Recipe Friday: Marvelous Mushrooms

Toast farro in dry skillet over medium heat until toasty brown and fragrant. Add 1 tsp creole seasoning, mushroom or chicken broth, onion and garlic, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Adjust the heat to a simmer and cook for 18-20 minutes until just tender but still al dente, and most of liquid has absorbed.

To assemble the salad, combine the farro and corn kernels, roasted mushrooms, blanched asparagus, roasted pepper, massaged kale, dried cherries and nuts. Toss with Citrus Sherry Vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning to taste.

When ready to serve, brown meatballs.

To serve, swoosh plate with whipped feta; add a spoon of toasted farro salad. Top with meatballs, and garnish with crumbled feta, beech mushrooms and microgreens.

To a medium bowl, add the chicken, ground mushrooms, herbs and lemon zest.

Heat EVO in a small pan, add onion and sauté until sweet and translucent. Add garlic and seasonings and sauté another 30 seconds. Place in shallow bowl to quickly cool and then add to the chicken mushroom mixture.

Stir milk, egg, grated feta and panko together and let rest for five minutes or so to make a panade (gives perfect texture to the meatballs). Add to the chicken mushroom mixture.

Gently combine the mixture without squeezing too hard or overworking the meat. Lightly wet your palms and shape the meat into small balls, a little smaller than the size of a golf ball, about 1½ inches, or 1 oz each.

When ready to cook, evenly season meatballs with additional Creole seasoning. Brown prepared meatballs under a broiler. Brown one side; flip over to brown the other side and cook through.

Utilize mix for meatballs, meatloaf, kefta, burgers, breakfast sausage, etc. May change ingredients and flavor profile to fit many global/ethnic cuisines.

Place two baking sheet pans in oven and preheat the oven to 400º F.

In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms with the olive oil and Creole seasoning. Spread in an even layer on the heated baking sheets. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and quite dry. They will reduce considerably in volume (by half). Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Grind in grinder or food processor fitted with the steel blade until chopped fine (to the size of hamburger) but still retaining some texture. Makes 1 lb or about 2 cups.

Place the feta and goat cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until the cheeses are mixed.

Add the olive oil and the lemon juice, process until creamy. Season to taste with creole seasoning or kosher salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Clean portobellos, removing gills only if desired. Spray with nonstick spray, and roast in 375 degree convection oven for 14 minutes Slice into long fingers about one inch thick.

In a skillet over medium heat, lightly toast panko.  Add to medium bowl and add peanuts, peanut powder, herbs, zest, smokey ‘shroom and creole seasoning.

Mix flour and seasoning in another bowl, and whip eggs in another bowl with Parmesan.

Using the standard breading method, lightly dust mushrooms in flour, then in egg mixture (draining additional), then in seasoned breadcrumbs.

Deep fry, air fry or pan fry until golden brown.

Serve with Miso Aioli, or desired sauce. Garnish with microgreens or corn shoots

Place a sheet pan in oven and preheat to 400º F.

Gently clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth or a paring knife to remove any dirt or dark spots. Cut off any tough stems. Leave small, bite-size mushrooms whole; quarter or slice larger mushrooms to bite-size pieces.

Toss in 1 tsp olive oil and ½ tsp Creole Kitchen seasoning and then add to pan, scattering evenly (you’ll hear a sizzle when they hit the hot pan!) and roast until all the juices are removed from the pan, and the mushrooms begin to brown slightly.

Prepare Whipped Ricotta by whisking together ricotta, ½ T olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and ½ tsp creole seasoning.  You may add 2 T of the grated parmigiano-reggiano, feta or goat cheese, if desired.

When mushrooms are roasted, heat non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add another teaspoon olive oil, scallion and garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, then add sherry vinegar and roasted mushrooms, and sauté to coat mushrooms. Add tablespoons of fresh herbs and adjust seasoning to taste.

Shortly before serving, position an oven rack about six inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler to high. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush them with another teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with remaining Creole seasoning. Broil until the bread is golden, one to two minutes. Flip and toast the other side, about one minute.

Spread the warm mush­room mixture on the toasts, and sprinkle with some of the cheese on top, if desired.  Garnish with remaining fresh herbs.

Line a sheet pan with tin foil and preheat the oven to 400℉.

Remove the stems from the portobellos and chop them into half-inch pieces. Spray liberally with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms gill side up on the sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove and turn the oven down to 350℉.

While the mushrooms are roasting, prepare the shakshuka sauce.

To assemble the shakshuka: This dish can be served in individual or a nine-inch cast-iron skillet.

Remove half the Shakshuka sauce from the pan into a bowl. Arrange the mushrooms on the sauce, gill side up. Add the remaining sauce in each of the mushrooms. Create a depression with the back of a spoon and carefully place a cracked egg into each depression.

Place in a 350℉ oven until the eggs are set and the sauce is bubbling, approximately 20 minutes.

To serve, season each egg with a little salt and aleppo pepper. Sprinkle feta and a liberal amount of herbs over the dish, along with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve piping hot with a toasted baguette or grilled flatbread

To a large cast iron skillet on high heat with olive oil, add in the onions, celery and peppers and sauté until translucent and soft, about four to six minutes. Next add garlic and spices and cook another 30 seconds, mixing all together well.

Stir in the aji amarillo paste until combined. Add tomatoes and bring all to a simmer to allow flavors to come together. Adjust seasoning.