Mushroom Cream

Mushroom

As you will notice throughout my recipes, I am a humongous fan of pastas, and this is one that has done really well for friends, family and colleagues.

A pasta with a mushroom sauce, that can be prepped with three subtle changes that will alter your dish enough to keep it interesting, giving you some variety if you want to be lazy and just make a big batch that will last you through several meals, which, if you start with the base recipe, will be a little different every time.

If you don’t like pasta, substitute with either rice (a risotto kind of thing) or boiled potatoes. Any will really. I am curious to know if anyone would dare to eat it with sweet potatoes. I think it would go rather well, but haven’t gotten around to it.

Health wise, Mushrooms/champignons/chanterelles are good stuff. Leave them in the sun for about five minutes and they’re even better, containing vast amounts of Vit. D, giving you the daily dose you need.

It’s a simple recipe, I usually chose it when I’m in a rush and find the ingredients in my fridge. Hah.

Cheese wise it comes down to choice again. Gouda, Edam, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, or a mix of the lot; your choice. Same goes for butter. Margarine will do, so will coconut butter…the latter will make it sweeter so take that into account.

If you do not have the individual herbs a basic Italian or Sicilian mix will do the trick.

Pasta Funghi.

(Serves four, will stretch to five with a salad)

Pasta: (I like fusilli, but any will do) 500 gr (one packet)

Butter: 200/300 gr. (half a pack)

Milk: 1 L (four coffee mugs).

Flour: 300 gr. (3 tablesp.)

Mushrooms (or a mix): 500 gr/1 kg. Fresh. Chopped or sliced.

Onion: 1 mid-size. Chopped.

Leek: 1 mid-size. Chopped.

Basil: 1 big pinch fresh. Chopped. (2 teasp. Dried)

Oregano: 1 pinch fresh. Chopped. (1 small teasp. Dried)

Chives: 1 big pinch fresh. Chopped. (3 teasp. Dried)

Black/white/chili pepper: 2 to 3 turns. (2 knife points)

Salt: ½ teasp. (To taste).

Sugar: 1 Small pinch (1/2 teasp.)

Nutmeg: (optional) 1 knife point.

Paprika: (optional) 1 knife point.

Red Bell Pepper: (optional) ½. Chopped.

As to the optionals… If you first add the cheese, the next day you can add the wine…or if you like wine sauce, throw it all in. Hah.

Cheese: 200/300 gr. Grated (1 mug).

White wine: ½ mug.

There are many was to prepare this, but I’m going to go for the quickest way.

Melt butter in a large skillet or wok. Add the onions, leek and herbs to it. Let bake until the onions turn a bit glassy. Toss in your copped mushrooms and bake until the mushrooms begin to shrink. Add all the seasoning, stir well on a low fire. If you chose for the red bell pepper, this is the time you put it in. Last ingredient to add is the sugar. Stir well and then powder your flour of choice over the mix. Bake until all whiteness is gone and then start stirring in your milk with a whisk. A creamy (grayish) sauce will form, to which you will add milk until it has the thickness you prefer. Your basic sauce is now done. Either stir it through your pasta, or pour a rich amount over the pasta on your plate.

If you decided on the cheese and/or wine sauce, once you have the thickness you prefer gradually add the cheese, stirring well until it has melted. Once again your sauce is done. Or…

If you wanted the whole shebang, you add the white wine of choice right after your cheese has melted, stir on a low fire for about 2-3 minutes and DONE.

If you are spreading out the “sauce” over several days, when you heat up the sauce you can add a new ingredient

Once you get the hang of this dish, you can prepare this meal within about thirty minutes. With everything already prepped…even faster.

Egg variety

 

Nothing like an omelet to serve as quick nourishment. There are many varieties to this particular meal, so we might as well start with one of my favs. It healthy, it's tasty (even for those who don't really like eggs...like me...) and not at all difficult to make. Good source for all sorts of nutritional necessities, and not bad as a full meal once served with a side dish or two.

As is usual with my recipes, you can leave out, or add ingredients to your own specifications. Experimenting is half the fun. The ingredients coming up are the ideal, as I know it. I’m going to put “cheese” in, which kind will be up to you. Personally, I’m a big fan of Gouda or Edam, but farmhouse cheddar, or Parmesan will do the trick, as will any other hard cheese that suits your tastes. Be careful if you go with cottage cheese; drain the extra liquid first and add some sugar if you opt for this cheese. As usual I’m doing fresh herbs, but you can replace them with a standard dried Italian, or Sicilian mix.

The Rainbow Omelet

Eggs: 6-8

Milk: 1 mug (whole or semi-skimmed)

Cheese: ½ mug (100-150 gr) grated.

Parsley: 2 big pinches/1-2 tablesp. Chopped.

Oregano: Small pinch/1-2 teasp. Chopped.

Basil: 2 big pinches/1-2 tablesp. Chopped.

Chives: 2 big pinches/1-2 tablesp. Chopped.

Paprika: Small pinch/1 knife point.

Salt: ½ teasp. To taste.

Pepper: 1-2 turns/1 knife point.

Sugar: Small pinch.

Bell pepper: 1/3 mug (preferably a mix of green, red and yellow) chopped small.

Onion: ½ mug (preferably a mix of red and normal) chopped small.

Mushrooms: ½ mug (optional) chopped small.

Sweet corn: small handful (optional). Best frozen.

Baby peas: small handful (optional). Best frozen or fresh.

Green beans: Small handful (optional). Only when fresh. Chopped small.

Mix everything together with a large hand whisk. Start with the liquids and work your way to the veggies of choice while you put a large skillet on mid-region heat. A non-stick skillet is best, you only need a dollop of olive oil then. If you’ve got an enamel or stainless steel pan, pour a big dollop of olive oil/sunflower seed oil/butter in it.

Wait until the skillet is hot and gently pour your mix (keep stirring the bowl a bit until you’ve got about half an inch layer in the skillet. If you have mix left, your skillet probably isn’t big enough. Make a second omelet with it.)

Wait until you see some bubbles forming in the future omelet then turn the heat on low, put a lid on the skillet and check regularly until the heat has “dried” and hardened the top of your omelet. This can take a while. Just be careful that your bottom doesn’t burn and let it harden in its own time.

When checking on the progress, don’t raise the lid too high, it is best to maintain as much warmth in your pan as possible and if you raise the lid, your omelet is likely to sag.

Once done, slide the omelet from you skillet and fold it with the baked side on the outside.

Your meal is ready. I like to serve it with fresh French bread, and/or a salad, but it will depend on what kind of a meal you're aiming for. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, it's up to you.

Butternut Delight

The Butternut

Delicious and freakily healthy:

Yep, you need some of these in your diet because let’s face it, there is nothing better to get your daily dose of C, A, E, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium and fiber into your system. Added to that, it is yummy and filling. If you then realize the added advantages of the herbs…oh my.

The pumpkin soup…or, considering the Butternut squash is my absolute favorite for this dish, the Butternut soup. Hah.

I will be going for fresh herbs, which you can substitute with dried or frozen (if you don’t have the individual herbs, you can use a standard Italian herb mix, preferably without lemon grass), and some sugar which you can substitute with honey or some other sweetener of choice, if you absolutely must.

Pumpkin soup:

1 mid-sized Butternut squash…or any other pumpkin you prefer: 1 inch cubes.

1 mid-sized onion: chopped

1 mid-sized leek: chopped

1 clove garlic: minced

Basil: 1-2 pinch, chopped.

Oregano: 1 small pinch, chopped.

Parsley: 1-2 pinch, chopped.

Nutmeg: 1 small pinch or 1 knife point.

Salt: 1-3 teasp. (to taste)

Sugar: 1 teasp.

Pepper: 2-4 turns or 1-2 knife point.

Olive oil: 1-2 tablesp.
Sweet chili sauce: (optional) 1 tablesp.

Dried Broth: (preferably vegetable) 2-4 cubes or 4 tablesp.

Apricot or Peach jam: 1 tablesp.

Water: 1 cup.

Cream or milk: (optional) ½ mug-200ml.

Take a pan that you’re sure is big enough to hold all your ingredients. Put it on the stove with the olive oil. Don’t wait for it to heat, but immediately put in the minced garlic, followed closely by the chopped onion. Stir for a bit, and then add your cubed pumpkin. Leave it to bake for about ten minutes while you regularly stir and add your salt, pepper and nutmeg.

What follows are the leek and fresh herbs, which should make your kitchen smell absolutely wonderful. Keep stirring regularly, keep watch on the cubes, they should start to get mushy before you add sugar and cream. If it is all boiling turn the heat low and leave it to simmer for a bit. Add a cup of water and broth cubes. Keep it on a simmer.

Your mix should start looking like mash, which is when you add your jam. Press on the cubes with a spoon, if they easily squash, get your potato masher, or immersion blender and turn your mix into an even mash.

Add water until the soup has the thickness of your preference. I like my soup thick, served with fresh French bread, but that is personal taste.

Bon appétit!

Tomatoes on the side

Tomatoes

Let's start with a simple one.

Know how you just don't have the time to do anything nutritious on a busy day? You started with sugary cereal, lunched on a bag of crisps and now that the day has come to an end, you really don't feel like doing more than heating some left over pasta, or baking a grilled cheese sandwich...and yet you want to get some of that necessary veggie/fruit thing into your system. It's not hard.

Easiest one is tomatoes. Most anyone has some in the fridge, or bits and pieces left from other meals.

Now the nicest would be straight from the plant, of course, but Organic comes in second place, followed, just barely by the cheap supermarket kind that you got on sale, but which looked an impressive plastic red. Hah. Whatever you have, it'll do in a pinch.

The amounts here are variable. I like rich tastes, so I lean toward a small handful of this, a pinch of that... It's not an exact science, have some fun with it. Worst case scenario you don't like it and will have to reduce the measures next time around.

Herbs: I prefer them fresh, but you can't always have them, so the dried variety will have to do in that case.

Tomatoes...however many you feel like. I would go for two or three mid-sizes per person, but have at it. You can do sandwich tomatoes, cherries, Italian...whatever you have, or a mix. Diced into small cubes, or quartered.

Parsley: A tablesp if it's fresh; chopped. A big pinch if dried.

Oregano: A teasp if it's fresh; chopped. A small pinch if dried.

Basil: 2 Tablesp if it's fresh; chopped. 2 big pinches if dried.

Thyme: (optional) 1 small branch if fresh: chopped. Tiny pinch if dried.
Rosemary: (optional) 1 small branch if fresh: chopped. Tiny pinch if dried.

Pepper: 2 turns, or a knife point. Black/white/cayenne...personal choice.

Salt: to taste.

Sugar: small pinch, bigger one if the tomatoes were cheap. If you're off sugar, substitute with a spoon of liquid honey.

Vinegar: 1 tablesp.

Olive oil: 3-4 tablesp.

For that bit of extra effort, you can ad...

Garlic: 1 clove. Diced.

And/or:

Onion:  1 teasp. Diced.

Or:

Sesame seeds: 1 teasp.

Put your seasoning in the bowl with your olive oil and let it stand while you chop your tomatoes. Mix it all together in a bowl, and serve. Doesn't get much easier than that.