Mushroom Pastries/Empanadas
I made a batch of these the other night. I always called them mushroom pastries, but thought empanadas might be a better name for them. They are very tasty, whatever you call them. The filling is a combination of mushrooms with onions, thyme and sour cream. The pastry is a tender, flaky dough.
They are a fun food to take with you. Portable enough for picnics!!
They make great appetizers or can be served as a meal, maybe with a salad. Fun for parties, brunch or lunch!
Mushroom Pastries/Empanadas
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sour cream
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and 1 cup of butter until well blended. Mix in the flour until fully incorporated. Pat into a ball, and refrigerate while you make the filling. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and onion. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over everything so it won’t get lumpy, then reduce the heat to low, and stir in the sour cream. Heat just until thickened, then remove from the heat. Cool filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds. Place a small amount of the mushroom mixture on one side of each circle, then fold the dough over and press to seal. Prick the tops with a fork to vent steam, and place the pastries on a baking sheet. (They can also be frozen at this time until needed.) Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. If baking frozen turnovers, it may take an additional 5 minutes.
Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a fun and easy appetizer for any party. They also are great for lunch, brunch or dinner. You can fill them with all sorts of fillings. I used frozen spinach, which had been thawed, but fresh spinach could also be used. I also used a combination of Portobello mushrooms and shitakes.
The spinach and mushrooms worked really nicely together. The ones in the picture have Swiss cheese in them. But you can use any number for different cheeses. I have made them with cheddar cheese and once with smoked Gouda. These were cooked in a skillet, but you could also bake them in the oven, or brush with oil and cook them on the grill. You can serve them as is- or maybe top with some salsa or sour cream.
Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas
1 (10 ounce) package fresh or frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.
2 cups shredded cheese, I like cheddar or Swiss, but use what you like
2-3 tablespoons butter- you can use oil instead
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon oil
Saute spinach in a little butter until wilted. Cool and chop. Set aside. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Add seasonings to suit your taste. Place a quarter of the mixture on one side of each tortilla. Top with a quarter of cheese. Fold tortillas in half over the filling. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet, and cook 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges to serve.
Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a fun and easy appetizer for any party. They also are great for lunch, brunch or dinner. You can fill them with all sorts of fillings. We made these in cooking class the other night. We used frozen spinach, which had been thawed, but fresh spinach could also be used. We also used a combination of Portobello mushrooms and shitakes.
The spinach and mushrooms worked really nicely together. We used cheddar cheese in class, but I could see using a smoked Gouda instead. The ones in the picture have Swiss cheese in them. We just cooked the quesadillas in a skillet, but you could also bake them in the oven, or brush with oil and cook them on the grill. You can serve them as is- or maybe top with some salsa or sour cream.
Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas
1 (10 ounce) package fresh or frozen spinach
2 cups shredded cheese, I like cheddar or Swiss, but use what you like
2-3 tablespoons butter- you can use oil instead
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon oil
Saute spinach in a little butter until wilted. Cool and chop. Set aside. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Add seasonings to suit your taste. Place a quarter of the mixture on one side of each tortilla. Top with a quarter of cheese. Fold tortillas in half over the filling. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet, and cook 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges to serve.
Mushroom Pastries/Empanadas
We made these little goodies in cooking class the other night. I always called them mushroom pastries, but thought empanadas might be a better name for them. They are very tasty, whatever you call them. The filling is a combination of mushrooms with onions, thyme and sour cream. The pastry is a tender, flaky dough.
They make great appetizers or can be served as a meal, maybe with a salad or bowl of soup. Fun for parties, brunch or lunch!
Mushroom Pastries/Empanadas
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sour cream
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and 1 cup of butter until well blended. Mix in the flour until fully incorporated. Pat into a ball, and refrigerate while you make the filling. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and onion. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over everything so it won’t get lumpy, then reduce the heat to low, and stir in the sour cream. Heat just until thickened, then remove from the heat. Cool filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds. Place a small amount of the mushroom mixture on one side of each circle, then fold the dough over and press to seal. Prick the tops with a fork to vent steam, and place the pastries on a baking sheet. (They can also be frozen at this time until needed.) Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. If baking frozen turnovers, it may take an additional 5 minutes.
Mushroom Stroganoff with Mushroom Pasta
If you are looking for a meat-free meal, you can’t go wrong with mushrooms. Mushrooms add so much flavor to any dish. This mushroom stroganoff is easy to make and tastes great. I also made mushroom pasta, but you can use store bought pasta.
I used a pound of mushrooms, but I could see making this dish with even more mushrooms. I also think it would be fun to make it with a few different types of mushrooms.
For the pasta, I used mushrooms I had dried myself. Store bought dried mushrooms often have to be soaked first, to remove dirt. I only recommend using mushrooms you washed and dehydrated yourself. You don’t want grit in your mushroom powder or pasta.
Mushroom Stroganoff
3 T. oil or butter
1 c. chopped onions
1 lb. mushrooms, washed, trimmed and sliced
1 c. stock- I used chicken stock, veggie or beef would also work
1/2 c. dry sherry
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. half and half
1/2 c. fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in large skillet and cook onions until golden. add mushrooms and cook until they are golden, too. Add stock and sherry and cook until most of the liquid is cooked off. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream, half and half and parsley. Warm gently for several minutes until sauce thickens a little. Adjust seasonings and serve over mushroom pasta. Recipe follows. Serves 4-5. I only used some of the pasta for the dish.
Mushroom Pasta
3 c. flour, more if using electric pasta machine. See note.
½ c. mushroom powder- made from dried mushrooms
1½ t. salt
4 eggs
Water, as needed
Mix flour, mushroom powder and salt. Stir in eggs, kneading until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be very stiff. Add a little water, as needed, to hold dough together. You may wish to mix the dough in a mixer or food processor. Cover dough and let rest at least 15-20 minutes before rolling. Under kneading your dough will result in coarse, crumbly pasta. This batch makes about 1 pound. Serves 4-6.
Roll dough out on a well-floured board or with a pasta machine until desired thickness in reached. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into strips or whatever shapes are desired. You might want to let the noodles dry 1-hour or more before cooking, but this is not necessary. Pasta can be hung to dry or separated and allowed to dry flat on a table. When pasta is not hanging to dry it must be turned occasionally to dry evenly. Although you may hear otherwise, homemade pasta, even when dried, should be frozen for long term storage. Storing at room temperature can lead to spoilage. Fresh pasta can also be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Cooking fresh pasta happens quickly. For most noodles you are looking at 2-3 minutes at the most. Thicker cuts and ravioli would take a little longer. Watch it carefully. Drain after cooking, and toss with your favorite sauce.
Mushroom powder
Oyster Mushroom Omelet
Oyster Mushroom Omelet
I was at a local farm market over the weekend and picked up oyster mushrooms. These were locally grown and very fresh. Oyster mushrooms have a wonderful rich flavor and almost meat-like texture. I decided to use some of them in my breakfast this morning by making an omelet. I had planned on adding cheese to it, but decided the mushrooms were all I needed. I normally just have oat bran for breakfast. This was SO much better.
Oyster Mushroom Omelet
1 T. oil
1 T. butter
1 small onion, sliced
4 oz. oyster mushrooms, washed and chopped
2 eggs
1 T. water
salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste
Heat the oil and butter in skillet and cook onion until golden. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat until mushrooms are a little golden brown. Don’t rush this part. The mushrooms get better in flavor and texture as they cook. Turn heat down a little if they are getting brown too quickly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside. Return pan to stove and put heat on medium high. Beat eggs with water, salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Pour eggs in to pan. As eggs start to cook use a spatula to lift eggs, while tipping pan to allow uncooked eggs to reach bottom of pan. When eggs are mostly cooked add mushroom mixture to one side of the eggs. Use spatula to fold other half of the eggs over. Cook a few more minutes. Flip onto plate to serve.
Oyster Mushrooms
Mushroom Paprikash Soup
Mushroom Paprikash Soup
I was lucky enough to get some beautiful fresh Shitake mushrooms a few days ago. I also had some Crimini mushrooms. With a chilly weekend ahead I decided to go with a soup. I was thinking of a version of the mushroom soup I grew up with. It is normally made with dried mushrooms. I made some changes, like adding barley. I was also planning on adding sour cream. A friend mentioned a recipe she had with paprika added to a mushrooms. The Mushroom Paprikash Soup was born. We had it over the weekend and everyone really liked it. Here is the recipe. If you can’t find fresh Shitake Mushrooms feel free to use what fresh mushrooms you do have.
Mushroom Paprikash Soup
8 oz. fresh shitake mushrooms
8 oz. fresh crimini mushrooms
oil
2 onions, chopped
8 cups water
1 c. uncooked barley
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. sherry
2 T. honey
1 c. sour cream
2 T. paprika
1 T. hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Remove stems from mushrooms and wash thoroughly. In soup pot heat oil and add onions and mushroom stems and cook until golden brown. Add the water and simmer together for 30 minutes or longer to make a mushroom stock. Meanwhile, wash and slice the mushroom caps. Strain stock, discard onions and stems and set aside. Put a little more oil in the soup pot and add the sliced mushrooms. Saute them for a few minutes. Return stock to soup pot with the mushrooms, bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add the barley, vinegar, sherry and honey and simmer, covered, for 40-50 minutes, or until barley is tender. To prevent the sour cream from curdling place it in a small bowl and ladle in a little of the hot soup. Whisk until smooth and add a little more soup, whisking again. Add the sour cream mixture to the soup along with the rest of the seasonings. Adjust to your taste and serve. Serves 6.
Fresh shitake mushrooms
Shitake and Crimini Mushrooms
Portobellos with Hummus
Portobellos with Hummus
If you are looking for a fun way to serve Portobello mushrooms you might want to give this a try. I love mushrooms and am always looking for a new way to serve them. All you do is take Portobello mushrooms caps, clean them up a bit, and saute them. Once the caps are cooked spoon in a mixture of hummus, cream cheese and roasted red pepper. At this point they go in the oven or under the broiler. You could even do this on the grill, but you won’t get the top browning. I made my own hummus and roasted a pepper but both of those ingredients could be purchased. Here is the recipe.
Portobellos with Hummus
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 small portobello mushroom caps, stems and ribs removed
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1 roasted red pepper, diced
3/4 cup hummus
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the portobello mushrooms for 3 minutes on each side until browned.
Stir together cream cheese, pepper, and hummus until evenly blended. Season the mushroom caps with salt and pepper on each side. Place the mushrooms onto a baking sheet, with the stem-side facing up. Then fill with hummus mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes until the filling is hot.
Spinach and Mushrooms Quesadillas
Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas
We made these in class last night and I thought I’d share the recipe with you. These quesadillas are really good- made with a combination of Portobello mushrooms, spinach and cheese they are rich and packed with flavor. I just cooked them in a skillet for class but you could also bake them in the oven or brush with oil and cook them on the grill. We didn’t serve them with anything, but I could see having a fresh salsa on the side.
Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas
1 (10 ounce) package chopped spinach
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced salt and pepper to taste
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Prepare spinach according to package directions. Drain and pat dry. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Place an equal amount of the mixture on one side of each tortilla. Top with equal amounts of cheese. Fold tortillas in half over the filling. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet, and cook 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges to serve.
Cheesy Portobello “Burgers”
Portobello Mushroom “Burger”
I had a chance to have a friend over for lunch. She is vegetarian. Neither of us had a lot of time so I wanted something fast and easy. I had a couple of portobello mushroom caps in the fridge so I used them as my starting point. I also had some whole wheat buns so a sandwich felt like the right choice. I don’t like to use the word burger. Burgers for me will always be meat, but it did end up pretty close. The flavors, appearance and feeling was pretty burger-like, if not a true burger.
I started by cooking some sliced onion in oil adding salt, pepper and some hot sauce. While the onions were cooking I rinsed the mushroom caps and gave them a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil and white wine vinegar. Also gave them a dash of salt and some Italian seasoning. I would say I marinaded them, but seriously, it was for 10 minutes while the onions were cooking. Once the onions were getting almost caramelized I added the mushrooms to the pan with the liquids I had been soaking them in. I let them cook, turning a few times, until they were cooked and browning a little. By then most of the liquid in the pan was gone.
The biggest challenge with cooking any mushroom is water. They are full of it. To get a truly strong mushroom flavor you need to get that water out and intensify the mushroom’s flavor. Don’t be afraid to let them cook long enough for that to happen.
I finished the mushrooms off with a couple of slices of sharp white cheddar cheese. I also toasted the buns. To serve it I placed the cheesy mushrooms on the buns and topped each with some of the onions. It was a lunch I would make again, even for my non-vegetarian friends.
