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hehehe I just couldn’t resist that title.  The other day I was over at Tony’s site, Olive Juice.  He had posted this incredible mushroom tart recipe.  My Gawd I could hardly stand it.  Sauteed mushrooms with wine, goat cheese and mascarpone all nestled in a puff pastry shell.  Can YOU stand it?  That’s like heaven right there. 

Who knew that Heaven came in bite sized tarts?  Well, I guess Tony did, since he came up with the concept.  Immediately, I was jotting down the ingredients for the next week’s shopping trip.  Luckily, my food store had the mascarpone this week (score!), so I didn’t even need to make a special trip anywhere else.  Lucky Lucky!    So, I took Tony’s idea and ran with it.  Ran and ran…the concept is similar, but I kind of reinvented it a little, and took some short cuts (Tony, if you’re reading, please avert your eyes lmao), such as purchasing the pastry.  I changed the technique a bit and the presentation is more rustic than his.  I must say, though, that they turned out pretty daaaaayumed good. So, thank you, Tony for the inspiration.  This is going to be one of those recipes that makes it on the party food list.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 spring onion, finely chopped
10 large button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 pound (200 grams) purchased puff pastry
1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre)
1/4 cup mascarpone
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

First, saute the garlic in the butter until golden.
Add the white parts of the spring onion and continue to saute until soft.
Add mushroom slices and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook over medium heat until cooked through and beginning to brown.
Add wine and reduce just a bit.
Remove from heat and toss in the green part of the spring onion, and give it a good stir.

Preheat oven to 400ºF/190ºC.
Lightly oil 9 ramekins.
Cut the puff pastry into 9 equally sized squares.
Place a square of pastry into each ramekin, and poke the bottom with a fork.
Add a bit of mushroom saute to each cup.

Mix the chevre and mascarpone in a bowl with some salt and pepper.
Top each mushroom cup with a little cheese mixture.

Pinch the four corners together and sort of twist the tart closed, like this:

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden.
Serve hot or at room temp.

Tartaletas de Champiñones:

Ingredientes:

2 cucharadas mantequilla
2 dientes de ajo, majados
1 cebolleta, picada
10 champiñones grandes, en láminas
1/4 vaso de vino blanco
200 gramos hojaldre
1/4 vaso queso de cabra
1/4 vaso queso mascarpone
salt and pepper to taste

Elaboración:

Primero, dorar el ajo en la mantequilla.
Añadir la parte blanca de la cebolleta y sofreir un poco.
Añadir los champiñones y salpimentar.
Tapar y cocinar a fuego medio hasta que estén tiernos los champiñones y están empezando a dorar.
Añadir un chorrito de vino y remover, dejándolo reducir un poquito.
Retirar del fuego, y añadir la parte verde de la cebolleta, y remover bien.
Calentar el horno a 190ºC.
Engrasar 9 flaneras con aceite de oliva.
Cortar el hojaldre en 9 cuadrados.
Poner una pieza de hojaldre en cada flanera y añadir un poco de champiñones.
En un bol pequeño, mezclar el queso de cabra y el mascarpone y salpimentar.
Poner un poquito de queso a cada tartaleta.
Cerrar cada tartaleta uniendo las esquinas y presionando un poco.
Hornear durante 20-30 minutos o hasta que estén doradas.
Servir caliente o a temperatura ambiente.

April is such a fickle month, isn’t it?  I mean sheesh!  A couple of weeks ago, temps were soaring into the 90’sF/30’sC, and this week we are back to cool and windy.  I was all set to buy a pool for the kids to hang out in on the weekends, and now, we’re back to soup and jackets.  I don’t mind the soup part (being a self professed soup junkie and all), but jackets?  I want summer dangit!  Since summer has taken another run for the hills, at least for now, I must console us with soups to warm the heart and soul.  That’s the part I like! lol  One of my best friends in the whole world, (and bratty girl) Lizzie shared her recipe for Drunken Mushroom Soup a few years ago.  It is such a great soup….and of course has my main pre-req’s for most of the recipes prepared in this house…quick, easy, and out of this world delicious.  All of Lizzie’s recipes are so elegant, and generally are light on the workload, but heavy on taste and heavy on ”wow” factor.  This recipe is exactly that…quick, easy, elegant, and WOW! that’s good!  Perfect for company or for everyday (you know I don’t save special foods for special occasions), this little bowl of goodness can be made ahead and simply reheated when needed.  Which for me is right now. lol  Since making this for the first time, I have gradually altered the ingredients and technique just a bit, which is why I’ve changed the name…I prepare this almost as if it were a French Onion Soup, with the addition of a couple of extras and a substitution or two for others. 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups onion, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 pound (400 grams) mushrooms, slice some and chop the rest
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup flour
3 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet or Maggi
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
6-8 slices baguette
6-8 slices Dutch Gouda
garlic powder, sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
chopped parsley to garnish

Preparation:

Melt butter in a 3 quart soup pot (or similar).
Lightly brown garlic, then add onions, sugar, thyme and bay and reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer this mixture about a half an hour, or until beginning to turn golden.
Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
Up the heat a bit, and saute mushrooms with onion mixture about 5 minutes or so.
Add wine and stir around, and let reduce just a bit.
This should take about 3-5 minutes.
Add flour and whisk to combine.
Add remaining ingredients up to baguettes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, uncovered.
Meanwhile, prepare the baguettes.
Top each slice of bread with a slice of cheese, and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Broil until bubbly, about 4-6 minutes.
Serve baguettes with soup.

Ok.  So here I am.  In the middle of a “winter” depression sort of wallowing state…and BAM!  Out comes the sun.  The warmth.  The joy of breathing the air that sustains us.  The little push I needed to get the fack out of my house and do something.  So of course, where *does* one go when one wants to get out and explore new territory?  Tread new ground and experience new sensations?  Well, the Central Market of course.  Duh.  *rolls eyes*  “What stuff is fresh and wonderful and juicy and succulent today?  What awaits my dear windowless, but filled with birdsong kitchen?” I ask.  The answer?  Artichokes.  And Mushrooms.  And a few other things to tantalize the senses.  You see…it’s artichoke season!  Being from Minnesota, up until recently, I had no idea wth an artichoke really even was in its original state, let alone how to prepare one.  But last year,I made it my bidnez to learn.  This year?  I made it my bidnez to look beyond the typical artichoke dips, and dipped artichokes for that matter and decided to stuff that puppy.  Well, it really wasn’t a puppy….I’m not *that* adventurous (or heartless), but it was hella good, let me tell you….the mushroom stuffing is almost like a paté, but not quite. 

 

This was a bit of a mistake at first, being all zealous with my food processor and stuff, but in the end, it wound up being better than I expected.  Yay!  All hail mini food processor! Woot!  Lookit what came of the adventure in veggie shopping—first, the ingredients:

BTW…if you’re not terribly familiar with fresh artichokes and how to choose them, here is a quick tip:  Be sure to choose heavy artichokes for their size.  The outer leaves should be a little tough, but not loose or soft.  If you can find them without the brown edges–even better.

Ingredients:

6 artichokes
1 lemon, halved (half to lemon the artichokes, half to throw in the cooking water)
sea salt to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely minced
1 cup minced mushrooms (fresh)
1/2 cup minced ham (omit for vegetarian)
1/4 cup cream
grated parmigiano to taste (about 2-3 tablespoons)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped chives to taste
2-3 tablespoons grated parmigiano
1 tablespoon bread crumbs

Preparation:

First, prepare the artichokes.
For instructions on how to do this, please consult this post, with the following exceptions:
First remove all tough outer “leaves.”
After having rubbed the chokes with lemon, remove the stalks and centers with a paring knife.
While the artichokes are boiling, prepare the filling.
Using your mini food processor, mince first the garlic, then the onions, then the mushrooms. (If you don’t have one, you can obviously do this by hand, but for me? I saved a huge chunk of time using the gadget. lol)
Heat butter over medium high heat.
Saute garlic first, then add onion and saute until translucent.
Add mushrooms and saute over medium heat until liquid has evaporated.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add in ham and stir.
Add in cream, stir around and reduce a bit.
Add in some grated parmigiano cheese.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
When artichokes are finished cooking (it should take about 15 minutes, more or less…depending on the size of your chokes), drain and cool sufficiently to handle. (VERY important. I burned the crap out of my hand trying to stuff them while hot. *such* an idiot. :P)
Add chopped chives to filling mixture and stir.
Fill artichokes with mushroom filling.
Combine a bit more Parmigiano and the bread crumbs and top the chokes with this mixture.
Broil for about 5 minutes or until golden.

I suppose it’s no coincidence that my blog has been filled with comfort type dishes as of late…the January blues and blahs tend to hit really hard for some reason…even living here in the Canaries where it’s sunny more often than not.  I’ve always thought that my seasonal surge of depression was due to the cold grey days of Minnesota winter, but once again I am proven wrong…even though the days can be bright, here, my mood has not been.  Whenever this shadow shows it’s ugly self, I find that I dive into comfort food mode, and probably a comfy robe and slippers, too.  So, it’s no surprise that today’s post is about one of the quintessential winter comfort dishes…Beef Stroganoff. Being the busy (and too lazy to do dishes) mom that I am, I try to cut time corners whenever possible.  Beef Stroganoff traditionally makes a big mess and lots of dishes, but not this one.  I promise you every bit of the delicious flavor of Stroganoff with only one deep pan.  Well, and the pasta pot, too.  It’s quick, easy and hella soothing on a rough day.  (so much so that I hid the leftovers from the kids so I could have them myself!  Bad mommy! lol)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
3 cups chopped mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds steak of choice, cut into thin strips (or ground beef)
2-3 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch for gluten free)
3 cups beef consomme (or beef broth)
a splash of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of thyme (or thyme leaves to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream (or Quark cheese or Greek yogurt)
chopped parsley to garnish
1 pound (400 grams) egg noodle pasta, prepared according to package directions

Preparation:

Using a deep saute pan, melt butter.
Saute garlic first, just until golden, then add onions and stir until translucent.
Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown just a little.
Add steak (or ground beef) and toss around, browning a bit.
Add flour and give it a good stir.
Now add consomme, Worcestershire, tomato puree, bay and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Stir to combine, then cover and cook over low heat about 20-30 minutes.
(Now is a good time to make your pasta)
Add sour cream and stir through.
Remove from heat and serve over pasta, garnished with freshly chopped parsley.

Hee!  I must be a little giddy or something…my kids went back to school today, and I finally have a chance to post and ding around on the computer! LOL  While I haven’t been posting, I certainly have been cooking, and taking pics.  I mentioned a couple of soup recipes, but those will have to wait, because the calzones….my jeebus, the calzones…well, they just happened to rock my world, so they beat out the other contestants for first new food post of 2008.  Cuz there was, like, a competition and stuff.  Well, at least in my head there was.  And these won.  Just like any pizza recipe, you can add and subtract ingredients according to preference, but I have to say, this combo knocked my socks off, and my daughter’s too!

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust of your liking (I use a recipe for my Thermomix machine, so my recipe probably won’t be helpful to you if you don’t have one)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup chopped ham
1 cup sliced mushrooms
sliced olives to taste
anchovies to taste
2-3 tablespoons sliced red peppers
2-3 tablespoons onion slices
2/3 cup grated Gouda cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425-450ºF/225ºC.
Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil.
Spread pizza dough out on sheet in a large circle.
On half of the circle, layer all ingredients, sauce first, cheese last.
Fold “naked” half of pizza dough over dressed half, and seal edges shut (I sort of roll and pinch if that makes any sense).
Bake about 20 minutes or until crust is golden.

With all the holiday prepping and shopping I’ve been doing lately, my meals have been rather uninspired.  The other day, though, the idea of caramelized leeks on a chop occurred to me, and I had been craving it ever since.  I’m really pleased with the way these turned out!  The picture doesn’t do them justice.  These are pretty quick to make, and very easy…the leeks and mushrooms practically make themselves, just a quick stir now and then while you’re preparing the rest of the meal is all they need.

Ingredients:

6 center cut pork chops
2 eggs
2-3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated parmigiano, plus more for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying
3 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced into rings
pinch of sugar
6 large white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup water

Preparation:

Beat eggs with water in a deep plate.
Combine bread crumbs and parmigiano on a plate.
Season chops with salt and pepper, then dip in egg first, then dredge in bread crumbs.
Reserve on a plate.
Saute leeks in butter with a pinch of sugar over medium heat until nice and browned.
Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and nicely browned.
Add wine and reduce a bit for about 5 minutes.
Add water and cook for another 5 minutes.
Adjust seasonings.
Fry chops in oil over medium high heat about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through–the cook time will depend on the thickness of your chops, though.
Serve with caramelized leeks and shrooms spooned over the top and garnished with extra parmigiano cheese.