Mushrooms and Cream Sauce

For those adjusting the amount of meat they have in your diet, but still craving substantial flavor, I suggest mushrooms.   Mushrooms adapt well to their dishes, creating a meaty sensation.  Seldom do you find a dish negatively dominated by their flavor.  Each mushroom has its own distinctive ‘earthy’ quality, but the taste truly varies full spectrum: from the bold and meaty shiitake to the soft, woodsy flavor of white buttons to the rich and almost creamy morel.  Some people are turned away from mushrooms due to their smooth, spongy texture.  Cooking them will alleviate many of these concerns.   They add a hearty tone to your sauce, side, or main dish. 

Before cooking them, make sure to always wash all the remaining dirt off your mushrooms.  Do not be afraid to use the stems as well as the buttons; though make sure that the bottom stems are not too tough.  Mushrooms can be forgiving during the cooking process, which is good news for many new cooks.  Make sure not to crowd them while cooking, giving each a space on the hot pan.  Use them in place of or alongside chicken, beef, seafood, pasta, or rice. 

The mushrooms and white cream sauce I made over pasta was a quick, savory meal that was made mostly with things already in my pantry.  Even without any meat, the meal was filling and satisfying.  The buttery cream sauce balances the aromatic earthiness of the mushrooms.  Add a splash of white wine or lemon juice for an entirely new facet of flavor.  This is the basics recipe, add and experiment at you leisure!

Mushrooms and Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T water

About 8 cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced

2 T butter, unsalted

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:

1.       In a 9 in skillet, heat 2 T olive oil over medium high heat. 

2.       Add onions and garlic, cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium.

3.       Add mushrooms, making sure that they are not crowded.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms are fork-tender.

4.       Add butter, cream, and parmesan to skillet, stirring frequently to coat mushrooms and achieve creamy consistency.  About 2 minutes. 

5.       Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. 

6.       Serve over angel hair or spaghetti.  Garnish with more parmesan and fresh parsley.

Pasta Primaver-y-good

Tonight on my plate sat a medley of vegetables over pasta to accompany my medley of homework over the weekend. Let you in on a secret though – the dinner was better than the homework. Showcasing vegetables is what pasta primavera does best. Fresh and crisp, this dish left me feeling full, but not bloated with carbs. It was wildly colorful with an assortment of peppers, carrots, squash and onions – any fresh produce you can find and if not, try the frozen section. Without a heavy sauce covering up the flavor, it felt clean. With the bite of freshly grated parmesan and voluptuous taste of herbs de provence, it was just what the college student wants on a Sunday night.

Start to finish, this meal took about 25 minutes. Time can be a deal breaker in college between getting off a shift at work and catching up on that pile of reading in the corner. This dinner gives full enjoyment without requiring a full commitment. Plus, this makes just enough for a lunch tomorrow. Perfect, in my case, because my creative cooking juices haven’t started flowing at 8 AM when I wake up for class. Ideally, I’d love to make something fresh every day for lunch. Realistically, I don’t have that kind of time. Therefore, having the ability to reheat something great for lunch that I had for dinner is a perk in itself.

[And this pepper was telling me to eat. NOW!]

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

Handful or so of pasta [traditionally use farfalle, but I used angel hair]

2 T olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 small zucchini, chopped

½ onion, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small tomato, chopped

Salt and pepper

Herbs de provence

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In medium sized pot, cook pasta.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in frying pan over medium high heat.

3. Once hot, add carrots, zucchini, onion, and green pepper. Cook for about 3-5 min – once onions start to turn translucent.

4. Add garlic and spices, cook for 2 min.

5. Drain pasta, add to fry pan.

6. Mix in tomato and grated parmesan.

7. Eat!

Rock the Boat: Braised Rockfish with a Lemon Cream Sauce

Some go through life with the misunderstanding that fish must be dredged in flour, deep fried in a bubble bath of fat, and smothered with tartar sauce. These poor unfortunate souls! Rockfish, an Atlantic Coast gem also known as the striped bass, should not be defiled as such. Don’t get me wrong, the occasional fried fish fillet is fine. Sometimes I am in just the mood for those battered, breaded catfish or cod sandwiches.

Although this bass can be cooked in almost any fashion – fried, grilled, baked, broiled etc. – I indulged in its meaty, yet flakey texture by braising it. The fish was a bit pricier, about $18 a pound, so perhaps store this one for one of those special nights during the long, drawn-out school year. I assure you it is well worth the pocket pinch. [And I know this is such a sharp contrast to my last post about being so broke…well, I had this one when I came back to visit the parents so I got a little financial help.]

Side dish pairings for this dinner escape me; they were fleeting in comparison. I loaded my plate with as much fish as anyone was willing to spare from their own portion. My first experience with rockfish was a delicacy to be favored, as well as savored. The thick buttery cream sauce cut with the acidity of the lemon and punch of white wine was a great compliment to the rockfish; no lingering, pungent fishy taste. Braising the fish was allowed for a crisp outer layer, while leaving the delicate layers of meat to simmer slowly.

I could not have been more pleased with the outcome of this succulent dish. Cooking fish is a sensory art – I have turned a fish into shoe leather before, but this time may have been my most excellent attempt yet. It was perfectly cooked and wonderfully seasoned, without drowning it in an overpowering sauce or spice rub.

I also have fished for striper before, having not yet had a fruitful cast. Knowing what waits on the other end of the line though will make me strive all the more in my future ocean escapades.

Braised Rockfish with a Lemon Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb rockfish, one side with scales

Salt and pepper

Lemon juice

2 T unsalted butter

About ½ cup water

¼ cup dry white wine

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Divide fish, season with salt, pepper and a few squirts of lemon juice.

2. In sauté pan with lid, heat butter over high heat.

3. Place fish, scale side down, into pan. Allow fish to sear uncovered until crisp on scale side, turn over, repeat. About 3 min on each side – should see fish turn more solid white color.

4. Reduce heat to medium low, add water – will splatter, allow water to cook down. Add wine and cream.

5. Cover and cook for about 10-15 min. Make sure fish has cooked all the way through but DO NOT overcook. Fish should flake when forked and melt like butter in your mouth. Overcooked it will become rubbery.

Leeky Faucet? No!! Potato Leek Soup

I’m on a roll this week! …well, maybe more of a potato.

After buying a 5 lb bag of potatoes this weekend against my will, complaining that they would all go rotten, I ended up with only 4 small ones left after two days. First, it was the enormous pot of Champ mashed potatoes and then another pot full of Potato Leek Soup. There is a high probability that I will use up the rest this week, but then again I am the one having real issues with statistics right now. Maybe I’ll just flip a coin…

Anyway, back to soup. Leeks add a complimentary flavor to this dish. Although some substitute green onions for the leeks, I would advise against it. Green onions have a bitter taste, while a leek has a mild onion and cucumber flavor – and mild is what this soup is all about. It’s a cream based, comfort soup that gets almost to the consistency of soupy mashed potatoes.

This time I did add a bit of dry white wine, which gave the soup a little tinge of flavor. Keep in mind this was low grade cooking wine, so the flavor was quite lacking. Don’t skimp on wine quality – you cook with wine you would like to drink. Substitute your favorite dry white wine for my cooking wine and you will be glad you did. Also, I used homemade chicken broth, which I would also highly recommend if you have it on hand. If not, go for a low sodium kind because you will be adding salt throughout to taste.

The soup takes some time, but will yield plenty of leftovers. It is a great lunch or addition to dinner [try with a chicken and/or mushrooms dish]. Also, to the side I would recommend toasting a few slices of French bread to help ensure that you get to enjoy every last drop.

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

About 5 medium sized potatoes, cut into hunks

3 leeks, sliced about ¼ in thick

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1/3 cup dry white wine

4 T butter

¾ cup milk or cream

Instructions:

1. Boil chicken broth [if using homemade] for about 15 min in a large saucepan.

2. Add water, keep the liquids hot.

3. In a frying pan, add olive oil and leeks. Sauté those for about 7 min over medium heat. Add the garlic, cook for about 2 more min.

4. In another pot, boil potatoes for about 20 min until very soft.

5. Add leeks and potatoes to the liquids, bring to a simmer.

6. Add the wine.

7. Cook down the liquids until the soup has somewhat thickened.

8. Add butter; melt, continue simmering.

9. Add milk, simmer for a few more minutes.

10. CHOW DOWN. Add chives for more flavor!

Makes about 5 servings. NOMS: 9

Two Times Is Better Than One

Ah, the first day with enough time at dinner to bake a potato! It’s crazy what you come to value in college. Some steamed broccoli on the side. Mmm, it was going to be delicious. One little hot potato had begun to bake in the oven when I craved mashed potatoes; but I was already committed! What to do…

Well, it didn’t take long, and with the help of butter, cream and broccoli, I had an idea that would give me the best of both worlds. As soon as the potatoes had become soft, I took them out of the oven and scooped the insides into a bowl. Leaving the crisp outer skin on the baking sheet, I added butter and cream to the potato innards and made mashed potatoes! A little salt and pepper and some steamed broccoli blended into the mix made it even better. After I had whipped up peaks of thick, creamy goodness I stuffed the mix back into the skin, sprinkled a little cheddar cheese on the top and baked it again.

Sounds like a long process, right? Total time from putting the potato in the oven to eating it was about an hour and a half. But, my argument is that anything that’s good is worth the wait. This was one of those instances. It was just the right amount of crispy and creamy all in one. Enjoy this on a cold evening where you are in the middle of watching your favorite TV show. It spends a lot of time in the oven, yet that only means you aren’t required to be constantly working with it. Overall, it’s a great dinner.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 medium baking potato

2 T butter

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

½ c steamed broccoli

¼ c cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Slice potato lengthwise into two, baste the outside with butter. Poke holes throughout with a fork.

3. Bake in oven for about 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, steam [or boil] broccoli until very tender – you need it to break down easily and mash into the potatoes later on.

5. Take out potatoes once fork tender. Spoon out the insides, place in medium size mixing bowl.

6. Add butter and cream. Blend with blender until fluffy and smooth.

7. Add in broccoli and blend until incorporated.

8. Spoon mashed potato mix back into the potato, top with cheese.

9. Bake for another 15 minutes.

10. Eat!

Makes one potato, but could be enough for 2. NOMS: 8.6

Stop. Eat. Enjoy: Chicken Pot Pie

Not many other foods in this world demand you slow down and take a moment like Chicken Pot Pie. As one of the great quintessential comfort foods of our time, this savory pie is will have your mouth watering hours before dinner. It’s like a spa treatment for the stomach. The aromatic smells of sautéing onions, garlic, leeks, celery and carrots will get the juices flowing. After preparing your cream sauce from a hot chicken stock and cold cream, toss in some chunks of tender chicken. Soon enough everything will be soaking in a bubbling bath of cream sauce on your stove. Then tuck it gently into a casserole dish with a layer of soft dough, and set it in oven until the crust is golden and flakey.

It’s a heavy belly bomb of flavor and satisfaction; you will most likely want a nap afterwards to complete your relaxing feast. It’s so hot you can barely eat it, but burning a couple taste buds seems a worthy price to pay. Few things can be valued as greatly as a homemade chicken pot pie. To me, it’s home, it’s family, it’s love. Although this time I went it alone: made it myself, with a new recipe and no family to partake in the eating, it was the same delicious goodness that I remembered from childhood. 

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs

2 chicken legs

2 T olive oil

2 leeks, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 stalks of celery, sliced

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T butter

2 T flour

2 c chicken stock [homemade is the best!]

½ c heavy cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ c frozen peas

Salt and pepper

2 pie dough shells [refrigerated]

Instructions:

1. In large pot, boil chicken in about 4-5 c of water for about 15 min, until cooked.
   
2. Remove from water, let cool. Then cut into chunks.
   
3. Drain water from pot, add olive oil.
4. Add vegetables and sauté for about 7 min over medium heat.
5. Remove vegetables from pot.
6. Add butter, melt. Add flour, make roux.
7. Slowly pour in chicken broth, whisk until smooth over medium low heat.
8. Once thickened, whisk in cream.
9. Add can of cream of mushroom soup, continue to whisk until smooth and thick.

10. Add in chicken and vegetables, and frozen peas. Salt and pepper this dish lightly as it does
not need added salt.
11. Continue to cook over medium heat until heated through.

** ***This can be made ahead of time, just keep on stove on low heat until ready to bake.

12. 12. Preheat oven to 350.

13. 13. Put first pie shell in bottom of ceramic casserole dish, do not poke holes in crust.

14 14. Add in the cream, veggie, chicken mix.

15. 15. Put second pie shell over top, pinch sides.

16. 16. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 min.

Makes one large, 4 person pie. NOMS: 9.6