Tag Archives: mushrooms

Butternut Squash & Mushroom Lasagna

16 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by in Entree, Lunch, Meal, Recipe, Vegetarian

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(* indicates Star Hollow Farm produce.)

INGREDIENTS

Butternut Squash Filling

  • 1 large red onion, roughly chopped*
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved*
  • 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed*
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary*
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme*

Sauce

  • 3/4 cup red wine (such as merlot or cabernet sauvignon)
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (such as Muir Glen)
  • 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 lb baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced*
  • 1 medium bunch swiss chard, rinsed and coarsely chopped

Cheese Filling

  • 3 cups organic part-skim ricotta
  • 2 organic, free-range eggs, lightly beaten*
  • 1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Other

  • 3/4 lb uncooked lasagna noodles
  • 6 oz freshly shredded organic mozzarella cheese
  • 6 oz freshly shredded asiago cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Butternut Squash Filling: Combine onion through thyme in a 13X9-inch glass baking dish, and toss until ingredients are evenly coated with oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 425 degrees F, stirring every 10 minutes, until vegetables begin to brown. Mash with a fork and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Set aside, and reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F. You will need the 13X9-inch dish to cook the lasagna, so do not clean, just set aside for later use.
  3. Sauce: Combine red wine, tomatoes, 2 tbsp oil and oregano in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large non-stick pan. Saute mushrooms on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until tender and beginning to brown. Set aside. Puree tomato mixture in a blender. Transfer back to medium saucepan, and add cooked mushrooms. Stir and simmer for 10-15 additional minutes, until sauce begins to thicken. Stir in swiss chard and set aside.
  4. Cheese Filling: In a large bowl, combine ricotta through salt. Stir well and set aside.
  5. To prepare the lasagna, pour about 1/2 cup sauce into the 13X9-inch dish you used to make the butternut squash filling (no need to clean, just scrape clean with a rubber spatula). Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles arranged close together. Evenly spread on 1 cup of cheese filling and then 1/2 cup butternut squash filling. Spoon on 1/2 cup of sauce. Add a second layer of noodles followed by another 1 cup of cheese filling and 1/2 cup butternut squash filling and 1/2 cup sauce. Finish with a layer of noodles and thoroughly moisten by 1/2 cup of sauce and 1/4 cup butternut squash filling. Evenly sprinkle with shredded mozzarella/asiago cheese mixture.
  6. Cover and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until lasagna is bubbly, the noodles are tender, and the top is browned. Remove from oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
  7. Serve with a green salad.

Mushroom Barley Soup

13 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by in Dinner, Lunch, Meal, Recipe, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

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This hearty vegan soup is fabulous comfort food for a cold winter day. It’s packed with flavor and texture. If you’re not vegan, don’t worry…you’ll fall in love with this soup! Eat this for dinner, or for lunch. It reheats well and stays good for a week in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion or 2 medium leeks, diced or chopped
  • 1 lb. baby bella mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
  • 1 medium celery root (also known as celeriac)
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 1 very small cabbage, or 1/2 medium cabbage, finely shredded and chopped
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (use organic chicken broth if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup organic pearled barley
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp cream white balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-hight heat. Add onions and cook until brown, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until they are tender.
  2. Add celery root through wine. Bring to boil. Add barley. Return to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  3. Stir in both vinegars and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Kapusta (Polish Sauerkraut)

13 Sunday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Entree, Recipe

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Kapusta is Polish style sauerkraut. As a kid, I absolutely hated sauerkraut. I remember every time my Polish mom would make it, I would immediately leave the kitchen and hold my nose. For some reason, I detested the smell, especially as it permeated the house. Well, perhaps my palate has changed, but I have come to like sauerkraut – my mom would be so proud! This recipe is an adaptation of my mom’s and Babcia’s (grandmother) recipe. My Babcia would pick her mushrooms and dry them herself.
To soften the sometimes acidic, harsh flavor of sauerkraut, I’ve added fresh cabbage, additional dried mushrooms, vegetable broth, and some balsamic cream vinegar. Make this dish a few days ahead of time, because the flavors improve with each day.
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 tbsp organic, salted butter
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large red or white sweet onion, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 leek, light green and white parts only, diced
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seed
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 (12 oz) package or jar of organic sauerkraut (made with cabbage, water and salt only)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 to 1 cup dried mushrooms
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp balsamic cream vinegar
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Put the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.
  2. Add butter and olive oil to a large stock pot. Saute onion, carrots, leek and caraway seed until onions are translucent (about 8-10 minutes). Add fresh cabbage then sauerkraut, dried mushrooms, bay leaf, vegetable broth and water.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for one hour.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients. And cook for an additional 30 minutes to an hour.

Uszka (Polish Mushroom Dumplings)

13 Sunday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Recipe, Side

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Uszka is a type of Polish dumpling, similar to pierogie, but baked instead of boiled. The dough contains more butter than pierogies, creating a light, crispy crust. This uszka recipe uses a savory, mushroom filling. They can be eaten plain, but are best dipped in barszcz – Polish beet soup. This recipe comes from a Polish cookbook, and was translated by my mom who immigrated to North America when she was 10 from Poland.

INGREDIENTS

Dough

  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 stick organic, lightly salted butter
  • 1 organic, free-range egg
  • 1 tbsp light, organic sour cream
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt

Filling

  • 1 lb. mushrooms, washed (try a combination, such as baby bella, oyster, shitaki, button, etc.)
  • 1 medium organic onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp bread crumbs
  • 1 organic, free-range egg
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, add flour and salt – mix. Cut butter into flour until crumbly. Add lightly beaten egg, and sour cream. Knead dough until the ingredients are well combined and the dough glistens and does not stick to the surface (you may need to incorporate a little more flour during the kneading process).
  2. Cover the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  3. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Add the mushrooms and onions to a food processor and process until finely chopped (the mushroom onion mixture will look slightly pasty).
  4. Heat oil in a large frying pan and saute the mushroom mixture on medium-high heat stirring constantly so the water from the mushrooms evaporates and the mixture does not burn. Cook until the mushroom mixture begins to brown for best flavor. Remove mixture from pan and set aside in a bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes, then add bread crumbs, lightly beaten egg, salt and pepper.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  6. Remove dough from refrigerator. Divide into 3 sections. Roll out one section of the dough on a large floured surface into a thin layer. Use a small drinking glass and cut out circles. Set the circles aside. Continue to roll out each dough section and make additional circles.
  7. Place a 1/2 tsp of mushroom mixture in the middle of each circle. Fold each circle in half and pinch the dough together to create a seal. (Make sure the two edges of each circle are sealed well to prevent leakage of the mushroom mixture.)
  8. Arrange the dumplings on several cookie sheets and bake one cookie sheet at a time until light browned (about 10-15 minutes).

Autumn Vegetable Pot Pie

29 Thursday Oct 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Recipe, Vegetarian

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This is an extremely versatile vegetable pot pie recipe adapted from a wonderful cookbook that my sister bought for me a few years ago: Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates – Festival Meals for Holidays and Special Occasions. Don’t be fooled by the title of this cookbook – I use it for every day occasions, not just holidays and special occasions. The recipes are creative and unique. Definitely a must have in my kitchen.

Back to the recipe…I’ve made this several times with a variety of different vegetables. It’s a fabulous recipe for using those odds and ends from your CSA share. The recipe below includes what I used this time, but I’ve also used butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, green beans, kale and collard greens, and leeks. If you’re going to do some substituting, I recommend following the havarti cheese sauce and pastry recipes, but improvising on the other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

Filling

  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 bunch of radishes (about 5-8 medium), washed well and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1-2 cups vegetable stock
  • 3 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1/2 large head of broccoli, separated into small heads (about 1/2 inch wide)
  • 2 1/2 cups mushrooms, washed and sliced (about 1 small container)
  • 1/4 cup chopped FRESH flat leaf parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped FRESH dill

Havarti Cheese Sauce

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup unbleached white flour
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 1/2 cups grated dilled havarti cheese (about 6-8 oz)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Pastry

  • 1 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large soup pot, warm the oil. Add the onions, bay leaves and radishes and saute for about 10 minutes on medium heat, until the onions are soft. Stir in the potatoes, sweet potatoes, salt and cup of vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the broccoli and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the mushrooms, parsley, and dill and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the mushrooms and until all the vegetables are just barely tender.
  3. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Cover the vegetables, remove from heat, and set aside.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  5. In a saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in the stock and cook on medium heat, whisking often, until the sauce thickens and simmers gently. Whisk in the cheese until melted and stir the sauce into the pot of cooked vegetables. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Pour the filling into a 9x13x2 inch baking pan or a 10 inch round deep-dish pie plate and set aside.
  6. Prepare the pastry. Mix together the flour and rosemary in a large bowl. Rapidly work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture a tablespoon at a time, and lightly mix in. Push the dampened dough into the center of the bowl and form a ball.
  7. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to fit your baking dish. Completely cover the top or arrange cut-out designs on top of the filling. If you totally cover the pie with pastry, cut a few slits in the top. That way steam can escape during baking for a crisper crust. Gaps between cut-out designs will make good “vents” too.
  8. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbly. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.