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Sautéed Mushroom, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Wrap

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

A delectable wrap, ready in 10 minutes, is a fabulous weekend lunch or weeknight meal when you’re crunched for time. Keep reading for the full scoop from Paula from bell’alimento.

If you’re looking for a simple and scrumptious meatless meal option, you can’t go wrong with this vegetarian mushroom, spinach and roasted red pepper wrap. In less than 10 minutes you can have this on your plate and on its way into your belly!

A secret weapon in my fridge is flour tortillas. You can add just about anything to them, roll them up and ,voila, you have a meal in ready minutes. They also double as an easy peasy appetizer! I’m a big fan of easy and effortless entertaining, so these are a staple when I’m playing host.

This vegetarian wrap is “meaty” without the meat. The mushrooms are gently kissed with butter, added to silky smooth roasted peppers and given a little texture with the fresh spinach leave.  They’re then enveloped by a soft, warm tortilla to complete the dish.

It’s refreshing, delicious and EASY.

Sauteed Mushroom, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Wrap (Serves 4)

What you’ll need:
6 ounces button mushrooms – sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt/pepper
1 loosely packed cup fresh spinach
1 roasted red bell pepper – sliced
4 flour tortillas – warmed

What to do:
1. Into a medium sauté pan over medium  heat add butter. Melt. Add mushroom and sauté for approximately 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Season with salt/ pepper. Turn off heat.

2. To assemble:  Equally distribute spinach, bell pepper and mushrooms between each tortilla.

3. Wrap each like you would a burrito (or you could also simply fold in half and enjoy soft taco style).

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Portabella Mushrooms filled with Goat Cheese from bell’alimento

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

Portabellas are wonderful meaty and flavorful mushrooms. They’re perfect for those nights when you want something vegetarian and filling. This recipe can be grilled or broiled making it perfect year round. It’s also incredibly versatile. You can stuff them with just about anything your heart desires. Cherry tomatoes would be a fantastic addition.

For another variation it would even be delicious made into a portabella mushroom burger simply by adding a great toasted bun and garnishing with balsamic vinegar!

Portabella Mushrooms filled with Goat Cheese
What you’ll need:

  • 2 portabella mushrooms – stems removed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced
  • firm goat cheese – 2 slices or enough to cover mushroom caps
  • 1/4 cup Parmigano Reggiano – grated
  • flat leaf Italian parsley – roughly chopped

What to do:
1. Preheat broiler to HIGH. Place mushrooms onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle oil olive on both sides {using more if necessary}. Place portabellas gill side down. Broil for approximately 8-10 minutes.

2. CAREFULLY flip portabellas over onto baking sheet. Season with pepper. Add garlic and top with goat cheese slices and Parmigiano. Season with pepper. Return to oven for approximately 5 minutes OR until cheese is bubbly and golden.

3. Garnish with parsley.

Buon Appetito!

Paula
bell’alimento
www.bellalimento.com

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Beef, Shiitake and Snow Pea Stir Fry from We Are Not Martha

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

This very weeknight-dinner-friendly stir fry is brought to you by Chelsee Adams of Boston dining duo We Are Not Martha.

The summer months are always go, go, go. Work all day only to run home just to head back out to enjoy the last bits of daylight before the sun goes down. I find myself always searching for quick dinners to make in between all of the welcome-chaos that the summertime brings. It’s so easy to find yourself in an unhealthy slump when you get busy so I find that cooking quick dinners from scratch is the perfect remedy. And stir-fry is always a great option when I’m looking for something fast but delicious. Plus, it typically provides a generous amount of leftovers, so you’ll have lunch or dinner for the following day!

The chili-garlic sauce provides the right amount of heat while the hoisin sauce adds a special touch of sweetness and stickiness. I also imagine enjoying this stir-fry with a heaping bowl of rice… Delicious!

Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

(adapted from epicurious.com)

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb sirloin steak, cut into 2-inch long, 1/5-inch-thick slices
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tabelspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thickly sliced
  • 8 ounces snow peas
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce

Begin by seasoning the beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and mushrooms until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes.

Next, add the beef to the skillet until beef browns but still remains a bit pink in the center, about 1 minute.

Add snow peas, half of the green onions and half of the cilantro, stir-fry for about 1 minute.

Now, stir in hoisin sauce and chili-garlic sauce and continue to saute until peas are crisp and slightly tender, for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with remaining cilantro and green onions. For a warm entree, serve immediately. Or if you’d like a cooler, more refreshing dish, chill in refrigerator and serve over cool udon noodles.

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Campfire Mushrooms from Chez Us

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Today’s exceptionally summertime-friendly post comes from Denise of the beautiful food blog, Chez Us.  Mushrooms in all their goodness with the smoky addition of a campfire? I need to find my tent…


It is that time of year, when we unpack our sleeping bags, air out the tent, and dust off the out-door kitchen gear.  That is right it is camping season.  Time to hit the high-country, take in some fresh air, and commune with nature.  Let’s clear the air right away;  we are not the type of campers who feel the need to bring freeze dried bags of food nor cans of soup.  Why would people scrimp on eating good food just because they are camping.  Food tastes so much better next to a campfire.

Planning the perfect (and easy) menu is as critical as finding the right camping spot.  Camping for us is a joyously, gourmet event.  One food item that is always on the menu is some sort of beef dish, as there really is nothing better than sizzling meat on the grill.  We picked up a beautiful tri-tip to take on our most recent camping excursion.  This cut of meat is flavorful enough without having to do a lot of seasoning.  We kept it simple;  lightly seasoned with maldon salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and finished with campfire mushrooms.

Campfire mushrooms can be found on most of our camping adventures.  Mushrooms are very camp friendly as they are easy to transport as well as easy to prepare.  They don’t require a lot of cleaning prep, just a mushroom brush or a paper towel;  they require very little cutting, if they are small enough just toss into the pan;  and, they go with just about everything from grilled meat to eggs for breakfast.  Campfire mushrooms is a sauteed mushroom dish that is made with a medley of mushrooms such as cremini and portobellos.  If I can find fresh shiitakes, I like to add them to the recipe.

I could not find shittakes for this outing, but I did find fresh morels, so I splurged and added them to the mix.  I love the morels sponge like texture and woodsy taste.  The seasonings are simple, a little olive oil and fresh garlic, shallots and rosemary, all of which are easy to transport.  I use a little fresh lemon juice as well as some red wine or beef stock, which makes a rich broth for the mushrooms to bathe in, and for the grilled meat to soak up.  This recipe goes really well with a nice steak and even a juicy burger.  Guaranteed to impress even your fussiest camping guests.

Campfire Mushrooms

  • 1 pound brown cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut into thirds
  • ¼ pound portabella mushroom, cleaned and cut into thick slices
  • ¼ pound morels, cut the very end off;  leave whole
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 spring fresh rosemary
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • drizzle of red wine or beef stock (about ¼ cup)

Start your campfire using wood;  the smoky flavor will add depth to your mushroom dish.  Once the coals are ready put a cooking grate over the top of the fire, set a large frying pan on top;  add the olive oil and butter.  Heat until melted.  Add the shallots, stir, and cook for a minute.  Add the garlic and rosemary, stir.  Add the brown cremini mushrooms, stir, and cook for about 3 – 5 minutes, until slightly soft.  Cooking time will depend on how hot the fire is.  Add the portobello mushroom, stir, and cook for another 3 – 5 minutes.  Add the lemon juice, stir and cook for a minute.  Add the wine and cook down for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the morels, and lightly heat for 3 minutes.  Serve over grilled steaks.

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Polenta Pasticciata ai Funghi e Gamberi {Polenta with a Mushroom and Shrimp Sauce}

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

This week’s gorgeous taste of Italy comes from none other than Paula- the meravigliosa cook behind bell’alimento!

Polenta is incredibly versatile and can be eaten either creamy or solid. In solid form you can make it into various shapes which also allows for it to be grilled, pan fried, or oven baked. You can top your polenta with just about anything. How is that for versatile ; )

Like Risotto, polenta needs to be stirred and often. Be mindful when cooking the polenta as it tends to “bubble” and we don’t want to burn ourselves ; ) It’s equally as delicious creamy but for today’s recipe we are going to bake it, which means it needs to be refrigerated after it’s done to allow it to set up. This also allows you to make this well in advance of your meal {great time saver} Depending on how thick you like your polenta cakes will depend on what dish you use to set it in. I like mine no more than 1″ thick. When warming your polenta through cooking time will depend on the thickness of your polenta.

Feel free to cut the polenta into any shape you like. I like a circular shape and I use a glass to cut mine with. Cookie cutters would work as well.

Mushrooms are a natural pairing with polenta. Their earthy flavor pairs beautifully with the corn. You can use any mushrooms you like here. A combination would be fantastic! Remember when making this sauce to add the shrimp towards the end so that you do not overcook them {you don’t want rubbery shrimp} Cooking time for the shrimp will depend on the size of shrimp you use.

What you’ll need:
1 cup polenta {cornmeal}
salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound shrimp – peeled and deveined
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms – sliced
2 cloves of garlic – minced
1 tablespoon flat leaf Italian Parsley – chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups stock
pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg

What to do:

1. Into a large sauce pan add 3 cups of water and season with salt. Bring to a boil. Slowly sprinkle in the polenta. Using a whisk to combine, stir constantly to achieve a smooth texture. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until mixture thickens. Use a wooden spoon to stir.

2. Once polenta has thickened, spray a rimmed baking sheet or similar dish with cooking spray and pour polenta into sheet/dish. Use a spoon to evenly distribute polenta. Cover polenta with a piece of saran wrap {so that a skin does not develop} and transfer to refrigerator to cool completely.

3. Into a sauté pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic and parsley. Stir to combine. Add the wine and allow to reduce. Add the stock and season with pepper and nutmeg. Add shrimp and cook until mixture has reduced and shrimp are pink.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. WHILE the mushroom and shrimp sauce is cooking. Remove the polenta from refrigerator and cut into desired shape. Place the polenta onto a baking sheet and place into oven to heat through.

5. Plate the polenta and serve with a generous topping of the mushroom/shrimp sauce.


Buon Appetito!

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

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

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.

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Fettucine Profumate by Paula of Bell’Alimento

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is the first recipe from Paula of the Italian cooking blog Bell’Alimento.  Incidentally, this is a beautiful site to bookmark if you do not have pasta sauce coursing through your veins and could use a little help preparing gorgeous Italian meals like this one.

Fettucine Profumate… Is Italian for Aromatic or Perfumed Fettucine. And I can’t think of a better description than aromatic. You’ll be smelling this one long before it’s on the table. It’s an incredibly creamy, flavorful and filling dish that’s chock full of mushroom flavor! You’ll only need a small bowl of this! You’ll want more but a small bowl will do the trick *wink wink*

I love the baby bellas or crimini in this dish but feel free to substitute button mushrooms if that’s what you have on hand. The hardest part of making this dish is the mincing and chopping. Once you’ve done that it’s smooth sailing. You can use any type of broth that you like, I used chicken broth here. Also, if you don’t have any truffle oil on hand you can easily swap it out for a good quality extra virgin olive oil. I just like upping the mushroom ante!

Baci!

What you’ll need:

  • 1 pound of Fettucine Nests
  • 8 ounces Baby Bella {Crimini} Mushrooms – roughly chopped
  • 1 small carrot – peeled and minced
  • 2 stalks celery – minced
  • 1 small onion – minced
  • 1 clove garlic – minced
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 ounce grappa
  • 1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf Italian parsley – chopped
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch {dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water}
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons truffle oil
  • 1 cup broth
  • 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano – grated
  • salt and pepper

What to do:

Gently wipe your mushrooms clean with a paper towel. Into a large sauté pan heat butter and truffle oil over medium heat. When melted add the mushrooms, carrot, celery, onion, garlic and parsley. Stir to combine. Allow to cook until onions begin to turn translucent and vegetables begin to soften, just a few minutes, stirring as necessary. Season lightly with salt. Remove pan from heat and pour the grappa in. Mix well and carefully return to heat and cook until grappa has evaporated. Add broth lower heat slightly and allow to cook for approx 10 minutes, stirring as necessary. Add the corn starch {which has been dissolved in water} and mix together until it thickens. When thickened, add cream, Parmigiano and season lightly with pepper. Reduce heat to lowest setting and allow to simmer for approx 5 minutes.

WHILE sauce is nearing the final stages cook your pasta in generously seasoned water until al dente. Drain well and add to the sauce pan. Toss well to combine. Transfer to serving bowl, garnish with additional Parmigiano if desired and serve immediately.

Buon Appetito!

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Mushroom Meatball Sub from We Are Not Martha

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

This week’s featured contributor is Boston-based food writer Susie Anderson of We Are Not Martha.  Recently featured in the Boston Globe, We Are Not Martha takes the recipes of their food folk heroes (like site namesake, Martha Stewart) and delivers them in a way any kitchen beginner would feel safe to try them.

When it comes to meatball subs, you pretty much always know what you’re getting. And while some think this is a fabulous thing, I have to admit, I’ve been a bit bored with the traditional meatball sub lately. I just feel they need a little extra flavor kick; something that takes them from traditional and moves them to exciting, crave-worthy even.

And what better way to add some pizazz to a meatball sub than with mushrooms? OK, I suppose some brie and red wine couldn’t hurt either (do brie and red wine ever hurt?)*. I got some inspiration for these meatball subs from The Noshery, but I changed the recipe a bit and went a step further by adding chopped mushrooms to the actual meatball itself. While the meatball sub was amazing, I could have been happy simply eating a big bowl of these meatballs without even craving any pasta or extra carbs. And that’s not something I can often say.

Meatball subs have always been the perfect Friday night meal to me because they’re simple, but hearty and delicious. Though this recipe adds a ton of flavor and sophistication to the meatball sub, it doesn’t take much more time. After you indulge in a meatball sub stuffed chock full of mushrooms, you may never be satisfied with the plain original again.

Mushroom Meatball Sub with Brie with Mushroom Red Wine Sauce

  • 1 lb. ground turkey (or beef if you prefer)
  • 1/2 C mushrooms, finely chopped + 1 C mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 large onion, diced, with 1/4 C reserved
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 C plain bread crumbs
  • 1/4 C red wine + 3 T red wine
  • 1 t dry rosemary
  • 1/2 t thyme
  • Salt and pepper
  • 12 1 inch cubes of brie
  • 1/4 C butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1/2 C beef broth
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
  • 1-2 T flour
  • 1 toasted loaf of french bread or ciabatta

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Combine the turkey, 1/2 C finely chopped mushrooms, 1/4 C onion, egg, bread crumbs, 3 T of red wine, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Make a thin patty with the mixture about the size of your palm, put a piece of brie in the middle, and roll into a ball.

3) Place meatballs in a glass baking dish or baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees, until brown.

4) While the meatballs are baking, start making the mushroom sauce.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Saute the rest of your onions and the garlic for about a minute before adding 1 C sliced mushrooms, and fresh rosemary. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add beef broth and 1/4 C wine and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in as much flour as you want to get the sauce to the thickness you desire.

5) Put the meatballs in the sauce and toss to coat. Slice the meatballs (or use them whole) in the toasted and sliced bread and top with sauce and extra brie.

*Note from the editor: No. Red wine and brie do not ever hurt. Thank goodness mushrooms are fundamentally healthy because I’m compelled all sorts of gorgeous items to them.

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2010 Mushroom Channel Contributors

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Featured Contributor

The wait is over.  After considering every awesome entry until the last possible minute, your Mushroom Channel team is thrilled to announce the ten official contributors for 2010.  Sincere gratitude is in order for everyone who took the time to write us an email, expressing love for mushrooms. The process of going through the submissions warmed our fungi-friendly hearts.

Without further ado, the 2010 Mushroom Channel Contributors are…

Colleen from Foodie Tots

Erika from In Erika’s Kitchen

Kate from Savour Fare

Lauren from Healthy Delicious

Mardi from Eat Live Travel Write

Patti from Worth the Whisk

Paula from Bell’Alimento

Rachael from Fuji Mama

Sabrina from Rhodey Girl Tests

Susie and Chelsee from We Are Not Martha

To our contributors, be on the lookout for an email from the Mushroom Channel editorial staff to talk through details.  To our readers, be on the lookout for a new post from one of these contributors every week starting April 26.


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Write for the Mushroom Channel!

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

For the last year, the Mushroom Channel has hosted posts from some truly incredible contributors. Kath from Kath Eats Real Food, Jenna from Eat Live Run, Susie from We Are Not Martha, Rachel from A Southern Fairytale, and Luisa from The Wednesday Chef just to put names to a few of the words that have graced these pages with delicious recipes and photos. We’re now looking to expand that program significantly.

Several of you have asked how you could become featured contributors to the Channel and we’re excited to announce that we’re opening up 10 contributing spots in April.

These are paid positions.  Consider the Mushroom Channel as the perfect outlet for all of your marvelous mushroom discoveries. We’re also interested in sending traffic your way from our various sites. All of your posts will feature a short bio that links back to your personal blog and your post will be linked to via both the Mushroom Channel’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

We’re looking for food bloggers with an eye for photos and a healthy level of curiosity.  Posts could range from a great new mushroom recipe of your own to an old family favorite or even a profile of a restaurant dish.  Creativity is encouraged and the editorial staff at The Mushroom Channel is more than happy to work with you if you’ve got grander ideas.  Compensation details are readily available, just send your question to mushroomchannel@gmail.com and we will respond promptly.

How It Works:

1) Submit a sample post with a photo and mushroom recipe to mushroomchannel@gmail.com.  Tell us a little bit about yourself in your email and please include a link to your blog. Posts tend to be 250-300 words if you need a frame of reference and it’s okay if the recipe is something you’ve posted in the past. Deadline for submission is April 6, 2010.

2) When we go through the entries, we’ll be looking for the following in all contributors:

  • Someone who knows how to engage an audience
  • Posts at least weekly on their personal blogs
  • Past mushroom content (Every other post doesn’t need to be about mushrooms, we just want to know that our contributors are fans.)
  • Clear, illustrative photos
  • A unique voice

We’ll be looking for a few of these among individual contributors:

  • Health backgrounds (RD in particular)
  • Parents with advice on healthy meals kids love
  • Frugal-minded fresh mushroom lovers

3) Selections will be made by Friday, April 16th and announced on the Channel. From there a member of the Mushroom Editorial staff will be in touch to sort through compensation and assign deadlines for your four posts in the next eight months.

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