Tag: mushrooms
Creamy Cashew Udon with Crispy Mushrooms

Creamy Cashew Udon with Crispy Mushrooms

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I’m not a vegetarian but we are making a concerted effort to eat less meat and more veggies.  Good for us and good for the planet.  It’s much easier now with so many cookbook authors, bloggers, and chefs being much more veggie-forward.

The first new year recipe I tried was Cauliflower Steaks with a Smoky Tomato Rub from Cook the Vineyard.  Delicious, off to a good start!  I also received Hetty McKinnon’s To Asia with Love during the holidays.  A nod to her Chinese roots, she has penned a beautiful cookbook that relies on vegetables.  But before I even cracked open the book I found this recipe from her, Creamy Cashew Udon with Crispy Mushrooms, in Bon Appetit.  It’s so good.

The recipe can be broken down into 3 parts.  The creamy cashew sauce, the umami-filled chili crisp, soy, vinegar sauce, and the noodles.

Cashew Sauce

Who knew? Blending cashews with water, garlic makes an amazing, creamy, rich sauce that is the perfect stand-in for heavy cream.

It is super versatile, add herbs and spices for a sauce over roasted vegetables like carrots and broccoli. Or add some tahini for a sesame flavored sauce. Yummy.  I know, cashews can be pretty darn expensive.  I buy mine at Costco or local Indian markets which helps save some buckaroos,

The base sauce is cashews, water, garlic, salt, and a bit of oil.  It’s genius.  The cashews are hydrated first, in hot water, before tossing them in a blender or food processor with other ingredients and whirred into a sauce that provides flavor and a wonderfully creamy, decadent sauce.  Shazam.

Chili Oil

The chili sauce comes together quickly and provides that burst of flavor that brings it all together.  Use your favorite Chili Crisp Oil.  I use either the OG of Chili Crisp Oils, Lao Gan Ma, or Momofuku Chili Crisp.  Hetty McKinnon has a homemade chili crisp oil in her book.  It’s on my bucket list of things to try.

The Noods

Udon noodles are Japanese wheat noodles that are thick and springy.  Often overshadowed by its flashy cousin ramen. It is served in soup, hot or cold, and stir-fried.  My fav is in soup with shreds of beef, Niku Udon, with Aburaage, fried tofu, or simply with an egg.  Here is my Udon primer.  It works really well in this dish, the creamy sauce coats the thick, sticky udon nicely. The noodles have a nice bite that compliments the mushrooms.  BUT, you could use different noodles, keep in mind you’ll want a thicker noodle, one that can stand up to the sauce (so not thin vermicelli noodles).  For a gluten-free option, a wide rice noodle would work well.

Not gonna lie, always going to love meat, but folks like Hetty McKinnon are making it much easier to make our meals much more veggie-centric.  This pasta dish is going in the regular rotation!

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Creamy Cashew Udon with Crispy Mushrooms

From Hetty McKinnon an absolutely delicious pasta dish that uses cashews to create a creamy, decadent sauce, it’s vegetarian, it’s vegan, it’s yummy!
Course Main Course, one bowl meal, pasta
Cuisine Asian-American, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword Angel hair pasta, cashew, Creamy cashew sauce, mushrooms, Udon
Prep Time 1 hour 42 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

CASHEW CREAM

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1 garlic clove coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

Chili Oil

  • 2 Tbsp. Chinkiang or Chinese Black Vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. chili crisp or chili oil
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1 scallion thinly sliced

The Shrooms

  • 2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. oyster shiitake, crimini, or button mushrooms, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt plus more serving
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Noodles and Garnish

  • 28 oz. fresh or frozen udon noodles Substitute wide rice noodles for gluten-free option.
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced

Instructions

Cashew Cream

  • Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add cashews and let sit until tender, 30–60 minutes.
  • Drain cashews and transfer to a blender (preferably high-speed) or food processor. Add garlic, oil, salt, and ½ cup water and purée until smooth.

Umami Sauce

  • Stir vinegar, chili crisp, soy sauce, sesame oil, and scallion in a small bowl to combine; set soy-vinegar sauce aside.
  • Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook mushrooms, tossing every minute or so but leaving mostly undisturbed, until mostly golden and crisp, 5–8 minutes, oyster and shiitakes will cook quicker, while crimini and button mushrooms will take a bit longer. Add garlic and kosher salt, cook, stirring often, add additional tablespoon of olive oil if the mushrooms look dry.

Noodles

  • Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions. You can use udon or any wide, thick noodle. For gluten-free option use rice noodles. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
  • Remove half of the mushrooms from the pan. Add noodles and cashew cream to pan with remianing mushrooms cook, stirring and adding reserved cooking liquid a little at a time, until cream is loose and coats noodles. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Divide noodles among bowls, garnish with reserved mushrooms generously drizzle each with reserved soy-vinegar sauce. Top with remaining scallions. Serve.

Notes

You could make this gluten free too!  Use a wheat free soy sauce, like a Tamari Sauce and a rice noodle for the udon. 
Blend the cashew sauce well, preferably use a blender or food processor.  Don’t be timid, you want a nice smooth sauce.

 
Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms (Thanksgiving Favs)

Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms (Thanksgiving Favs)

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I love Thanksgiving.  Unlike other holidays that seem focused on family, Thanksgiving is a free-for-all.  We invite everyone we can think of, especially those that can’t make it home, to join the feast.  Each person brings their own family favorite to share.  We have a table filled with a cacophony of dishes, Uncle Gary’s Sweet Potatoes, Sticky Rice Stuffing, Chinese Roast Duck, Lox and crackers, Stir-fried Bok Choy, Baklava…anything goes.  It all tastes wonderful, enhanced by the lively, happy chatter of friends and family we don’t see often enough.

Reelin in the Years

The stalwarts of our Thanksgiving table include Uncle Gary’s Sweet Potatoes.  Non-negotiable to the point that Uncle Gary and Sweet Potatoes are synonymous.  Sweet potatoes, copious amounts of butter, brown sugar, topped with mini-marshmallows, what’s not to love?  Over the years Uncle Gary (yes, a real person, my cousin) has tweaked his recipe, adding pineapple, boooze, marshmallow cream, only to be met with a chorus of “it’s good BUT not as good as your regular sweet potatoes. Why mess with perfection?

The other must-have is the Chinese American contribution to Thanksgiving, Gnaw Mai Fan, or Sweet Rice Stuffing.  A mixture of glutinous rice (sweet rice), bits of Chinese sausage (lop Cheung), mushrooms, green onions, dried shrimp (umami bomb), bbq pork, and roasted chestnuts is now in vogue, the gluten-free option to classic bread stuffing.

Confession Time

Ok, I have a confession.  I am the maker of the Gnaw Mai Fan or Sweet Rice Stuffing that graces our feast every year, but I LOVE traditional bread stuffing.  Yep, I’m a stuffing girl.  After making the VAT of Sweet Rice Stuffing for everyone else, I use to pull out the teeny box of Stove Top stuffing in the pantry to whip up for me.

Fortunately, those days are over.  A savory bread pudding with mushrooms from Epicurious satisfies my stuffing craving.  Filled with onions, peppers, ‘shrooms, croutons and bound by eggs and cream, it is deliciously decadent.  Make sure to toast the bread, it makes a difference.  Use a French batard that has a nice crust and a fairly tight, soft crumb.  For an extra rich, creamy version, use Challah or Brioche.  Substitute leeks for some or all of the onions for another yummy tweak.

Pros– lots of veggies, bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, onions, moist, scrumptious, adaptable,

Cons-lots of eggs, heavy cream and butter, and cheese, but hey, it’s a holiday!

I do tweak the recipe just a touch. Use half and half in place of at least half of the heavy cream.  You could probably reduce this further by using chicken stock for part of the half and half too.  I also substitute olive oil for half of the butter used to saute the veggies. The recipe is below.

It’s All About the Pies

I know how Gary feels, typecast for Thanksgiving, not being given the option to bring something different for the feast.  It is ASSUMED we will bring pies.  Lucky I love to bake, as does Jamie.  The pie parade includes traditional Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie, Tartine’s Lemon Cream Tart and a gorgeous Cranberry Curd Tart.  Choice and color to the dessert table.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese

Decadent, savory bread pudding with mushrooms, peppers, onions and cheese held together by a rich creamy egg custard.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Savory Bread Pudding with mushrooms
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

The Dry

  • 1 1-pound loaf crusty country-style white bread (A Frence Batard preferred over Ciabatta which has bigger holes)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 large garlic clove minced

The Stuff

  • 6 tablespoons 3/4 stick butter Can use half butter, half olive oil
  • 1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms such as crimini, button, portobello, and stemmed shiitake, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion can replace half to all of onions with leeks
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
  • 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper use any color bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (Italian flat leaf parsley)

The Wet

  • 3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream substitute half and half for 50% of cream,
  • 8 large eggs yes, 8
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

The Bread

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cut bottom crust and short ends off bread and discard. Cut remaining bread with crust into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups loosely packed).
  • Place cubes in very large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss to coat. Spread cubes out on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Return toasted bread cubes to same very large bowl.

The Veggies

  • Melt butter/olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté until soft and juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables and parsley to bread cubes.

The Binder

  • Whisk heavy cream, eggs, salt, and ground pepper in large bowl. Mix custard into bread and vegetables. Transfer to prepared dish. Let sit for min. of 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
  • Bake stuffing uncovered until set and top is golden, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes.

Notes

This rich, custard-like stuffing is also a great main-course option for vegetarians.

 
Mushroom Bourguignon (New Year’s Resolution #1)

Mushroom Bourguignon (New Year’s Resolution #1)

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I have a bucket list of New Year’s resolutions this year. Resolution #1, “EAT MORE VEGGIES and less meat”. This is going to be EASY and I am going to be a BOSS and slay this resolution. Why? Recipes like Smitten Kitchen’s Mushroom Bourguignon, that’s why.  It’s hearty, warming, a great stand-in for stews and it takes a fraction of the time to make as it doesn’t contain any meat.  I have been eyeing this recipe for quite awhile so with the cooler weather and my new year’s resolution it was definitely “fun”-ghi time.

Where’s the beef!? Sorry Sammy, you’re looking in all the wrong places

I decided to serve the mushrooms over a bed of creamy polenta, others have opted for noodles which looks equally delicious.  I’m a sucker for polenta or grits. When I was a kid I was a Cream of Wheat/Malto-meal fan whereas the rest of my family fell into the Quaker Oats oatmeal camp.  It’s a textural thing I guess, that and I loved the Cream of Wheat commercials, “Come in from the Cold”.

I used cremini mushrooms although I think a mushroom medley would work beautifully.  Next time I make this dish I think I’ll throw in shiitake mushrooms and portabellos to give it a meatier taste and texture.  Not being a strict vegetarian I opted for beef broth for the stock but feel free to use a vegetable broth. I’m also wondering if a little fish sauce (thank you Kenji Alt-Lopez) would up the umami factor for us omnivores.  I will let you know!

So 2018 resolution #1 gets a running start thanks to Smitten Kitchen’s Mushroom Bourguignon.  Next on my list? Cauliflower Steak and Puree from Genius Recipe.  Let the Veggie Times Roll.

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(Mushroom Bourguignon) New Year’s Resolutions

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons 30 ml olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons 30 grams butter, softened
  • 2 pounds 905 grams Portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (you can use cremini instead or a medley of mushrooms)
  • 1 cup 115 grams pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
  • 1/2 carrot finely diced
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Table salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup 235 ml full-bodied red wine
  • 2 tablespoons 35 grams tomato paste
  • 2 cups 475 ml beef or vegetable stock (beef broth is traditional, but use vegetable to make it vegetarian; the dish works with either)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons 12 grams all-purpose flour
  • Egg noodles for serving also goes well with polenta or grits
  • Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • 1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium-sized Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms and pearl onions until they begin to take on a little color— your mushrooms will make a delightful “squeak- squeak” as they’re pushed around the hot pan— but the mushrooms do not yet release any liquid, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove mushrooms and onions from the pan and set aside.
  • 2. Lower the flame to medium, and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrot, onion, thyme, a few good pinches of salt, and several grinds of black pepper in the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, and cook for just 1 more minute. Season with more salt and pepper.
  • 3. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half, which will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the stock. Add back the mushrooms and pearl onions with any juices that have collected, and bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the temperature so it simmers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until both the mushrooms and onions are very tender.
  • 4. Combine the flour and the remaining butter with a fork; stir this into the stew. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lower the heat, and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to a “coating” consistency. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
  • 5. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles (polenta or grits would work well), dollop with sour cream, if using, and sprinkle with optional chives or parsley.
  • Do ahead: The mushroom stew reheats very well on the second and third days, in a large saucepan over low heat.
Simple Minced Pork,So Easy Your Kids Could Make This. Mine Can!

Simple Minced Pork,So Easy Your Kids Could Make This. Mine Can!

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When I went off to college and moved into an apartment, I would call my Dad (he was the chef in our family) for advice on cooking.  “Dad, what kind of meat do I use for stir fries?  I learned the hard way that beef chuck was not the right choice.  How do I make corn soup, steamed pork patty? Invariably, I wanted to learn how to make dishes I had grown up eating, food that reminded me of home and family.

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Everything comes full circle, now my kids are calling me for recipes and tips on how to make the dishes they love.  Fortunately, many of the dishes are simple and quick, perfect for a student’s lifestyle not to mention for families always on the go.   This is one such dish, its easy, versatile and inexpensive, ok, cheap.  Adapted from Chubby Hubby, “Simple Minced Pork”  is the Asian version of Sloppy Joes.  You can serve it over rice or noodles, you can make it with ground turkey or chicken instead of pork or use any kind of mushroom, like creminis instead of shiitake…it’s really up to you.  If your going low carb, use it as filling for a wrap made with lettuce or serve it over zucchini noodles (Check out White on Rice blog for noodles) the sky is the limit!

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Simple Minced Pork

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 400 g ground pork or chicken or turkey
  • 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms stalks removed, finely chopped or use creminis
  • 4 green onions finely chopped
  • 1/2 of a small yellow onion minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons sake
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1-2 T chicken stock or broth

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add yellow onion to pan, fry until onion softens and looks translucent. Add mushrooms, ginger and ground pork. Lower heat to medium. Add sake, mirin, soy sauce and chicken broth. As mixture cooks, break up the pork as much as possible. Stir-fry to reduce sauce and brown meat. Add green onions and cook for additional minute. Stir well and serve over rice (brown or white) or noodles.
  • For a more substantial meal, serve with a poached egg or a Japanese style hard boiled egg.
  • Goes well with Asian noodles with similar thickness to linguine or fettucine.
Look Ma…No meat! (Wild Mushroom Pasta)

Look Ma…No meat! (Wild Mushroom Pasta)

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My family loves meat but every now and then I can fool them and serve a dish without the carnivore stamp on it.  The secret ingredient is mushrooms!  Mushrooms have a nice meaty consistency that works well as a substitute.  We make portabello burgers, stuff creminis with bread crumbs, onions, garlic, parmesan and peppers and slide them into the oven but our favorite is Pasta with Mushrooms.  A variety of mushrooms are sauteed with garlic, thyme and shallots, flavored with marsala and finished with some stock and cream.  It’s delicious.  If you are a purest you can use a mushroom or vegetable stock but I like to use chicken stock.

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Pasta a la fungi ok, its really noodles with mushrooms

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces of fresh mushrooms combination of wild and white button or cremini, almost any mushroom will work, cleaned and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 T butter
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 1/4 cup dry marsala
  • 1 cup stock or broth vegetable, mushroom or chicken
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 1 stalk of green onions or small bunch of chives, chopped
  • 1 16 ounce box of linguine or tagliatelle
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Heat oil and butter in a saute pan large enough to fit mushrooms. When oil and butter start to sizzle add shallots to pan saute 1 minute, then add garlic. Saute another minute, when soft but not brown, add mushrooms. Saute mushrooms until brown, liquid released and evaporated. Add marsala and cook a couple minutes to almost evaporated. Add stock, thyme and continue to cook until reduced by half. Add heavy whipping cream and simmer until sauce thickens and again is reduced by half. Add green onions and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • While sauce is reducing, bring a pot of water to boil to cook noodles. Boil pasta as directed.
  • Drain noodles. Once sauce has reduced add to pasta. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.