Warm Lentil & Mushroom Salad

This salad is easy, tasty and good looking, particularly if you need a side dish for a party or just generally want to be gassy. It was only a few years ago that I was introduced to French lentils, a type of lentil that retains its shape and chewy texture, making it a good addition to casseroles and salads. Historically, the lentils I knew were added to soups or dahl and had a mushy texture. I appreciate the French version for their heartier dimension.

If you've got feta or another bold cheese on hand, crumbling a little overtop of this recipe would be a great addition.  Otherwise, just serve as is and enjoy!

Adapted from: http://www.deliciouseveryday.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup French lentils
• 1 lb mixed mushrooms (I used Portobello and button)
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t chili flakes
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 3 cups mixed greens
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

Prepare the lentils by rinsing them thoroughly and putting them in a pot with 2 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. The lentils should be chewy and still intact. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes if you prefer a more tender lentil. Remove from heat and drain if any water remains.

In a pan, sauce the mushrooms in two batches, with a tablespoon of olive oil each, stirring until they've softened; about 4 minutes for each batch. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic and onions. Add the chili flakes and stir until the onions have softened, about 2 minutes. Return the mushrooms back to the pan and combine well with the onion mix. Add salt, pepper and the lemon juice to taste. Transfer to a bowl, add the greens and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Mushroom, Barley & Brie Soup

You can bet that smoothy and salad posts will start to dominate this blog in about one week's time. Until then, why not load up a perfectly healthy soup with 6 oz of brie? After reading the original recipe, I could hear my digestive track cursing. It doesn't love dairy as much as my taste buds do. Despite the warning signs, my body didn't revolt. I hope that encourages those of you with dairy aversions to give this one a go.

On the mushroom front, I hit the Italian market again for produce and opted for a blend of Crimini and Shitake mushrooms. Both have a rich woody aroma and flavour. The kitchen permeated with this white wine and earthy scent. This is the kind of soup that really celebrates winter and gathering with friends and family. 

Adapted from: http://pinchandswirl.com

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 T fresh thyme
• 1 t ground white pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, sliced
• 6 oz brie, rinds removed
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, shallots, celery and carrots and sauté for about two minutes. Add the barley and white wine and cook for another two minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, thyme, white pepper and mushrooms and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for 50 minutes. Fold in the brie and season further with salt and pepper. 

Pumpkin & Mushroom Risotto with Chocolate & Coffee Glazed Short Ribs

When I first saw this recipe, I drooled a little, but then did a double take at the work involved in preparing the dish. After having made all elements of it once, I can tell you that it is not as complex as it may appear at first. The trick is to plan ahead. Too bad I didn't. The beef needs to marinate overnight and I had trouble finding short ribs in the first place. When I finally did, I had to cut down on the marinating and cooking time in order to have the dish ready later that day. This isn't a meal that affords short cuts. Follow the recipe and you should be wowed. 

The second issue I had was my choice of meat. Had I had more success at finding quality short ribs, I would have picked some that were cut between the bone instead of through it. I suspect I would have been able to shred the beef with ease had it been cut differently too. 

Despite my experiment's shortcomings, I still enjoyed the meal. The pumpkin risotto was particularly yummy and can be made on its own. The ribs are spicy so if spice is an issue, I would omit the chipotle peppers. If not, add more!


From: http://www.thedevilwearsparsley.com

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the short ribs

• 3lbs short ribs
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 beef or veggie broth
• 1 T molasses
• 1 cup beer (recipe calls for porter or a chocolate stout, but I used pumpkin ale0
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup coffee
• 2 chilis in adobo, chopped
• 1 T sugar
• 2 t ginger, minced
• 2 T soya sauce
• 1 T dijon mustard

For the mushrooms

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t fresh chopped sage
• 1 t fresh chopped thyme
• 1, 8 oz package of crimini mushrooms

For the risotto

• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup pumpkin beer
• 1 cup veggie stock
• 1 t sea salt
• 1/4 ground pepper

Method

For the short ribs

Place the ribs, the cayenne pepper and lemon juice in a freezer bag and shake well. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight, squishing the bag every so often to mix the marinade with the beef.

Once marinated, remove the beef from the bag and pat dry. Heat oven to 375F. Heat a pan on medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the ribs on all sides and set aside.

Turn heat down to medium and add the onions, stirring for about 5 minutes. Once softened add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add in the cacao powder and stir until all the onions are coated. Add the broth to deglaze the pan, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the molasses until incorporated and then add all other remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper to the mix.

Transfer the onions and sauce to a dutch oven and add the ribs. Cover and bake for 2-3 hours, or until the ribs are very tender. Remove the ribs from the dutch oven and place the oven on the stove on medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half.

When the ribs have cooled enough, remove the meat from the bones and add the meat back into the dutch oven (my ribs weren't shreddable...long story, but were added anyways). Keep warm until the risotto is ready.

For the mushrooms

In a pan over medium heat, add the oil and the mushrooms, cooking until the mushrooms are browned, about 10 minutes. Blend in the thyme and sage and cook for 1 minute more. Set aside and keep warm.

For the risotto

Mix the pumpkin puree, beer and stock in a pot over low heat. Reserve with a ladle on hand. 

In a second pot on medium heat, add the olive oil and onions, stirring frequently and letting them sweat for about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice until coated with the oil and browned slightly. Add one cup of the liquid and stir until absorbed by the rice. Continue adding the liquid, half a cup at a time until half the liquid is gone. Add the mushrooms, stirring well. Keep adding the liquid in half-cup increments until the rice is al dente. Portion the rice into shallow bowls. Top with the rib mixture and serve.

Balsamic Roast Chicken with Tomatoes & Mushrooms

I didn't realize it was already time for my annual thumb grating culinary fiasco, but here we are again. While cooking this morning, I attempted to pull off the guard on my new microplane and ended up shredding my right thumb in the process. Last year was the left with a mandolin. It appears my thumbs are taking turns sacrificing themselves in order to give each other a break.

My sous-chef did much of the preparation on this recipe due to my wound. Handling raw chicken with an open cut isn't sanitary for the chicken or the cook, so I needed a spare set of hands. I was grateful for the help and he was grateful this recipe was easy. 

My take on this dish is as follows:
While the dressing seasons the chicken quite nicely, the selling point of this recipe is the vegetable combination. It is bright and light as a side to the chicken. It was also welcome on Edmonton's first snow day of the season. If you've got a piece of fish you'd like to use, I would expect good results swapping out the chicken for your fish.

Adapted From: http://www.domesticate-me.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1, 3lb chicken or chicken parts (I used 4 chicken breasts & modified the instructions to suit)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T salt
• 1 t pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, 2 minced and 2 sliced
• 1 lemon sliced
• 4 large basil leaves
• 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• fresh arugula or spinach leaves for serving

Preheat the oven to 375F. Whisk the vinegar, oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. 

In another bowl, combine the onion, mushrooms and tomatoes. Pour a third of the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat.

Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry. Pour a third of the dressing under the skin of each of the breasts. Place a lemon slice, a few slices of garlic and a basil leaf under each of the breasts (if you are using a whole chicken, visit the website for prep instructions.

Pour the remaining third of the dressing over the breasts. Rub the dressing all over the meat to coat it well. Place the breasts in an uncovered casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes. Flip the breasts, baste them with the juices lurking in the bottom of the dish and cook on their other side for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the vegetables around the chicken, tenting the dish with foil before returning it to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven again (last time!) and place the vegetables and juices in a pan, simmering until the juices thicken. Once thickened, serve the vegetables and chicken on a bed of fresh spinach or arugula.

Weeknight cooking Part 2 of 3: Polenta with Sage, Goat Cheese, and Mushroom Ragout.

It happened to snow the night I made the ragout, which seemed fitting for this "Porridge of the evening". I guess this label doesn't sell it. Let me work on it. 

Anyways, a warm mushroom ragout was just what the doctor ordered. Cheesy, warm and subtle in its range of flavours, I enjoyed it for dinner and for lunch the next day. "Yuppy slop" Is that better?


From: Cavich, C. (2008). High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine. (pp.108-9). Calgary, Canada. Fifth House Publishers.

Serves 4 as an entree or 8 as a side

Ingredients 

Polenta

• 1 cup instant polenta
• 4 cups water
• 1 t salt
• 1 T butter
• 200ml goat cheese
• 1 T chopped fresh sage leaves

Mushroom Ragout

• 8 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 T butter
• 1 cup minced white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• sprigs of fresh wild or garden sage

Method

Bring water to a boil in a large pot and add salt and butter. Slowly add the polenta to the pot in a steady stream, whisking as you go to prevent lumps from forming. Remove from heat and stir in the goat cheese and sage. Keep warm.

To make the ragout, melt butter in a wide pan and saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add sliced mushrooms to pan with salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms give up their liquid and begin to soften.

Add stock or wine, increase heat, and simmer until liquid in the pan is reduced by half. Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute until ragout is thick.

Serve polenta in deep bowls, topped with the mushroom ragout. Garnish each bowl with a sprig of fresh sage. 

Stuffed Bell Peppers & Portobello Mushrooms

Pre-Oven

This goes beyond cheating, but I felt pretty comfortable with it considering I had been donated a box of readymade potatoes. Of the two veggies, I preferred the stuffed portobellos and would likely stick to mushrooms the next time I make like this. I think the nice surprise with this recipe is that it's got a number of vegetables in it. You can beef this up with ground chuck or turkey, or actually follow the recipe and add shrimp to the top of the casserole (I forgot to thaw my tiger prawns, so that limited my options).

I have developed an aversion to anything a little too easy lately because I don't know what's in it. Instant potatoes and pre-shredded Tex-Mex cheese are the two offenders here. If you're a purist, go for the real ingredients. If you're a cheater like me, use the insta-food just this once and pound back a beer while your preparing this bad boy. You're a wild one and don't you forget it! 

Post Oven!

Adapted From: http://www.thewickednoodle.com

Ingredients

• 2 bell peppers 
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 24 oz instant potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups Tex-Mex cheese
• 1/4 t ground cumin
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• Kernels from 2 raw ears of corn
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 small, white onion, diced
• 1 T adobo sauce
• 1/4 t kosher salt

Method

Heat oven to 400F. Slice peppers in half, lengthwise and seed them. Remove stems from mushrooms and place them along with the peppers face up in a casserole dish, 9"X13" or larger. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, half a cup of the grated cheese, corn, zucchini, cilantro and cumin. Spoon the mixture into the peppers and mushrooms. The potato mix should be heaving over each of its receptacles. 

In a separate bowl stir in the tomatoes, onion, adobo sauce and salt and spoon the mixture around the peppers and mushrooms. 

Bake uncovered for thirty minutes, then add the remaining cheese to the tops of the stuffed veggies and return to the oven for ten minutes or until the cheese has browned a little. 

Cherry Balsamic Pork Chops, Quinoa Pilaf & a Crunchy Salad

While I know I haven't stopped eating, I couldn't figure out why the blog entries have suddenly come to a halt. My analysis brought several excuses. First and foremost was the elusive patio. I've hit every patio I could find over the last month, which has kept me out of the house and the kitchen. Summer cooking also seems less like cooking than the experiments I try in the winter. I think barbecues just call for simplicity and I haven't quite figured out how to make my grill-top creations exciting enough to write about. Finally, I pulled out several of my old favorites and repeat entries just don't make for good reading.

Now that I've given you all my excuses, here's what I ate for Sunday dinner. A good price on pork chops and incessant rain called for an attempt at a way to make pork chops juicy and delicious. I included some goods sides that I can carry as lunches too. 

Pork Chops in Balsamic Cherry Sauce

Adapted From: Fairchild, B. (2006). The Bon Appetit Cookbook. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. p. 293. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4, 140g pork chops
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette*
• 2 T butter
• 2 shallots, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dried cherries

Method

Place the pork and vinaigrette in a dish to marinate for 15 minutes. Make sure that the chops are turned at least once to coat.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Lift the pork from the marinade, shaking off the excess liquid and place in the skillet, reserving the marinade. Sprinkle the pork with pepper. Saute until brown, at least three minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate. Add the shallot to the skillet and stir until soft, about one minute. Add the broth, cherries and reserved marinade and bring the mixture to a boil, scraping off the brown bits from the sides of the pan. Return the pork to the skillet and simmer, turning the pork once until it is cooked through, the cherries are tender and the sauce has thickened, about four minutes. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper if required. Transfer the pork to plates, top with the sauce and serve.

*You can make your own by whisking a 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup of any oil of your choice and seasoning it with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of dijon mustard for some additional kick.

Quinoa Pilaf with Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions

Opted for oyster and porcini mushrooms 

From: http://eat-drink-love.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup toast pine nuts
• 2 T parsley, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Bring the broth and quinoa to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onions and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook for about a minute. Empty the quinoa into a bowl and add the mushroom mix to it, mixing well.  Toss in the pine nuts, parsley, salt and pepper and serve.

Chopped Salad with Feta, Lime and Basil

Adapted from: http://smittenkitchen.com

• 3 cups, crunchy vegetables, chopped
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 T chopped basil
• 1 t chili powder
• 2 T lime juice
• 2 T olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

The original recipe used various wax beans, cucumber and radishes for the vegetables along with mint as the herb of choice. I opted for green beans, asparagus, both blanched, radishes and basil as my herb. Go nuts with your favorite herbs and veg people!! That's what this salad is meant for!

Combine the vegetables, feta, onions, sunflower seeds and basil into a bowl. In a separate dish, add the lime juice with the oil, chili powder, salt and pepper. Whisk well until all ingredients are well combined. Add the dressing to your vegetables and toss well. This salad can be eaten immediately, but makes for great leftovers.

Pork with Gorgonzola Sauce & Wine-Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms with Polenta

This was the entree that went with the scallops and yes we actually moaned when we ate this meal. Hello rich food! Actually, the only thing rich on this plate is the gorgonzola sauce. This sauce was the highlight of my Christmas vacation. We made so much of it that I had plenty to top grilled vegetables with it, baked spuds and other items. Definitely worth the experiment!

http://www.epicurious.com

Ingredients

Pork

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T dried thyme
• 2, 3/4-pound pork tenderloins
• 
  

Gorgonzola sauce

• 1 T butter
• 1 T all purpose flour
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese 

Pork

Oil large rimmed baking sheet. Whisk Dijon mustard, olive oil and thyme in small bowl to blend. Sprinkle pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Heat heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pork and sear until brown all over, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer seared pork to prepared baking sheet. Spread Dijon mustard mixture over all sides of pork. (Can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead. Refrigerate pork uncovered.)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roast pork until thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 150°F, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.

Sauce

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon flour and whisk 1 minute. Gradually whisk in whipping cream, white wine and chicken broth. Boil until mixture is thick enough to coat spoon, whisking frequently, about 1 minute. Add crumbled Gorgonzola and whisk until cheese is melted and smooth and sauce is reduced to desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

Slice pork and transfer to plates. Ladle some sauce over pork. Serve, passing additional sauce separately.

Wine-Sauteed Portobella Mushrooms and Polenta

Adapted from: Martha Stewart Living. October 2007 p. 102.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 1 garlic glove, coarsely chopped
• 2 T coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 t kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 cup and 1 T of olive oil
• tube of ready-to-serve polenta (feel free to prepare your own. I wasn't able to find anything but the ready-made variety)

Method

Toss portobellos with garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, vinegar, and 1/8 cup of oil in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature, tossing occasionally for 1 hour. Pour portobellos and marinade into small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining tablespoon of oil and remove mushrooms only from pan.

Slice polenta into 1/2 inch disks and place in pan on medium heat. Coat with remaining vinegar and oil mixture in pan. Let simmer for 3 minutes on each side. Place the polenta on a plate and the portobellos on top. Add the sauce over the combination and garnish with chopped parsley.

Rib Eye Steak with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce & Potato-Parsnip Latkes

My primary reason for leaving the house on what turned into an eight kilometre journey was to get groceries for this evening's meal. There wasn't anything on our menu that required a special trip, but we hiked over to a distant grocer in order to pass Duchess, my favorite bakery. After loading up on raspberry-chocolate brioche, I was ready to tackle our remaining errands. What a rough life. 

The parsnip latke recipe was the first discovery of the morning and sent me on a search for a beef dish of some kind to accompany it. Once I found the steak with burgundy-mushroom sauce, I opted for sauteed spinach to round out the meal. 

As far as preparing the spinach is concerned, simply sauté 1 tablespoon of minced garlic or about two cloves in a soup pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for two minutes. Add a bag of baby spinach and stir well to coat the oil and garlic mixture over all of the greens. Once softened, removed from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Thumbs up with respect to this threesome. 

http://eclecticrecipes.com

Rib-Eye Steak with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 Rib-eye steaks
• 1 small container sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cup red wine (Burgundy or a Cab will do)
• 2 T butter
• 2 - 3 T olive oil
• kosher or sea salt and pepper, or steak seasoning to taste 

Method

Bring steaks to room temperature on the counter. Preheat a large skillet. Season steaks with salt and pepper or steak seasoning. Drizzle pan with olive oil and add steaks to pan.

Brown steaks on each side, cooking just shy of desired doneness. Turn heat to low. Remove steaks from pan and add mushrooms, butter and garlic. Saute until mushrooms have softened. Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce by half. Add a splash more of wine and add steaks back in to pan turning and covering in sauce. Serve immediately.

http://smittenkitchen.com

Potato-Parsnip Latkes with Horseradish and Dill

Yield: About 18 latkes

Pancakes

• 1/2 pound (about 1 large) Russet potato
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 pound parsnips (about 2 large or 4 medium)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 T chopped fresh dill
• 1 t table salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil for frying

Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t table salt
• 1 T freshly grated or prepared horseradish
• 1 T chopped dill

Method

Preheat: Oven to 250 degrees. Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with foil and leave them in the oven until needed.Peel vegetables and grate them on the large holes of a box grater or (my preferred method) using the shredding blade of a food processor. If using the food processor, I like to lay the vegetables sideways in the chute, in an attempt to get the longest strands of vegetables. This creates latkes that look like little piles of mops, which is my goal.Transfer shredded vegetables to a lint-free dishtowel or square of cheesecloth, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Let stand for two minutes, then wring again. Wetness is the enemy of crisp, light latkes, so we want to get rid of as much as possible.

Transfer wrung-out vegetables to a large bowl. Add lemon juice. In a tiny dish, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and any herbs or additional seasonings and toss with vegetables, evenly coating the strands. In the same tiny dish, whisk your eggs and then stir this into the vegetable-flour mixture, evenly coating the strands.

Heat a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Once skillet is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil and heat oil until shimmering. If you’re unsure, you can flick a droplet of water onto the oil; if it hisses and sputters, you’re good to go. Using a fork or your fingertips gather spoonful-sized mounds of battered vegetables and drop them onto the heated skillet. When golden underneath, 3 to 4 minutes later, flip pancakes. Cook on the other side until nicely bronzed underneath, another 2-3 minutes, and transfer to paper towels briefly to drain pancakes, before transferring them again to a tray in warm oven. If latkes cook too quickly or slowly on the stove, adjust the heat accordingly. Add more oil if needed (you want to keep the pan at that 3 tablespoon level), being sure it is heated before adding more pancakes to the skillet. Repeat with remaining batter. I like to keep the latkes in the oven for at least 10 minutes to ensure they’ve cooked through before serving them. Mix sauce ingredients in a small dish.  Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve: Warm with a dollop of the sauce.

Pasta with Prawns & Capers & Fattoush

Meals are like outfits: coordinating courses so that they compliment one another makes for a fabulous ensemble. Tonight was a combination based on what I found on the web that I liked: a fattoush-type salad and some pasta with prawns in it. The result was good, but a great meal would have been better paired. Anywho, the meal's biggest advantage was that it took all of 20 minutes to make. 


http://angielivestoeat.blogspot.com

• 4 servings of dried spaghetti or other type of pasta
• Shelled prawns approximately 300grams
• Handful of capers in brine
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1 chili, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• Olive oil
• Grated parmesan to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 Cook the pasta as per package instructions and drain. Heat oil in a frying pan and saute the prawns until the flesh is white, remove from the pan. Return pan to the heat and add the mushrooms, garlic and chili and brown. Pour in the white wine and let it boil to evaporate the alcohol. Add the pasta, prawns and capers to the pan and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and some freshly grated parmesan.

Fattoush

Inspired by a fattoush had in town at a Lebanese restaurant with an ambiguous name I can't remember.  Way to inform the reader!

• 1 English cucumber cut into large chunks
• 3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups of dried pita chips (I get these at a Greek specialty store, but you can find them boxed as crackers at your local grocer)
• 1/2 cup of chopped parsley 
• 1/2 cup of kalamata olives
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and toss. Mix the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl and add to the salad. Toss and serve immediately.

Toaster Cheese Sandwich of Awesomeness

Serves 4


Adapted from...my head!! I'm sure I've seen this on a website at some point, but I didn't use one today.

• Medium yellow onion sliced
• Two cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 french baguette
• 1cup Jarlsberg cheese grated
• 1 cup Gouda cheese grated
• Sharp mustard (optional)

Method


Add the oil and vinegar in a heated fry pan
Stir in the onions and let saute for 2-3 minutes
Add the mushrooms, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have softened
Remove the onions and mushrooms from the pan
Slice the baguette in half and cut each length into sandwich size pieces
Combine the mushrooms, onions and combination of cheeses to approximately 4 slices of the baguette and top with the additional baguette slices
Place in the frying pan to toast each side of the sandwich and melt the cheese


We tried one with a sharp mustard added and it had a nice punch to it. I enjoyed these without any spread so I opted not to add it to the recipe.