Mushroom Pie

Up until the last year or so, I was a mushroom hater. They smelled great and tasted ok, but the texture was more than I could bear. But I was blessed with a mushroom-loving son. My 5-year-old will readily tell you that mushrooms are his favorite vegetable. I wanted to encourage this, so I started buying fresh mushrooms on a regular basis (there's nothing like hearing your son shout "MUSH-A-ROOMS!" every time he sees them in the store produce section) and I started cooking. And you know what? I'm sold! A little good technique is necessary and they're fantastic.

So today, when debating what to make for dinner, I shouted out to the family for ideas, with the category being anything that would use up the large crate of portabello mushrooms we'd bought from Costco. My son's idea: mushroom pie. So we searched online and found a recipe that looked too good to pass up, especially since I actually had most of the ingredients. It's terribly unhealthy (other than the mushrooms, of course), but one of those dishes that is good enough to be worth it and rich enough that you only need it once in a while to be satisfied. I might try to make it healthier next time*, but I have no remorse for this time as it was completely delicious.

Mushroom Pie

4 slices bacon, chopped
10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, diced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar or swiss cheese
1 tsp fresh dill
pepper to taste
1 package frozen puff pastry and 1 egg OR dumpling dough infused with dill

In a large pan, render bacon until there is just enough fat to saute in. Do not remove bacon from pan. Add mushrooms and onions and cook 5-10 minutes until tender and starting to caramelize. Reduce heat to medium and add cream and dill. Stir well, being sure to get up all of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a minute. Add cheese and pepper and stir until smooth. You shouldn't need to add any extra salt.

If using puff pastry, place one sheet of dough on a well-oiled baking sheet, pour the mushroom filling on top, then cover with a second sheet. Press the edges together to seal and make holes or slits in the top layer for the steam to vent through. Brush the top with the beaten egg.

If using the dumpling dough (less fancy, but easy to whip up if you don't have puff pastry), spray a small casserole dish. Pour in mushroom filling. Top with just enough dumpling dough to cover the filling.

Bake at 350 F until dough is nicely browned and cooked through, about 40 minutes for the puff pastry and probably less for the dumpling dough.

Rosemary


*My plan for next time is to use less bacon, less cheese, half & half or milk or possibly cream cut with chicken stock instead of heavy cream, and to add a green such as spinach, swiss chard, or kale.

Balsamic Marinade and Its Many Possibilities

Here's another shameless plug for an EatingWell recipe. I hope they appreciate the free advertising on our obscure blog.

The recipe in question is for a versatile balsamic marinade.

Balsamic Marinade

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic or 1 clove shallot*, minced
1 tbsp dry Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp salt

Mix and use as desired. Makes 1/2 cup or enough for about 4 servings of the dish of your choice.
*I fell in love with shallots the week I first tried this recipe. Oh the memories.

Like many other marinades, there are dozens if not hundreds of great applications. Just choose ingredients that are in the right flavor profile and you're good to go. So far I have grilled chicken and many vegetables with this marinade. All turned out fantastic, especially the mushrooms! Eventually I'll try it with different cooking methods, but it's still warm enough to grill so it may be a while.

Tonight I made grilled vegetable and feta panini using this marinade. It was so fabulous and filling that my 5-year-old son and I had no desire for dessert. (Of course, it's possible he might not like coconut that much, but we'll say it was because the sandwich was so fabulous.) And because we liked it so well, I'll share the idea with you here. I'll write it as a recipe, but really it's more of an idea for you to adapt to the ingredients that you have and like. I do highly recommend the portabello mushrooms though. They have great flavor and a meaty texture (for those of you who, like me, were always put off of mushrooms by their texture). They're pretty much the mushrooms that are helping me to finally like mushrooms.

Grilled Vegetable and Feta Panini


2 extra large portabello mushroom caps, stems removed
2 6-8" zucchini sliced 1/4-1/2" thick lengthwise
4-6 small sweet peppers (or 1 large bell pepper), stem and seeds removed and sliced in half lengthwise
3 slices of red onion (all layers still together so it's still a disc)
1 recipe Balsamic Marinade
3 oz or so crumbled feta cheese
2 cups mixed spinach and baby kale
4 torta rolls from Costco (like ciabatta)
extra virgin olive oil as needed

1. Spread prepared vegetables in a pan. Using a heat-stable pastry brush (mine is silicone), brush top side of vegetables with the marinade. Place this side of vegetables down on a heated grill and then brush the other side. Flip and re-brush as needed until vegetables are cooked and delicious. (Don't forget to slice and use the portabello stems. They might not make it on the sandwiches, but they came out crisp, meaty, and delicious all by themselves.)

2. Once vegetables are cooked, remove from heat. If possible, peel the sweet peppers. Slice the mushrooms into strips. Cut down any vegetables that are too large for the bread into smaller pieces.

3. Slice rolls in half. Brush outsides with oil.

4. Assemble sandwiches with layers of various vegetables, crumbled cheese, and leafy greens. Turn grill to low and place sandwiches on the grate. Press sandwiches firmly with spatula or place a weighted pan on top of them. Flip once bottom side is crispy and browned but not dark. Repeat on other side.

5. Serve and enjoy.

Rosemary