Mushrooms Make the Meal

Mushrooms Make the Meal

This recipe takes a cue from the British, who love mushrooms and tomatoes for breakfast.

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Toast with Avocado Butter, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Recipe Type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: Kimberly Lord Stewart
Serves: 2 (can be easily doubled)
This recipe takes a cue from the British, who love mushrooms and tomatoes for breakfast.

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 thick slices whole-grain bread, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 10 white button mushrooms, cut in quarters
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
  • 4 cage-free eggs

Instructions

  1. Smash avocado in a bowl, add lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Spread avocado butter on toast slices. Place on serving plates.
  2. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushroom quarters and sauté 8–10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add tomato halves and tarragon; cook until heated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Poach eggs: Fill a skillet half full with water; bring to a gentle boil. Break each egg one at a time in a small dish and carefully tip into skillet. Simmer uncovered for 3–5 minutes, until whites are completely set. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon.
  4. Spoon mushrooms and tomatoes over the toast. Top with eggs, season with salt and pepper, and serve right away.

Notes:

TIP: You can also cook eggs in a poaching pan. Be sure to coat each egg cup with butter before cooking. Bring water to boil in the pan, and cook eggs as desired (3–4 minutes for a runny yolk).

 
Mushroom, Celery and Pear Salad with Maple Dressing

Author: Kimberly Lord Stewart
Serves: 4
Sharp celery, sweet pears and maple syrup bring out the richness in portobello mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 3 portobello mushrooms; scrape out gills with a spoon, and slice thinly
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into thirds and then lengthwise into batons
  • 1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons walnuts, broken into large pieces
  • 8–10 leaves butter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place mushrooms, celery, pear slices, walnuts and lettuce in a bowl. Whisk cider vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad. Toss and serve.

 
Shiitake Dumplings

Author: Kimberly Lord Stewart
Serves: 14-16 dumplings
These small-plate appetizers are better than takeout.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 4 ounces lean ground chicken
  • 6 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
  • 3 green onions
  • ¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 12 small wonton wrappers
  • Water for brushing

Sauce:

  • 5 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
  • ¼ teaspoon tamarind sauce (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make sauce: Stir sweet chili sauce, tamari and tamarind in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet. Add chicken and sauté until browned. Remove from the pan.
  3. Place mushrooms, green onions, parsley and ginger in a food processor. Pulse until finely minced.
  4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet. Add mushroom mixture and sauté over medium-high heat until all liquid is absorbed and mushrooms are browned.
  5. Transfer to a bowl. Add tamari and sesame oil. Combine well.
  6. Place wonton wrapper on a cutting board. Spoon a teaspoon of filling on the top portion. Brush water on the lower half. Fold over to form a loose triangle. Set aside on wax or parchment paper. Repeat.
  7. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add about a half-inch of water and bring to a boil.
  8. Gently place dumplings in the water (don’t crowd the pan), and steam for about 1 minute each. Remove from pan and serve with sauce.

 
Porcini Pork Medallions with Apples

Author: Kimberly Lord Stewart
Serves: 2-4
Dried porcini lends a deep, rich flavor to pork and pairs well with sweet apples.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 ounce (about ½ cup) dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 boneless ¾-inch pork loin chops
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 apples; peeled, cored and thinly sliced
  • 16 button mushrooms, cut in half
  • 2 cups white wine or chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon coarse ground mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place dried porcini in a coffee grinder and pulverize into a fine powder. Place in a small bowl, add poultry seasoning and kosher salt, and stir well. Set aside 1 teaspoon for mushroom-apple sauce.
  2. Coat pork chops with porcini powder mixture and press into the meat.
  3. Heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. Brown pork until nearly done, 4 minutes each side. Remove from skillet to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm.
  4. In the same skillet, add butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add onions, apples and mushrooms and sauté until soft and golden.
  5. Add 1 teaspoon porcini seasoning, wine (or stock) and mustard. Raise heat to medium high. Cook until the sauce concentrates down to 1 cup.
  6. Return pork to the pan. Heat through. Taste the sauce; add salt and pepper if desired.

Chanterelle Sandies with Truffle Salt

Author: Kimberly Lord Stewart
Serves: about 24 cookies
Mushrooms for dessert? Absolutely. Chanterelles add a unique sweetness, and truffle salt makes them addictively good.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla or maple extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose organic flour
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup pecans, ground in a food processor
  • 1/4 cup (3/4 ounces) dried chanterelle mushrooms, ground to a powder in a coffee grinder
  • Parchment or wax paper
  • 1 teaspoon truffle salt

Instructions

  1. Cream butter and confectioners sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and stir until well combined.
  2. Blend flour, almond flour, salt, ground pecans and mushroom powder in a small bowl.
  3. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter and sugar. Stir until mixed through. Do not overbeat.
  4. Tear off a 2-foot piece of parchment or wax paper. Spoon cookie dough into a long 3-inch rectangle width-wise on the paper near the side closest to you.
  5. Wrap the paper around the dough, and roll away from you to form a cylinder. Twist the ends to close.
  6. Place dough in the freezer for 20–30 minutes.
  7. When dough is firm, remove paper and cut dough into ¼-inch rounds.
  8. Place cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet; sprinkle each cookie with truffle salt.
  9. Bake at 350˚ for 18–20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Tip:

What is the best way to store mushrooms—paper bag, in their container or in a plastic bag? Tip Busters answered it for us. Wrap mushrooms in a paper towel, and place in a perforated plastic bag. Why? Mushrooms go bad three different ways: too dry, too wet, or by turning color. It’s all about keeping the moisture inside the mushrooms constant and not letting new moisture in.

Tip:

Should you wash mushrooms? Cultivated button, portobello and cremini mushrooms can handle a light washing as long as they are quickly dried. Fresh wild mushrooms like shiitake and chanterelles go limp if washed; instead, wipe gently with a paper towel. Dried mushrooms do not need to be washed.

Tip:

Mushrooms contain a lot of water, so to get a nice brown color, cook them over medium-high to high heat. Over a low burner, they will stew in their own liquid. And, because they are little sponges, mushrooms will easily absorb cooking oil, so you may need to add a little extra to the pan.

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