Reconstituting Dried Mushrooms

Sometimes a recipe calls for mushrooms and fresh are great but cannot always be obtained.  Next best thing when using exotic mushrooms or morels when they are not easily obtained or out of season is to buy dried mushrooms which are usually to be found in most produce departments in better grocery stores.

The problem is they need to be re-hydrated.

1. Do you soak them in room temp or luke warm water?
2. Boil or simmer them?

or 

     3.  Bring to a simmer, turn off heat, and let steep for approximately 20-30 minutes or more if needed.

I personally find that #3 is my method of choice and these are the steps I use.

First I open the package of dried mushrooms and remove in foreign objects which are obviously not mushrooms.

Secondly, I place them in a sauce pan and cover with Vegetable broth. 

Third, I bring them to a simmer and remove from heat.

Lastly, I then will strain them from the broth/liqueur and reserve such for use in the dish I am preparing.

At this point, I can cut up my reconstituted mushrooms if needed and/or add them to my dish.

Mushroom and Asparagus Pasta

MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS PASTA

By Skip Graden in Central Illinois Vegans and Vegetarians 

This is a replication of Healthy Choice: Portabella Marsala Pasta, if you would like to try this, I would appreciate anyone willing to be my test kitchen.  I just ask for your honest feed back and any suggestions you may have.  Also any pictures of the process from start to finish would be much appreciated.

Servings: 6

Categories: Vegan

Source: To Vegan or Not to Vegan

Copyright: Self

3 medium Shallots, minced or small dice

1 large Red Bell pepper, diced small

2 cloves Garlic, crushed and minced

2 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt, Season to taste

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, Season to taste

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, Season to taste

8 ounces porcini mushroom, diced/reconstituted and rough chopped of using dried and reserve liquid

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup vegetable stock, or use liquid reserved from dried mushrooms

1 pound Asparagus, blanched/shocked cut into 2" lengths

2 tablespoons parma Vegan Parmesan, reserve half

16 ounces whole wheat pasta, Penne or Wide Noodles

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced fine

1. Prepare pasta as directed on box and shock and hold

2. Prepare Shallots, red pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and asparagus.  Blanch and shock asparagus and hold.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute' pan and saute' shallot and red pepper 3-4 minutes until shallot is translucent.  Add garlic and saute' until fragrant.

4. Add mushrooms, saute 3-4 minutes until juice is released.

5. Add Marsala and either vegetable stock or mushroom liquid.  Cook until liquid is reduced by approximately half and add asparagus and toss in pasta and parmesan.Season to taste with Salt, pepper, pepper flakes and any other seasoning desired.

6. Garnish with additional parm and parsley.

Smokey Corn & Avocado Salsa

I made this twice in class this last semester and each time it was a big hit.  The second time we saved it for the second day and I added some grilled pineapple, the second day it allowed the flavors to fully develop and over 2/3's of the recipe remained and with in 1 hour it was totally consumed by 14 people.  We used the remaining 1/4 cup to make a vegan sushi roll with no fish!



Smokey Corn & Avocado Salsa

Servings: 24
Yield: 3 cups

Categories: Vegan

3 whole Corn, sweet, Grilled
1 cup Black Beans (drained and rinsed of using canned)
1/4 cup Vegetable oil, or Olive Oil
1/4 cup Red wine, prefer Red Zinfandel
1 teaspoon Sea Salt, coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns, freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon paprika, smoked
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1 tablespoon green onion, finely chopped
2 medium jalapeno chile peppers, grilled, seeded, and minced
1 medium red onion, grilled, diced small
1 whole avocado, diced small
2 whole tomato, diced small with seeds removed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, coarsely ground and/or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground and/or to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, stems removed and chopped fine
1 whole lime, zested and juiced

Directions:

1. Mix Oil, Wine, Salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and green onion as a marinade for the corn, jalapeno, and red onion. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes.  You can reserve onion until just before cooking.

2. Grill vegetables just until grill marked.  Do not over cook.

3. Dice onion, mince jalapeno and slice off corn kernels.  Place in a stainless steel bowl.

4. Add Diced Avocado and Tomato. Lime Zest and Juice with Cilantro.  Mix gently.

5. Season to taste with Salt & Pepper to taste.

6. Serve chilled with Tortilla Chips or as a condiment with Breakfast Buritos or Tacos.

Notes: 1/4 cup Green Onion may be used in place of the Red Onion, May use hot sauce when adjusting seasonings.
If you do not have a grill or wish to mess with one, you can oven roast your veggies or add some liquid smoke for the smokey taste. 

Serving Ideas: May be served chilled with Chips or as a condiment with Tacos, Burritos or Sandwiches

Source: www.skipsrecipebox.blogspot.com

Copyright: Self


Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 52 Calories; 4g Fat (61.3% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 104mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.

Nutrition Warnings:

    Corn, sweet:  MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient. 
    jalapeno chile peppers:  MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient. 
    red onion:  MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient. 
    avocado:  MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient. 
    tomato:  MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient. 
    lime:  MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient. 

Global Cuisine: SABZI MOLEE Mixed Vegetable Curry (India)

I am nearing my last couple of semesters in Culinary School at St Louis Community College - Forest Park campus and have been in some good classes with great instructors.  A couple of weeks ago in Global Cuisine, we had some Blog worthy recipes that I felt needed shared.

(I did not cook this dish but thought it good enough to share on here and to bring home 3# of it.)

 ·         SABZI MOLEE Mixed Vegetable Curry (India)

SABZI MOLEE (India)

Mixed Vegetable Curry

Yield: 8 portions

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. butter (change this to Earth Balance Buttery Spread and it is Vegan)
1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds (optional)
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp. ground fennel seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. fresh ginger root, grated
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. salt
2 c. chopped onions
3 med. carrots
3 c. cubed potatoes (white, sweet or redskin)
1 med. head cauliflower, cut into florets
3/4 c. water
2 med. tomatoes, diced
2 c. green beans or peas


METHOD:

1. Melt butter and oil in skillet or wok. Add mustard seeds and heat until they begin to pop. Add
remaining spices and cook on low heat for a few minutes to enhance the flavors. Be careful
not to burn them. Add chopped onions and sauté until translucent.

2. Add carrots and cook several minutes. Add potatoes and cook a few minutes more. Add
cauliflower and stir well to coat all vegetables. Add the water, cover the pan, and simmer 20
minutes, stirring occasionally. When potatoes are tender, add the tomatoes and peas or green
beans.

Simmer, covered 10 more minutes.

Serve on long grain brown or white rice.

Garnish with yogurt, cashew halves or raisins. Enjoy!

Sabzi Molee (India)

Mixed Vegetable Curry

·         SABZI MOLEE Mixed Vegetable Curry (India)

Water - Borrowed from Facebook

Are you drinking enough water daily?

Recommend daily consumption: for men is roughly 3 liters and women is 2.2 liters.

Borrowed from 

We Are All One on Facebook

4/14/2012

Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Marinara

This is a recipe, that I conceptualized with my buddy Jim while hanging out one evening a couple of years ago or so and had originally posted on my first blog, Skip's Recipe Box. He made it the other evening for a date and both he and her were thoroughly impressed! He says, when he wrote down exactly what he did, to serve with favorite pasta and to invite Skip over for dinner to thank him... So if you try it and like it, just let me know. LOL!

Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Marinara


2 pints of Cherry Tomatoes washed and drained.


Blanch and peel if a less rustic sauce is desired.


3 cloves Garlic, peeled, crushed and finely minced


2-3 medium shallots, finely minced


1 pinch Sea Salt (more if desired)


2 tbsp Rustic Tuscan Seasoning mix. (see recipe for Tuscan Seasoning Mix)


Large pinch of sugar.


Small tomato sauce (12 oz or less)


2c Semi sweet red wine. (I prefer Sangiovese or Chianti)


Red pepper flake to taste


1/2 tsp of fresh Black Pepper, coarse ground





Sweat the shallots with the sea salt in olive oil until clear and tender.

Add minced garlic and heat until fragrant.

Do not brown or burn or the garlic will be bitter.

Add tomatoes and gently heat until they burst.

Stir to break up the tomatoes.Add Tuscan Seasoning, pepper and sugar.

Add wine to De-glaze pan, let reduce by half.

Add Tomato Sauce and continue over medium heat about 20 minutes, reducing until thickened.

If to thick, thin with a little more wine.

This recipe is vegan as written, may add thinly sliced mushrooms if desired.



Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy and garnish with a Fresh Basil and freshly shaved Parmesan Cheese. (optional or use a Vegan Alternative to Parmesan) 

May also add, Chicken, Shrimp, Bacon, or Italian Sausage for additional flavors. (this is for any meat eaters who read this)

I recently added this to my Master Cook program, here is the nutrition facts: (without meat)

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 180 Calories; 5g Fat (34.3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 2746mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Nutrition Warnings:

shallots: MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient.
Tuscan seasoning mix: MasterCook uses fluid weight to scale this item. Nutritional calculation will be off to the degree that it differs in density from water.

Mediterranean Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Mediterranean Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

By Skip Graden in Central Illinois Vegans and Vegetarians 

Servings: 10

Picture by Amanda Coffin-Farr
(She was my test cook on this and used Rotini Pasta)

12 ounces whole wheat pasta, penne, prepared as directed

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, more or less as needed

1 large Red Bell pepper, julienned

1 large Yellow Bell pepper, julienned

1 pound Asparagus, cut in 2-inch pieces red onion, Thinly sliced from root to stem

1 medium zucchini, julienned

1 whole yellow bell pepper, julienned

8 ounces baby Bellas, diced

1 can cannelini beans, canned and drained

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, rough chop

2 garlic, minced Sea Salt , to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup chardonnay

2 lemon, whole, zested and juiced

2 teaspoons Tuscan Seasoning Mix

4 leaves basil, fresh, chiffonade, garnish

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, or as needed, may use Vegan alternative

Directions:

1. Prepare vegetables for marinade in oil. Reserving mushrooms, beans, onion and tomatos.

2. Prepare marinade by mixing oil, wine, 1 1/2 tsp of tuscan seasoning mix, 1 clove of garlic, juice and zest of one lemon, sea salt, and pepper.

3. Mix vegetables and oil/wine mixture and dust with Parmesan Cheese or Vegan Alternative. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Prepare pasta, cooking to al dente.

5. While pasta is cooking place marinated vegetables in oven to roast on a sheet pan in a single layer and lightly saute the mushrooms, beans, onion and tomatos with the remaining garlic clove in 2 tbs of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and tuscan seasoning mix to taste.

Sauteed Vegetables

Oven Roasted Vegetables

Pictures by Amanda Coffin-Farr

6. Drain pasta and reserve a 1/2 cup of the liquid.

7. Lightly toss the vegetables into the pasta, drizzling the remaining olive oil and water to get the consistancy you want.

8. Garnish by sqeezing the juice of the final lemon and zest onto the pasta in a large bowl. Dust with 1/2 tsp of tuscan seasoning mix, sea salt and black pepper to taste, and parmesan cheese or Vegan alternative.

9. Just before service, sprinkle the chiffonade of fresh basil on top of dish.

Suggestion: Toss a handful of sliced Black or Green Olives on top of the finished dish before service.