Mushrooms: Mini Pancakes with Pear Mushroom Compote and Caramel Sauce

Yeah....

Mushrooms in dessert was even trickier than cabbage. I find a handful of recipes using what were called "Candy Cap" mushrooms were supposedly have a sweet taste on their own. You can simply dip them in chocolate and call it dessert.

But, I couldn't find a good translation or anything at the market that resembled said heavenly sweet mushrooms.

So, I decided to wing it with some brown shimeji mushrooms. I cooked them with pears in a ginger pear compote recipe I found. Compote is a French way of cooking fruit with a simple syrup to create a simple jam. And I also tried to make a caramel sauce from scratch.

On top of that, I've been wanting to try some Greek Yogurt-based pancakes. So I threw it all together on a plate and called it dessert.

Unsurprisingly, I'd do it all again sans mushrooms.

Pear Ginger Mushrooms Compote (recommended without mushrooms... but, you know.)
enough 2 servings of pancakes.... make bigger as needed

1 pear dices in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup of mushrooms

1 tsp of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until pears and mushrooms are very tender. Mash lightly with a potato masher to desired consistency. Continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes until some liquid has cooked off.

You can put the warm compote in clean recycled jars. It lasts in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

(original recipe here ... in case you want good quantities of larger portions)

Caramel Sauce
yield: a little less than a cup


1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons butter
Pinch salt
1/2 tablespoon vanilla


Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.

(half of the original recipe found here)

Greek Yogurt Pancakes
serves 2 for breakfast 4 for mini desserts (or mini mouths)


1 cup Greek yogurt
7 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir together the Greek Yogurt with the dry ingredients until just barely combined (don't overmix.) Whisk in the egg mixture until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium-low heat and melt some butter in the pan. Drop batter by 1/4 cup (or Tbsp for minis) servings onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles start to form on the surface and edges are starting to brown. Flip to the other side and cook for another minute. (Pancakes will be a little on the soft side.) They burn quickly so keep an eye on them.

(original recipe found here)

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Mushrooms: Mushroom Risotto

I've been afraid of risotto of my whole life.

That's not true.

But I would have never ordered it. When I go Italian, I want PASTA, PIZZA, WINE, but risotto? meh.  I don't know. Rice just never got my goat.

Then, I moved to South Korea. There, if you're not a rice person - you starve. NOT KIDDING. Despite the digestive problems that over-consumption of rice causes me, I ate it 3 meals a day every single day. After a year, I was BURNT OUT.

But with all the yummy goodies you can get in Spanish Paella, and the fact that rice is just. so. cheap. and the fact that the Great Rice Burn Out of 2010 has actually now been 4 years ago, I've slowly but surely been more inclined to allow myself to order it out. But Italian? no. friggin. way.

Howeverrrrrrrrr. Erin picked mushrooms. And I remember her delight after ordering a certain mushroom risotto on our trip last year and thought that I had better give it a go.

Plus, most websites referred to the "quick and easy" way and the "long and authentic" way. Helllloooo challenge! Mushroom risotto it is.

I bought my shrooms at the local farmers market. I used portobello, shitake, and boletus mushrooms. Most recipes called for porcini, though, so if you want really authentic - do that.

Honestly, I can't believe I even hesitated. I'm drooling just thinking about it. SO. GOOD.

The history of risotto is naturally tied to the history of rice in Italy. Rice is said to be first introduced to Italy and Spain by the Arabs during the Middle Ages. The humid climate of the Mediterranean was found to be very suitable for the growth of short-grain rice. But like most new commodities, the popularity grew first among the rich, as the product was still very expensive. In time, however, the quality of the Italian product was discovered and with the growth of the market, prices became more accessible.

Milan trademarked the slow-cooking style of risotto, having already been slow-cooking numerous dishes for centuries. Risotto was discovered to be an excellent way of using the shorter-grained rice, the starchy component of the dry grain mixing with the stock to create a thick, creamy sauce.

Side note: 2 days after making the mushroom version, I did the exact same thing but with sauteed carrots. And Laura made a similar version with zucchini. You can get really creative - so have fun with it!

Mushroom Risotto
serves 6 


6 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to let flavors meld.

(recipe from here)

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Mushrooms: Crostini con Paté di Funghi

I really wanted to find an authentic Italian recipe for a mushroom crostini. I've been trying to study a little bit of Italian lately. Rest assured: being a language teacher pretty much forbids me from saying that I've actually learned anything at all. My standards of what constitutes "knowing" a language now are set outrageously high.

Anyways, Erin knows a bit of Italian and we went on a trip to Italy a couple years ago together. While in Verona, we spent one afternoon and evening participating in a lovely ritual known as: Cicchetti (chee KEH tee).

It's the Venitian region's response to aperitivos in Milan or Spanish tapas. Before dinner, people meet with friends to have a pre-dinner drink and a couple light snacks. We hand-picked our little snacks and the majority of them were served on little slices of bread or toasts. We bar-crawled to 2-3 different places before deciding we were just full enough to have dinner.

In keeping with this theme I began to look for an Italian crostini recipe. We've kind of butchered this idea, throwing any combo of food on top of toasted baguettes and calling it a crostini. You really can't go wrong - but everywhere I looked it was just sliced up mushrooms with cheese melted on top. Nothing was calling me.

Finally, I just decided to do my google search in Italian. The original recipe is in Italian, and the blog seems authentic enough. To decipher I used a little google translate and relied on my Spanish knowledge to guess at the rest. So, Swieters, you can just jump to the link and try it in it's original version.

I don't have a blender but if you do I bet this would come out awesomely mousse-like and delish.

Because it's served chilled, it's easy to make it and leave it in the fridge for a few days - to either get multiple uses or to pre-make things for a gathering.

Also, I skipped the brandy because I didn't have it and couldn't justify buying a whole bottle for a teaspoon, but I've included it in the recipe in case anyone wants to use it.

Crostini con Paté di Funghi
makes enough for about 10-12 crostinis

1 tsp Brandy
1 stick of butter
2 heaping cups of sliced mushrooms
3 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1 hard-boiled egg
1 shallot
salt
pepper

Melt 3 Tbsp of butter in a skillet and sautee the finely dices shallot until browned. Add the finely sliced mushrooms and cook until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Combine the rest of the butter, cut into small pieces, walnuts, chopped hard-boiled egg, brandy, and mushroom mixture to blender and mix until a mousse is formed.

Chill mixture in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving. Serve on sliced toast. Garnish with green onion or parsely.

(recipe here - in Italian - but the photos are good)

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Week 5: Mushrooms

SHROOOOOOMSSSS!!!!!

There are so many varieties, so many options.

When we were in college, my friend Erin - who picked this week's ingredient - was world, er, campus, er, our circle of friends-famous for her affliction for brown snacks.

Swieters loved herself some pretzels, hummus, tea, cereal, couscous - you name it - brown. Let's be serious, though, the quintessential brown snack is the mushroom. So many shades of brown, so many brown flavors. They are just so deliciously.... brown.

Anyways, it was perfectly fitting that Swieters threw shrooms my way. Not only are they brown, but they are also found EVERYWHERE. Erin travels a lot for work, and a lot because she wants to - she, too, is also found EVERYWHERE. On top of that, girlfriend's super into entertaining, and even for the not-so-savvy in the kitchen, mushrooms are a sure-fire crowd pleaser.

I created this menu with Erin's brown snacks ideology in mind. And also tried to incorporate our shared love for all things Italian.

This week's menu:
Appetizer: Mushroom Pate Crostini
Main Dish: Mushroom Risotto
Dessert: Mini Pancakes with Mushroom and Pear Compote and Caramel Sauce

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Cabbage: Hungarian Sweet Cabbage Strudel

Okay.

This dessert is interesting.

I probably won't make it as a dessert for guests anytime in the near future.

But I did learn that making phyllo dough from scratch is not difficult, but time-consuming.

I also learned that cabbage if cooked down in tons of butter and sugar until it is almost carmelized still remains, in fact, cabbage.

I have a Hungarian co-worker who, when asked about a recipe like this, said that it was made - albeit not often. And that she didn't like it.

Soooooo. It doesn't come high on the recommendation list BUT, this exact concept made with apples or pears would be exquisite!

I tried my hand at homemade phyllo dough because I've been dying to make baklava from scratch, too.

It didn't turn out as thin as it should have, so I think the next time I'll start with smaller pieces of dough.

Phyllo Dough
should make about 20-30 9x13 sheets depending on your patience level. I made 3....


2 2/3 cups (270 g/13 oz) unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon  table salt
1 cup less 2 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Mix ingredients together the best you can using a dough hook if you've got one. I don't. So I used a fork. Knead the dough for 5-10 mins if necessary to mix dough completely.

Form dough into a ball and let rest at room temp for about 30 min.

Form dough into as many balls as sheets you would like to make. My recipe called for three. So I made three that were thicker. The smaller the ball, the easier it is to make them very thin. Roll out dough until desired thickness. For "real" phyllo dough - it should be transparent. Use a lot of flour on your surface and flip the dough every once in a while while rolling.

(recipe here)

Hungarian Sweet Cabbage Strudel

serves 8

For Filling:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted

.

For Pastry:

3 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped

For the filling: In a large skillet, melt butter. Add cabbage and saute until tender. Add salt and sugar and stir to dissolve. Let cook a little while longer so most of the juice is absorbed. 

Stir in 1/4 cup toasted walnuts. Spread on a parchment-lined sheet pan to cool completely. 

To assemble the strudel: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place 1 sheet filo dough on a parchment-lined baking pan. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 sugar and 1/3 finely chopped walnuts. Place 1 sheet phyllo dough on top of the filling, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1/3 sugar and 1/3 finely chopped walnuts. Place remaining 1 sheet phyllo dough on top of filling and brush with butter. Reserve any remaining butter and last 1/3 sugar and walnuts for the top. 

Turn the pan so short end of phyllo is closest to your body. Spread cooled cabbage filling 2 inches from top and sides, but all the way to the edge closest to you. 

Using the parchment paper to help you lift, roll the strudel away from you, encasing the filling and forming a cylinder. Move the strudel, seam side down, to the center of the parchment paper and tuck in the strudel ends. 

Brush entire surface with remaining melted butter, sugar and walnuts. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes on the pan. 

Using a serrated knife, carefully cut into 8 pieces and serve warm. 

(recipe here)

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Cabbage: Busia's Polish Kapusta with Kotlet Schabowy

Emily comes from a long line of Polish women. Strong, ornery, Polish women. Kind of like her. I met Emily in college so I never met her grandma but my favorite stories that Emily would tell about her family were always about Bus (bOOsh) - as in Busia: Polish for grandma.

I always just kind of pictured her as a refined, vintage version of Em.

Anyways, I figured there had to be some secret special ornery Polish woman recipe involving cabbage, so I asked Em to send me one.

She replied quickly with Bus's recipe for kapusta - a Polish sweet and sour cabbage.

When a googled kapusta (I like to have a visual), the majority of the first page of links to recipes served kapusta with a fried pork cutlet - kotlet schabowy.

I told Em that that's what I was going to end up trying to make.

She said her family made the fried pork thingies a lot but she never knew what they were called.

YEA! Blog's working! Everybody's learning!

When it came to the pork cutlet I didn't have a meat tenderizer mallet thing and in the original link the author makes it sound like a huge pork-juice-flying-everywere mess... so I opted out. They turned out pretty good sans re-pounding them.

But, I'll leave the instructions in there in case you feel like pounding some meat with a mallet. Gross.

Anyways, here you have it.

Busia Paszczykowski's Kapusta
(includes Emily's notes that I followed)


1 large head white cabbage (the cheap kind, not that fancy napa stuff)
½ - 1 c water (I usually use closer to 1 cup)

½ - 1 c white vinegar (start with 1/2 and then add more. I like mine with about 3/4 cup)

½ - 1 c sugar (I usually start with 1/4 cup and end up putting in 1/2 cup. Kapusta is sweeter than sauerkraut but should still has to have the zip of vinegar b/c Polish people love our vinegar.)

Salt and pepper to taste (I use only maybe 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper b/c the vinegar adds so much flavor)

2 tbsp bacon grease (or olive oil) (both work just fine and I only use 1 tbsp)

1 tsp caraway seeds (optional) (I love this flavor with cabbage/vinegar but its not necessary, esp if you don't like caraway (aka rye seeds). If you do add them, crush them up a bit in a mortar and pestle to release some of the flavor before throwing them in.)

Shred cabbage (use a really sharp knife and patience or a mandolin). Put cabbage in a large pot and then pour boiling water over cabbage. Cabbage should stay immersed in the water for 10-15 minutes (no heat on the stove and covered). Drain water and put cabbage back in large pot. Add the other five ingredients, then bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes (uncovered). Stir it every so often and taste to see if you need more vinegar/sugar. Sometimes I leave it for 30-40 b/c I just forget and you really can't mess it up. You just want the cabbage to no longer be crunchy but not be mushy. Also, you want a some liquid left b/c its all the flavor but a lot of the water should cook off. We eat kapusta as a side dish at any meal. Or, if you're a true Paszczykowski woman, you eat kapusta cold directly out of the leftover dish standing in front of the fridge b/c you have no patience to wait to heat it up and its delicious on the go.

Kotlet Schabowy
serves 6

Pork Chops (with or without Bone in)
Egg, Beaten in bowlFlour
Garlic Salt or table Salt
Pepper
Plain Breadcrumbs
Oil for frying
Butter

Pound both sides until nice and tender with a meat mallet (on the side with the Tenderizer spikes).  - Like I said, optional. In three wide bowls, set up the "assembly line".  In one bowl, mix the flour and spices, in another bowl, the beat an egg and in the last, dump the breadcrumbs.
In a frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan in a 1/4-1/2 inch layer. Dip the pork chops on both sides in the following order: flour, egg, breadcrumbs and fry to gold brown - flipping only once.

Add a dollop of butter to each chop and place in a baking dish in the oven at 300 to let the butter melt and bake into the crust. YUM

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Cabbage: Pupusas con Curtido

Pupusas con curtido is a traditional dish from El Salvador. Pupusas are made from the same dough as tortillas - flour and water- and are pretty much thick, stuffed tortillas.  I stuffed mine with cheese and jalepeños but there were plenty of recipes that used beans, shredded pork, cheese, etc.

Pupusas are served with a spicy cabbage vinegar-based slaw called curtido or encurtido.

Emily has spent a lot of time in central America - Guatemala and Honduras, specifically - and I imagine that this meal is something she picked up there. She mentioned it as an option and I had never even heard of them before.

The curtido was delicious as well. The oregano gives it a really fresh taste. Love. Love. Love.

I used it as an appetizer because pupusas are a nice finger food, or you could even serve the curtido as a salad with a pupusa or two on top.

Really though, I ate it as a meal.

Pupusas con Curtido
serves 4 as a meal 6-8 as an appetizer


¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp fresh frozen chili peppers (dried red pepper flakes should be fine)
½ large carrot, peeled and grated
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
¼ head green cabbage, shredded
Kosher salt, to taste
2 cups flour
2 cups water
16 oz. shredded cheddar
4 oz. jar of pickled jalepeños 

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine vinegar, sugar, oregano, chiles, carrots, onions, and cabbage in a bowl. Season with salt; toss; let chill.

2. Put flour and 1 1/2 cups of  water into a bowl; stir to form a dough. Pinch off a 1 ½-oz. piece of dough; roll it into a ball. Pat dough into a thin - the thinner the better- disk. Squeeze 1 ¼ oz. cheese into a ball. Press (REALLY PRESS) cheese and one jalepeño into center of dough; cupping dough, stretch edges of dough around cheese and seal. Pat dough to form a 3 ½"-wide disk. You don't want any of the inside to leak out. Repeat to make 12 pupusas in all.

3. Heat a 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 3 batches, cook pupusas, turning, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Serve hot with slaw.

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