November 1, 2007

[Elly]

marye, good luck with the about.com gig! keep us posted. it sounds fun

[mehgan]

Alrighty, here's my entry for this month: Mushroom and Asiago Cheese Stuffed Ravioli



Ingredients:
-1 portobello mushroom
-1/2 bell pepper
-3 cloves of garlic
-1/4 onion
-1/4 cup Asiago cheese
-1/5 cup olive oil
-1 or 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
-1 or 2 sprigs of fresh sage
-salt and pepper
-1 package of wonton/ravioli wrappers
-1 egg white
-1 jar spaghetti sauce (I use Classico)
-1 can of stewed tomatoes

Instructions: Chop up the mushroom, bell pepper, garlic, onion, oregano and sage into 1/8" bits and combine them in a bowl. Chop the herbs and add those to the other ingredients. Add the olive oil and spices and stir well to combine.
Heat in a pan over low heat until the onions turn transparent and the mushrooms turn slightly brown. Heat a stock pot of water to a boil (you may want to add some olive oil to prevent the ravioli from sticking to each other). In another pot, heat the spaghetti sauce and stewed tomatoes over medium heat and season to taste. Sprinkle a couple baking trays with some corn meal to prevent the ravioli from sticking. Brush the edges of the ravioli wrappers with the egg white, then add a small amount (about the size of a large marble) of the ravioli mixture to the wrapper. Take another wrapper and brush the edges with the egg white, and place over the top of the bottom ravioli. Press the edges to create a nice seal and put on the tray. Repeat until you're out of filling (this should make about 10-12 ravioli). Place the ravioli in the boiling water and allow to soak until the ravioli become slightly transparent (I wish I had taken a picture of this step, because the ravioli somewhat resembled brains!). Once they're done, use a slotted spoon to carefully lift the ravioli out of the water and place on your plate. Pour the spaghetti sauce mixture over the top.


The link to my blog post: http://craveperfection.blogspot.com/2007/10/its-time-for-another-royal-foodie-joust.html

[Queen]

These are looking really good guys!

[Misslionheart♥]

I'm trembling! These dishes look brilliant. I'm wondering whether I should be a bit more adventurous with my entry....

[marye]

Here are mine
http://www.bakingdelights.com/2007/10/25/recipe-for-the-perfect-party-appetizer/


Mushroom, Oregano, and Gorgonzola  Beggars’ Purses

Make Crepes:

3 eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup milk

pinch salt

Blend together in blender until smooth.  Set aside for about an hour for the gluten to relax.

Filling:

8 oz mushrooms, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp dried chipotle granules (optional)

1 onion, chopped

1/3 c fresh oregeno, stems removed and leaves chopped.

6 ozs of gorgonzola  cheese, crumbled.

1 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbs butter for sauteeing.

Saute all ingredients except cheese in pan until soft, and almost creamy, and flavors have blended.  Stir in gorgonzola and set aside.

For Crepes:

Heat a nonstick pan on a burner and rub a stick of butter over the pan. Pour in about 3 tbs batter and swirl pan to get a thin coating on pan.  Cook batter until edges brown.  With your fingertips peel crepe from pan and flip it for a few seconds. Put on plate. Put one tablespoon or so on center of crepe and bring edges up around it. Tie with chive stalk.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile put 1/2 c butter in a pan and simmer until amber brown without stirring.

Pour butter sauce on plate.  Set Beggars Purses on plate and spoon more sauce over top. Garnish with some gorgonzola.  Serve immediately. Makes 12

[Núria]

Finally, here is mine too! Good luck to all!!!

Imagination is such a powerful tool! A month ago, I saw a picture of a recipe that had drops of black ink (cuttlefish) over a pale seafood cream, and inmediately came to my mind the seven dwarfs of the tale, being each big black drop one of their funny hoods. That's how I came out with the tittle... Hope you enjoy the dish!

Snow white, the seven Dwarfs and the blue Prince
Casting: Snow white as the codfish cream, the seven dwarfs as the mushrooms (volvariella volvacea) and the blue prince as the roquefort cheese, up in his casttle of variated wild mushrooms.

In Spain, the prince and royalty in general, are called blue instead of charming (that's how you call them, right?) It was said, long ago, that their blood was blue... that's why!

Ingredients for 4 servings:
•600 grs. of variated wild mushrooms and also Agaricus bisporus (the white ones). The wild ones: Cantharellus lutescens, Cantharellus cibarius, Thricholoma terreum.
•40 grs. of dry ones: Marasmius oreades. And 7 Volvariella volvacea (can).
•one “desalated” codfish bone, 1liter ½ of cold water. 50 grs. of desalated codfish without bone, 600 grs. of small white potatoes, olive oil, a pynch of salt, 6 thin slices of Iberian acorn ham, 4 slices of bread, 2 garlic cloves, 2 springs of thyme and a bit of parsley.
The recipe is divided in three main parts:

1st.- Wild mushrooms sauted with Iberian acorn ham
2nd.- White cream made out of "desalated codfish" (see previous post), dried mushrooms(Marasmius oreades) and small white potatoes.
3rd.- Thyme/olive oil toasted bread and roquefort spread on it.

First:
•Take the Iberian acorn ham and fry it in a bit of olive oil. If you don’t have, you can use bacon or cured ham instead.
•Place the fried ham on kitchen paper to let the oil go. When its dry cut in small pieces that you will add to the wild sauted mushrooms.
•Fry the garlics in the same pan. When they change their colour
•Add the variety of wild mushrooms and cook until they are nearly done, add a pinch of salt, a spring of thyme and stir for 1-2 more minutes.
•Use a tin to put the mushrooms and ham in the middle of the plate with a shape that will simbolize the prince’s castle.

Second:
•Place the bones and tail of the codfish in the water and turn on the fire at minimum.
•It should not boil. Make sure it stays nearly boiling for 3 to 4 minutes. Take the white foam away. If you do it this way, you’ll get all the gelatin from the fish.
•When the 3-4 minutes passed, take it out of the fire and add the dried mushrooms (Marasmius oreades). Let it rest until it gets cold.
•When it's cold, take the mushrooms and the meat adhered to the bone of the fish into a recipient together with the water used to prepare it. Use the electric mixer to get a sauce/cream/thick stock. Strain it and reserve.

•Place the cut potatoes in a pot with 5 spoontable of olive oil. Also at very low fire so that the potatoes sweat and let all their water inside the pot. Have it this way for 8-10 minutes covered.
•Add the 50 grs. of “desalated” codfish without bone, stir and pour the enough stock to cover the potatoes. Reserve the rest of stock.
•Boil at low fire until potatoes are completely done.
•Use the electric mixer to get an homogeneous cream/sauce out of the potatoes pot and add more stock to get the texture you want. Also add too spoontable of olive oil and a bit of salt.
•Once you have it, pour the potatoes cream/sauce around the prince's mushroom's castle.

Third:
•Meanwhile in another pot you have some olive oil, a thyme spring and the Volvariella volvacea in infusion.
•Take the slices of bread and toast in a pan that has olive oil and thyme leaves.
•Once you have toasted it and when it’s still warm, spread the blue cheese on top.
•Place the toast on top of the mushrooms castle and surrounding it, have the dwarfs hoods (volvariella volvacea) that you had in infusion.
•I really hope you enjoy it.
•Cheers!

•Please forgive my mistakes, such a long recipe and the fact that I used some local ingredients (you can always change that). Thanks!
more info and pictures at http://recipespicbypic.blogspot.com

[Queen]

These are great! Nuria, I am loving the title that you gave your dish!

Here is my entry for the Joust this month. You may recognize it from my blog a few weeks ago....

Mushroom and Yogurt Tart



INGREDIENTS:

2 containers of Crimini (Baby Bella) mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 TBS olive oil for sautéing
1 cup Greek yogurt
½ tsp nutmeg
freshly grated pepper
1 handful of fresh spinach
5 pieces of phyllo dough
olive oil for brushing
¼ cup mozzarella cheese


METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large skillet heat 1 TBS olive oil and add sliced mushroom, onion and garlic. In the meantime, take phyllo dough and fill a tart pan, making sure to brush each layer with olive oil or butter. Blind bake the tart dough for about 5 minutes. Add yogurt, nutmeg and pepper to the mushrooms in the skillet and mix together (yogurt will melt). Add the spinach and cook until just beginning to wilt, then remove from the heat. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the tart and bake for another 15 minutes or until phyllo is golden and crispy. Top with mozzarella cheese and cook for another 2 minutes of until melted and golden brown.

[Núria]

Thanks Jenn! It's been so much fun!

[marye]

Off topic moment:

I did not get the about.com thing... Thanks for the good wishes.
We will now return you to your previously scheduled joust::::

[the pie lady]

It's gonna be tough call this time around. These all look great. Nothing set in stone yet, but judging by the weekend I am having, I may have to sit this one out. I had intended to participate and ask Jenn not to include me in the vote, but October is kicking my butt. I'm exhausted!

[uncledavros]

I am very impressed by this months entrants. If only I could hold a pot or a knife or something to stir !!! Amazingly, I have just come back from Ukraine and I had some dishes with mushrooms stuffed with chicken and cheese. They were so good. Also, the size of the mushrooms we found in the markets were huge. I think they have been genetically modified by all the radiation !!!

Good luck to all

[RawFoodie]

Wow! All these entries sound like winners to me. I'm not entering, but would like to share some of my favorite combos of the ingredients. They are all simple and tasty, and easily can be modified according to your tastes.


Stuffed button mushroom snacks

1. Pop out the stems and save for another use
2. Slice a thin piece off the tops so they will sit still; reserve
3. Mix yogurt cheese with diced chives and minced garlic and add to the stem pocket, overflowing
4. Lay the sliced off piece on top like a tiny hat
5. Sprinkle with paprika

I like them raw, but you could saute them in butter and olive oil after step 2 if you like. Because I like all cheeses, I often substitute another variety, such as Stilton. They're also wonderful with cucumbers and mint mixed into the cheese, or layered; use your imagination.


Hot open-face cheese-tomato-mushroom-dill sandwiches

1. Choose a bread you like: whole wheat, rye, sourdough, etc.; slice
2. Butter one side of the bread; place that side up in a broiler (or downside in a frypan) to get it slightly crisp
3. Remove from broiler/frypan and place buttered side down
4. Add a slice of cheese (mozzarella, most often) to the hot, unbuttered side.
5. Add a slice of tomato, salt and pepper, and fresh chopped dill
6. Top with shredded Parmesan and return to the broiler until the cheese is hot

This is such a good combo and I love dill pickles so much, it's very good with pickle slices (but that sort of negates the "herb" part of the contest ingredients). I've used dried dill weed and crushed dill seed mixed with cream cheese as other alternatives. Basil is excellent, too.


Cold sprout and veggie sandwich

1. Dense whole wheat bread (or your favorite), sliced
2. Spread bread with a mix of cream cheese, minced shallots and parsley
3. Add a layer of alfalfa sprouts and optional paprika
4. Add avocado slices and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper
5. Add another layer of alfalfa sprouts and optional paprika
6. Top with sauteed, fresh, or marinated mushrooms, chopped lemon balm and another bread slice as in item 2.

The first time I had this sandwich its ingredients were just bread, cream cheese, alfalfa sprouts, avocado and paprika. I like the variety of textures when I add sauteed mushrooms. Raw mushrooms work nicely, too, and as with most recipes which I use as guidelines, all sorts of substitutes can work, for example: cotija cheese, avocado, cilantro, diced tomato, and radish sprouts. The beauty of fresh foods is to play with them and see which combos suit your tastes. These and other ingredients work well as optional ingredients in a serve-yourself pita or tortilla bar, and mixing various sprouts and herbs or spices with yogurt cheese are good for dipping.


I must say that for a forum entitled "leftover queen," you ALL are majestic gourmets in my book! I congratulate every one of you for spreading healthy and beautiful recipes to the world  

[Misslionheart♥]

Here's my very first attempt at the Joust. I'm glad the ingredients are cheese, mushrooms and herbs! I *love* all of 'em! I used all Irish ingredients, hence the name.



ALL IRISH STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Ingredients

4 large flat mushrooms

12 balls of Broilie

I small onion, chopped finely

Few chopped coriander leaves

I cup breadcrumbs

salt and freshly milled black pepper


Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Cut the mushroom stalks, chop them and add to other ingredients. Mix and divide mixture between the four mushrooms. Add a little more breadcrumbs on the top for extra crunch.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. I drizzled a little oil on the plate from the cheese tub and added a little coriander for garnish.



Pics here~ http://misslionheart-aplaiceforeverything.blogspot.com/2007/10/i-dont-want-to-wash-dishes.html

Good luck everyone!

[Cris]

Hi! Here's my entry for this month's joust: Spinach Salad with Spicy Honey Dressing
http://fromourhometoyours-en.blogspot.com/2007/10/spinach-salad-with-spicy-honey-dressing.html

Spinach salad
4 cups torn fresh spinach
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup moyashi (bean sprouts), rinsed and drained if using canned
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or tofu cubed)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Spicy honey dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey (microwave for 20 seconds)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chili sauce or pepper sauce
1 tablespoon shoyu (or worcestershire sauce)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1) In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, mushrooms, almonds, tomatoes, celery, moyashi, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

2) In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake well. Drizzle desired amount over salad and toss to coat or serve dressing on the side. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftover dressing.
Thanks!
Cris

[No Fear Entertaining]

I am new here and have never been in a contest before but thought that this one would be perfectfor me as I had just had some very good reviews of this when I served it for a party that I had about 2 weeks ago!!!  Oh..I am so excited!!!

Wild Mushroom Spread

Ingredients:

4 Tbs all purpose flour
6 Tbs butter
1 pound fresh Baby Bella mushrooms (sliced)
1 pound Portabella mushrooms (remove stem and chop the cap)
1 pkg (4 oz) dried Porcini mushrooms (rehydrated overnight and minced)
1 medium onion (chopped fine)
2 shallots (minced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 tsp fresh black pepper (ground)
1/4 tsp white pepper
8 oz (1 cup) cream cheese
8 oz (1 cup) sour cream
1 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

Directions:

Drain the porcini mushrooms (that you rehydrated overnight). Reserve the liquid and pour into a pan. Reduce (boil) until you have 1/4 cup of liquid left. Place to the side for later use.

Preheat oven to 375°

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.

Add the onions, shallots and garlic. Cook until tender.

Add all of the mushrooms and the reduced stock that has been reserved. Cook until tender and sprinkle with flour, salt, white and black pepper.

Reduce heat to low and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Mix in cream cheese, sour cream and lemon juice.

Transfer to to a casserole dish and top with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until bubbly.

We served this with baked pita chips but you could also serve it with a sliced baguette or other crusty bread

***This can also be stirred into a crockpot to keep warm in a party setting.

I would have loved to post a picture with this but for the life of me I can't figure out how to do it??!!

Good luck to all!  This has been so much fun...I can't wait until next month!

Judy