Mushroom Ragout with Polenta

Mushroom Ragout with Polenta

Recipe by William Colsher

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

For the Mushroom Ragout


• 1 lb. Assorted Mushrooms
• 1/4 cup Diced Onion
• 4 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs Chopped Parsley
• 1 Tbs Chopped Thyme
• 1/4 cup Dry Marsala
• 1 cup Beef or Vegetable Stock
• 1/2 cup Cream
• 1 Tbs Julienne Basil

For the Polenta


• 2 Cups Water
• 1/2 Cup Corn Meal
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Cooking Directions

Make the Mushroom Ragout






1. Clean the mushrooms carefully. Feel free to rinse them in running water. (Alton Brown dispelled the myth of the "mushroom sponge" years ago.)





2. Halve or quarter large button or Cremini mushrooms, de-stem and slice Shiitakes, roughly chop oyster mushrooms. The pieces should be fairly uniform and about twice as big as you want then to be in the final ragout.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the mushrooms in one batch.
4. Saute the onions until they become translucent.





Reduce! Reduce! Reduce!



5. Add the mushrooms to the onion mixture, salt lightly and saute over medium heat until the mushroom liquid has reduced to a syrup.
6. Lower the heat and add the garlic. Saute about a minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
7. Add the parsley and thyme and saute another minute, mixing well.
8. Add the Marsala, deglaze, and reduce to a syrup again.
9. Raise the heat and add the stock. Simmer until reduced by half.





10. Add the cream and continue to simmer until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
11. Set the mushroom ragout aside off heat, covered.

Make the Polenta


12. In a medium saucepan whisk the corn meal into the water or stock and bring it to a boil over high heat, whisking continuously, until it begins to thicken.
13. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the corn meal is fully cooked and creamy.
14. Stir in the Parmigiano.
15. Taste the mushroom ragout and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
16. Divide the polenta between two bowls, top with the mushroom ragout, sprinkle on the basil and serve immediately.

Notes:

I tend to prefer using beef stock to accentuate the meaty flavor of the mushrooms. Nevertheless, this recipe can easily be a very filling Meatless Monday main course by using vegetable stock. In that case I'd suggest heating the stock and adding half an ounce of dried Porcini mushrooms to it 15 minutes before starting. Then lift out the Porcinis, strain the stock, and add both in step 9.

Vacation Guy Part 3: Zucchini Frittata 2.0

Zucchini Frittata 2.0

Beth and Frances are in Vegas until Friday and tonight I needed something that would keep me fed the next day or so. So I added some pasta to the good ol' zucchini frittata recipe. Now I've got dinner tonight and 3 more servings. This would normally be a #MeatlessMonday post, but I had bacon with my omelet this morning. Sorry...

Ingredients

• 1 lb Small Zucchini (3 or 4), sliced into rounds
• 1/2 cup Diced Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 5 Large Eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 8 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, grated
• 2 Tbs. Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 6 oz. Capellini
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil

Cooking Directions

1. In a 12 inch oven proof frying pan over medium high heat, saute the onion in olive oil until it begins to color. Add the zucchini slices and continue to saute until they begin to color. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Adjust seasoning and remove from heat.
2. Cook the capellini in plenty of boiling salted water until just short of al dente, about 3 minutes.

3. Drain the capellini and add them to the vegetables in the frying pan. Mix well using a couple forks to encourage the pasta to combine with the vegetables. The capellini won't want to spread out and allow the veggies to mix, so be aggressive.
4. Combine the beaten eggs, milk, and grated mozzarella, mix well, and pour over the pasta and vegetables. Mix aggressively to distribute the egg mixture throughout the pasta.
5. Slide the pan back onto a burner, turn the heat up to medium and cook until bubbles begin to emerge throughout the frittata.

6. Sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano over the frittata and place under a broiler a few minutes until the top is puffed and nicely browned.
7. Carefully remove the frittata from the broiler and allow it to cool. Cut into wedges and serve.

#MeatlessMonday - Zucchini Parmigiana

Zucchini Parmigiana

Recipe by Bill C

A (somewhat) lightened version of the ubiquitous Eggplant Parmesan. Quickly grilled zucchini slices are layered with crushed tomatoes, basil and cheese. the result is a sweetly succulent casserole that works equally well as a vegetarian main course or as an accompaniment to any kind of simply grilled meat.

Ingredients

• 3 lb. Zucchini
• 12 oz Mozzarella, sliced thin
• 2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 28 0z Can Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Basil
• Salt
• Pepper

Il Talismano della Felicita: Maccheroni Con Mozzarella

Maccheroni Con Mozzarella

Recipe by Ada Boni

Maccheroni Con Mozzarella

Another classic recipe from Il Talismano Della Felicita this is a meatless baked pasta dish enriched with a scratch made fresh tomato sauce and lots of cheese.

As usual with Ada Boni's recipes this one can be cut in half to accommodate modern appetites or left "whole" to yield plenty of leftovers.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 600 g Ziti, broken up if long
• 1.5 Kg Tomatoes
• 2 Medium Eggplant
• 1 Tbs Lard (or Olive Oil)
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Carrot, chopped
• 1 rib Celery, chopped
• 100 g Grated Provolone
• 200 g Mozzarella, sliced thin
• Basil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil for frying

#MeatlessMonday - Garden Pizza #1

Garden Pizza #1

Recipe by Bill C

Made with the first few vegetables from our little garden.

Ingredients

• 250 g. Bread Flour
• 200 g. Water
• 5 g. Salt
• 1 Tbs Olive oil
• 1/2 pkt. Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Small Italian or Japanese Eggplant
• 1 Small Zucchini
• 28 oz Can Peeled Tomatoes
• 4 oz. Fresh Mozzarella
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

#MeatlessMonday - Omelette Arlequin

Omelette Arlequin

Recipe by Chez Robert

This recipe is adapted from Linda Dannenberg's Paris Bistro Cooking.

Equipment

3 bowls
Cheese Grater
Kitchen knife
Tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon measures
Large frying pan
2 quart terrine or similar mold
Deep roasting pan for the bain marie

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb Fresh or 1 28 oz. can Plum Tomatoes (about 6 tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 lb Fresh or 1 10 oz pkg, frozen Spinach
• 9 Large Eggs
• 1 cup Grated Gruyere
• 3 Tbs Olive Oil
• 6 Tbs Cream
• 1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme
• Fresh Grated Nutmeg
• Salt
• Pepper

#MeatlessMonday - Falafel

Falafel

Let 'em cool a little...

Ingredients

The chickpeas are still in the bath...

• 2 cups Dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 5 Cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp. Paprika
• 1/2 cup Chopped Parsley
• 1/2 cup Chopped Coriander
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil for deep frying 

#MeatlessMonday: Zucchini Frittata

Zucchini Frittata

Recipe by Bill C

Ingredients

• 3 Medium Zucchini, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds
• 8 oz. Fresh mozarella diced or grated
• 3 Tbs. Parsley, chopped
• 6 Eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbs. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 3 Tbs Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stir the mozzarella, parsley, and eggs together.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large oven safe frying pan until shimmering. Carefully add the zucchini slices and allow to cook undisturbed until the bottoms are lightly browned.



Half way done

4. Turn the zucchini and continue to cook in this manner until they're mostly golden. Reduce heat and add the garlic and cook until it's softened and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Top with Parmesan

5. Off heat dump the egg mixture into the zucchini and stir just enough to mix well. Sprinkle the Parmigiano on top and bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is golden brown and slightly puffed.



Ready to Eat

6. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Nearly every region of Italy has a variation or two on the Zucchini Frittata. They tend to differ mainly in the type and quantity of cheese and herbs. In Calabria they cut way back on the cheese and add peperoncino for example. Nearly everyone uses parsley and mint is fairly common.  No matter what the ingredients, it's always quick and easy.

We tend to eat this hot as a main course for lunch or a light second course in the evening. In Italy you'll see many variations of it at room temperature as part of antipasti tables. You can make it into a more substantial meal by stirring in pre-cooked spaghetti.