Stuffed Mushrooms

Connie Bucy in Idaho credits her sister Cynthea with this one:

A couple of weeks ago before one of our BSU (Boise State University) football games, my oldest son Seth called and wanted my stuffed mushroom recipe and told him I was going to dig it out as I was going to make them here for the game, also. Well, as I found the recipe, I remembered how I acquired it.

Quite a few years ago when Seth was still at home, he had asked if I would make my sister Cynthea's stuffed mushrooms for him and I told him I didn't have a recipe, but he could call her and get it from her, so that's what he did. Unfortunately, the "original" was incomplete at best, such as "caps out, chop up real fine" and "crisp bacon real fine." So I decided to take the ingredients and come up with a more solidified recipe. Please feel free to change it as you choose!

18-20 med-large mushrooms
6 mushroom caps, diced
6 pieces thickly sliced bacon, cooked & chopped real fine
4 ounces cream cheese (not diet)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley (or fresh if you have it on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean mushroom and remove all stems. Combine all ingredients and stuff into mushrooms. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Obviously, depending on the type and size of the mushroom, the amount it will stuff will vary.

Zucchini Casserole

Connie Bucy shares a recipe that's been in her family, in unwritten form, for years. Now, it's finally on paper ... and online. Here's Connie's take:

The history behind this recipe is questionable at best - my dad's sister, Aunt Alice, came to stay at our home for a while years ago and she concocted a zucchini casserole one evening that was by far the best I've ever had. Unfortunately, I never got a recipe from her (if there ever was one) and this past summer, with an abundance of veggies in the garden, I decided to re-create what I could remember of her dish. Since I have never written it down, this past week I made it and wrote th recipe at the same time.

Ironically, this time I remembered that she used to put about 1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs into her dish, so thought I would try it that way. For me personally, I prefer it without the bread crumbs, but each to their own. It is a rather juicy dish, so you may like it better with the bread crumbs.

2 medium zucchini
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped or sliced
½ red pepper, chopped (or purple or orange or a combination)
½ yellow/green pepper, chopped

4 mushrooms, sliced
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ tsp. garlic powder, or a couple of fresh garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup sharp or medium cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup romano or parmesan cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (optional)

Saute all veggies in butter except mushrooms & tomatoes until al dente (about 5-10 minutes), add seasonings and then add mushrooms, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Pour mixture into baking dish and add cheese on top. Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is browned or veggies are done to your liking.

Baked Mushroom & Leek Egg Pots

Another one from Susan Mouzon, a wonderful friend in Great Britain. She says this is a great dish to get a dinner party started with.

Living and cooking in England is a true adventure. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the endless bounty that I was never exposed to while developing my gastronomic preferences as a child.

Let’s take the leek for instance. A most humble vegetable of which I consider to be a staple here in the UK. You see it on every menu, in all the markets and grocers and no cookbook would be printed without at least one recipe in which the leek has, at the minimum, the role of best supporting actor. I hope you enjoy the following tidbits and my interpretation of the recipe chef Gary Rhodes so graciously shared with a plethora of tellie watchers which included me!

Leeks (Allium porrum or A. ampeloprasum var. porrum), sometimes called "the gourmet's onion" are related to onions (A. cepa) and garlic (A. sativum), but have flat leaves instead of tubular and relatively little bulb development. They're easy to grow and delicious, with a taste all their own, very much like a mild onion. The thick leaf bases and slightly developed bulb look like a giant green onion, and are eaten as a cooked vegetable. Leeks are not as popular in the United States as they are in Europe, where they are known as "poor man's asparagus."

The leek was developed from a wild type, which is native to Western Asia and the Mediterranean countries. Wild leeks were used as food during the early Bronze Age, around 4000 B.C., and were probably domesticated around 2000 B.C. They were part of the diet of those who built the Egyptian pyramids, and Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed the leek as a cure for nosebleeds. Leeks have been cultivated in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, and are particularly associated with Wales – dating back to 640 AD when Welsh soldiers wore pieces of leek in their helmets to distinguish themselves from their Saxon foes in battle. The Welsh traditionally wear a leek on St. David's Day (March 1) to commemorate King Cadawallader's victory over the Saxons that year. Leeks were brought to North America with early settlers from Europe.

Today leeks are grown as an excellent substitute for onions and for its own unique mild onion flavor in soups and other dishes. The recipe:

2 cups sliced mushrooms of choice
2 cups finely sliced leeks
200ml heavy cream
6 eggs
75 g shredded gruyere cheese
Olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and preheat a baking tray as well. You will also need 6 ramekins for this recipe that have been very lightly greased or buttered. Saute the mushrooms and leeks in 2 Tbsp oil until juices have mostly evaporated and the veggies are slightly past the wilted stage but not mushy, season, then set aside.

Using ½ of the cream, pour a layer into each ramekin. Top with 1-2 generous spoonfuls (depending on your spoon size) of mushroom/leek mixture. Add the cheese and then crack an egg and place on top of cheese. Sprinkle with salt to season and now pour over the remaining cream. Place ramekins in the preheated tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottom layer of cream starts to bubble around the edges. If the egg yolk is too runny for your liking, bake an extra few minutes until set.

Conchiglie Tutto Giardino Imbroglio

This recipe was born more than two decades ago in Mark DuMond's kitchen. The term "imbroglio" was added for whimsical purposes. Back then, we thought the recipe's title roughly translated to "major argument with vegetables." However, we ran it through an online translation service today and it translated as "all shells garden I confuse." Further, when we thought the word "imbroglio" was synonymous with a simple "argument" in fact it is defined as either:

• a confused mass
• an intricate or complicated situation
• an acutely painful or embarrassing misunderstanding
• a violently confused or bitterly complicated altercation

Given those choices for a definition, we are now wondering why we named the dish as we did all those years ago. Anyway, here is the recipe for a confused mass, which we certainly prefer to a violently confused altercation.

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, cleaned and finely sliced
3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
6 cloves garlic, minced

8 large fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped
3 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 green bell pepper, seeded, cored and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and chopped
2 cups dry white wine
2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

3 Tbsp. unbleached white flour
1 cup half-and-half
6 oz. tomato paste
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 lb. large shell pasta (conchiglie), or other pasta of your choice

Heat half the butter and all the olive oil in a large pot, then saute the carrots, all onions, radishes, basil, parsley and garlic for 10 minutes, stirring often. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and other vegetables along with the wine and pepper. Bring barely to a boil, then lower heat and simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

In a separate small saucepan, melt the rest of the butter and add the flour. Whisk to make a roux, then add the half-and-half. Keep stirring as it thickens, then add the tomato paste. When it's thick and smooth add it and the parmesan cheese to the simmered sauce.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water. When it's al dente, about 10 minutes, drain the shells and put them in a large serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to combine. Serve it with extra grated parmesan or asiago or romano cheese as garnish. This dish screams for garlic bread and green salad as accompaniment. (Or scroll down or click here to get the recipe for John Bucy's Italian Bread, which would also go nicely with this dish.)

Halloween Special: "Forbidden" Black Rice Salad

Last week, Sheri' DuMond needed to bring a "scary" dish to a luncheon at her workplace in Seattle. Mark found a recipe online for a rice salad using a legendary "Forbidden" black rice and adapted it.

We just happened to have some "Forbidden" black Chinese rice on hand (click here to find it online). The finished dish is truly deep black in color, and flecked with bright dots of orange, so entirely appropriate for Halloween. The flavors are bright with the tastes of lime and spice.

1 3/4 cups black Thai or Chinese rice (also known as "Forbidden Rice")
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. sambal oelek or other Asian hot chili sauce

1 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 large shallots, peeled and minced
6 green onions, peeled, cleaned and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1.5 cups raw cashews
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

Salt & Pepper

Put the black rice, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the water has been completely absorbed. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and chili sauce.

In a medium saute pan, heat the peanut oil and add the carrot, shallots, green onions, garlic and ginger. Saute for just a few minutes until cooked through but not browned.

Put the black rice in a large mixing bowl and add the dressing, sauteed veggies, bell peppers and cashews. Gently stir thoroughly and serve either warm or at room temperature (not chilled).

Italian Bread

Like all of John Bucy's great recipes so far, this one goes back a while. We'll let John take it from here:

This recipe came from Bon Appetit in 1980, so it is also one of our oldest and tried and true recipes. Many people don't get into bread making so it isn't an often requested recipe. However, it always draws raves and gifts of loaves seemed to be treasured!!

Because it is a food processor recipe, it really is fairly easy and simple to make. Therefore, I always make the recipe twice and combine the dough for the rising process.

Glaze:
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt

Bread:
1 envelope yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (120 degrees F)

2 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil)
2 large garlic clove, halved

2 cups bread flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp minced fresh basil leaves (or 1/2 t dried)

Cornmeal

For bread: Heat oil in small skillet over low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft but not brown. Stir and turn occasionally. About 8 min.

In food processor, combine flour, salt, basil, yeast and sugar. Run
processor to stir together five seconds. Add garlic and oil to dough and start processor. Add water through feed tube. After a few seconds, 20 or 30, this mixture will ball up into one or two balls. If it remains floury, add a little more water. If it seems to wet, you could add just a little flour.

Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and put in a warm, draft free place to rise. (I turn my oven on to "warm" for a few minutes, 2, to warm up and then turn it off.) Let rise until double, about one hour. (When using the oven, I always put a pot holder under the bowl to keep the dough from starting to bake on the bottom.)

Grease or oil a baking sheet, one that just fits into your oven. Sprinkle with cornmeal.

Punch down dough and divide in half (or quarter if you make the recipe twice). Roll half (or quarter) out on a lightly floured surface (I use my chopping block and have never needed to use flour. Less clean-up!) into an 8 x10 inch rectangle. Roll up lengthwise, like a jelly roll. Pinch the
ends and seam tightly together. Put the loaf seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat process with the remaining dough. Four loaves will fit on one large baking sheet.

Cover with a damp towel and let rise until double, about another hour.

Make glaze by whisking (I use a fork and a small bowl) ingredients together.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Slash tops of loaves with knife (I actually do this about halfway through the rising process). Brush glaze on top of loaves before baking. It is best if you don't get the glaze on the baking sheet. It just burns and makes for more difficult clean-up!!

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Loaves should sound hollow when tapped and should have a deep golden brown color. Our experience, and maybe it is just our oven and/or altitude, has taught us that about 20 minutes is enough. Remove loaves from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Freeze to store and/or re-heat to serve.

Some John notes: When recipes call for garlic, I know they always misprint the amount. I probably double or triple the amount of garlic. Also, I don't limit myself to just basil. I either use a mixture of Italian herbs or add individually: Basil, thyme, oregano, etc. And yes, I use more than a 1/2 tsp combined. More like 1/2 tsp each.

Cauliflower with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

Another recipe from Karen in Alaska:

Adapted from a recipe in Vegetarian Times. Original recipe calls for roasted cauliflower which I found to be a hassle. This is much quicker and just as tasty.

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
2 -3 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
2 Tbs. tahini
2 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

Steam cauliflower until tender, drain, and put in bowl. In small saucepan, heat olive oil and saute garlic until lightly browned. Stir in tahini, lemon juice, water and salt. Whisk over low heat 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Spoon over cauliflower. Sprinkle with parsley and sesame seeds, and serve.