulse until everything is finely chopped.

4) In a large skillet, melt the butter, add the mushroom mixture and a large pinch of salt, and sauté over low heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are golden brown  and any liquid that has been released during cooking has evaporated.

5) Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts and remove the skins (rubbing them in a mesh bag that originally held onions or garlic works wonderfully).

6) In the food processor (you don’t have to clean it thoroughly; it’s OK if there are still bits of mushrooms in there for this step), process the nuts until finely chopped and start to form a paste.  With the mixer running, pour the olive oil through the tube and process until the nuts are smooth.  Add the mushroom mixture and continue to process until the mixture is homogeneous and resembles a loose pate.  Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to taste.

7) Put the mushroom pate into a jar or crock and chill before serving.  Serve with good crusty bread or crackers to mushroom lovers and picky children.

If you feel similarly then today is the ROW of your dreams because we’ve got something for everyone!

The Kitchn has a hot list of soups to make with your turkey stock  and other Thanksgiving leftovers.  You’ll notice that the vast majority of them have mushrooms including Hot and Sour Mushroom, Cabbage and Rice Soup, Mushroom Soup and traditional Hot and Sour Soup.  If you’ve never made turkey stock, here is a great instructional post. You will thank yourself later.

If you’ve got more leftovers than some straightforward stock, check out the recipe for Turkey Fricassee with Mushrooms at Serious Eats. Leftover meat, with fresh herbs, mushrooms and wine cooked with a rich broth > potpurri.

If you’re done with turkey but not the cold weather comfort food, Coconut Lime has a divine Chicken and Mushroom bake with your name on it. She has a great trick using fresh mushrooms and evaporated milk that cuts down on the fat in standard cream-based soups.

Jennifer Perrillo has quickly become a favorite read around here…in all of her various nooks including her personal blog, Gourmet Unbound, and Food 52. She has a new project called The Family Table focused on healthy, delicious eating for parents and kids alike. Not only do we love the idea but we already love the approach- she leads with Mushroom Bolognese and great advice on helping kids get used to new ingredients…like mushrooms.

Speaking of family-friendly, that’s my hunch for Cooking Light’s Pesto, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna as executed by Pink Parsley.  That is a slew of my favorite things in one place and I’ve had a number of great experiences with Cooking Light’s recipes. Experiences that leave me full but feeling svelte nonetheless.

Last but not least, there are those of you out there who barely saw the last guest’s taillight turning the corner before you started planning the next gathering. For those of you in this camp, consider Evil Shenanigans and her Bacon Jalapeno Stuffed Mushrooms. This essentially combines my two very favorite Pioneer Woman appetizers and somehow  manages to improve on the fat factor (these still aren’t light, but improved). The lovechild of bacon wrapped jalapenos and brie stuffed mushrooms? Don’t mind if I do.

]]> http://mushroominfo.com/mushroomchannel/2009/12/02/recipes-of-the-week-holidays-are-here/feed/ 0 http://mushroominfo.com/mushroomchannel/2009/11/30/black-friday-find-inspiration-presentation/ http://mushroominfo.com/mushroomchannel/2009/11/30/black-friday-find-inspiration-presentation/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:07:16 +0000 MushroomChannel http://www.themushroomchannel.com/?p=419 This particular MC editor had occasion to be in rural southern California for “feast week” as it is affectionately called by loved ones.  Recent years have found me avoiding the Black Friday sales, opting instead for online shopping.

Given the chance to pair bargains with a new town though and I’ll gladly go peruse. This is how I found myself at eye level with a platter worth a thousand plates at Rains department store in “downtown” Ojai.

The inscription says “Mushroom. Enjoy Nature’s Handmade Art.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Where to trim fat and calories at the Thanksgiving feast During and after your Thanksgiving feast, cutting the fat and extra calories from your holiday meals doesn’t mean cutting the taste. Many of us try to feel less guilty by eating vegetable or fruit side dishes, but forget that adding a stick of butter for flavor doesn’t help our waists much. The Dallas Morning News shares ways to enjoy your holiday and weekend indulgence, like delicious stuffing, while still being conscious of where its going.

Morels are very special mushrooms With such a wide variety of mushrooms to choose from—porcinis, trompettes, chanterelles, maitake and morels—it can be hard to pick a favorite. It can be even more daunting to find some of the more rare varieties that come with a higher price tag. If you do happen to use these special varieties while cooking or enjoy them while dining out, Olive Nation’s blog can help you choose the right pairing for each type. They offer suggestions for using the right sauce, vegetable or wine. The blog also includes tips for handling and preparation.

Tuna and Mushroom Potato Pot Pie Does your family have a favorite pie recipe that’s become a tradition around the dinner table? Bits of Taste was introduced to traditional pies by her mother-in-law and took a chance on making a modern version that not only added fiber to her family’s diet, but was also suitable for a picky eater. For fans of the traditional shepherd’s pie, this recipe is similar except that she has swapped minced mutton or beef for a healthier tuna.

Preventing The Swine Flu: A Comprehensive Approach There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping everyone healthy and immune to influenza according to Mark Hyman, MD, at the The Huffington Post. Not everyone will find the same results from vaccines and treatments, thus the best approach is one that involves keeping healthy through a variety of means.  Hyman provides an overview of things to consider when getting a vaccine and offers alternative ways that support your immune system naturally, such as immune-enhancing mushrooms.

Second time around: What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers If you find yourself in abundance of turkey leftovers don’t think that the most exciting use for a turkey is over. Silive.com has plenty of ideas for re-using leftovers that will still be as good as the original holiday meal. Whether you want to bake, throw together a quick pasta or warm up with soup, Silive.com has you covered through the weekend of leftovers.