Mushrooms are showing up everywhere lately, and this recipe from The Mushroom Lover’s Cookbook looked like a good delivery device for chantrelles… not to mention, our first attempt at making risotto! (Stir, stir, stir… ) The corn and mushroom flavors really complemented each other, and the risotto went really well with our Cinque Terre wine, which finally arrived from Italy!

Chris says:

Hey, our wine arrived, and no breakage!

Lisa says:

Wahoo!

Chris says:

So what do you think — did we succeed with the risotto?

Lisa says:

I certainly think so — just needs a little extra salt…

Chris says:

Part of that is probably due to my using low-sodium broth.

Lisa says:

Well other than that I love it. The mushrooms rule. I thought the corn would be weird, but it’s not.

Chris says:

Yeah, I think this turned out really well. I like how creamy the risotto is, even without the mushroom mixture. I think I probably could have cooked the risotto just a tad more, but other than that I say “great success”!

Risotto with Corn and Chantrelles
3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz chantrelles, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 shallots, finely minced
2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan, then lower the heat to just keep warm.
Melt 1/2 the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rice to coat, then add the wine. Cook an additional minute.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in one ladleful of stock at a time. As each addition is absorbed, continue to add stock ladle by ladle, stirring and cooking, until all but 1/2 cup of the stock remains and the rice is tender but firm. Season to taste with salt and pepper, turn off the heat, and cover.
Heat the remaining butter and the olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and stir until they release their liquid, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until the shallots are softened, 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
When ready to serve, add the milk and corn to the mushrooms and stir until the milk is hot. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the cilantro.
Warm the remaining chicken broth and stir into the rice. Ladle the risotto into soup plates. Top with the mushroom mixture and the remaining cilantro.

4 Servings

This strong-flavored soup is adapted from a recipe in Great Bowls of Fire. The original recipe called for ramen-style noodles, but we used chinese egg noodles and it came out great. The shiitakes and mushroom broth make this a shroom-tastic meal for this time of year. Veggie-licious!

Lisa says:

I heart mushrooms.

Chris says:

And you heart vegetables.

Lisa says:

Well now you know why I made this.

Chris says:

This is probably the darkest broth we’ve had in a long time.

Lisa says:

That’s mostly from the mushroom broth — it was darker than the chicken or veggie broths we usually use.

Chris says:

I’m a big fan — and the cornstarch at the end thickened it up nicely. A pretty filling meal!

Noodle and Shiitake-Ginger Soup
5 oz chinese egg noodles
1 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced at an angle
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1 tbsp minced ginger root
2 cups sliced bok choy leaves
4 cups mushroom broth
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 lb extra-firm tofu, diced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tsp Szechuan sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Cook the noodles according to the package directions until al dente and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper, and ginger and cook for 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Add the bok choy and cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in the broth, water chestnuts, tofu, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Szechuan sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 1/2 tbsp cold water. Whisk the mixture into the soup and cook for 3 more minutes over low heat.
Use tongs to place the noodles in 4 soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the top and serve.

4 Servings

In tonight’s dish, adapted from Fresh Spanish, chicken sausage is cooked with garlic, onions, and tomatoes, and mixed with a short pasta for a hearty main course. Use fideo if you can find it, but if not, vermicelli or thin spaghetti broken into short lengths will work.

Chris says:

Well I’m going to complain about this one, but I know how I’d change it.

Lisa says:

What are you complaining about? I really like the taste.

Chris says:

Oh I really like the taste, too. I just think the pasta is way overcooked, so it’s a little mushy.

Lisa says:

Hmmmm, well, I still like it. So why do you think it came out this way?

Chris says:

Two reasons: we didn’t have vermicelli, so I used cappellini, which is even thinner, and there was a bit too much liquid. Also, I’ve seen in other recipes that the pasta is often toasted/sauteed before adding the broth.

Lisa says:

So you’re saying we’ll have this again, but better?

Chris says:

Indeed! And I’m listing the recipe with the changes I’d make. The Change We Need.

Lisa says:

Wait — what does Obama have to do with this recipe?

Chris says:

Not a damn thing. But HOLY CRAP, we just witnessed history.

Lisa says:

Wahoo!

Fideos a la Catalana
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 lb large fresh chicken sausages
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tsp mild paprika
8 oz vermicelli, cut into short lengths
3-4 cups chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley, to garnish

Heat half the oil in a 12-inch shallow casserole or skillet with a lid. Add the sausages and cook over a medium-high heat, turning frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until soft. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat until very lightly toasted. Add the tomatoes and paprika, stirring, for 3-4 minutes further. Return the sausages to the pan, add 3 cups of the chicken broth. Season to taste, stir to mix, and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until the pasta is cooked and the water absorbed, adding broth if necessary. Stir and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

4 Servings

Another great way to use our CSA veggies tonight: a very colorful, unusual stew with strong flavors of lime and cilantro along side sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and okra. This recipe comes from the vegetarian recipe book The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.

Lisa says:

Wow, that’s really limey… 

Chris says:

See? And we get criticism that we like everything we make. (That’s for you, CB). 

Lisa says:

No, I meant that I really liked the lime. 

Chris says:

Oh! Well, there goes the I-don’t-love-it example… I like the slight heat from the jalapeno. 

Lisa says:

I don’t really taste it. 

Chris says:

Really? Hmm, well, next time I won’t remove the seeds. I was worried that it would be too spicy for you. 

Lisa says:

Well, you could have left them in this time. I really, really like this soup. 

Chris says:

I do too, but I’m going to say it’s not the best in history, just to even things out a bit. 

Caribbean Vegetable Stew
2 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 jalapeno, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups water
3 cups diced sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
salt to taste
2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
2 cups frozen sliced okra
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
chopped peanuts
sprigs of cilantro

In a large pot, saute the onions in the oil on medium heat for 4 or 5 minutes.
Add the cabbage and the jalapeno and continue to saute, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add the grated ginger and the water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil.
Stir in the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with salt, and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender.
Add the tomatoes, okra, and lime juice.
Simmer until all of the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in the cilantro and add more salt to taste.
Sprinkle the stew with chopped peanuts.
Top with a few sprigs of cilantro.

4 Servings

This is a perfect recipe to adapt to the vegetables you happen to have on hand.  Our CSA box came loaded with corn on the cob and mushrooms, so I modified a recipe from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday to use the fresh vegetables of the day.  As the book suggests, one of the great things about this soup is that once you master the base broth, the variations are limited only by your imagination.

Lisa says:

Wahoo! I love walking in the door to a meal that’s ready to go!

Chris says:

I like not feeling rushed on nights that you’re home late.

Lisa says:

Nice. Is it spicy?

Chris says:

Shouldn’t be — ancho powder is relatively mild; it has a slightly smokey flavor.

Lisa says:

Mmmmm… the masa harina really gives it a nice consistency.

Chris says:

Totally — and the flavor goes really well with the fresh corn kernels. The starch from juicing the cobs also helps thicken it.

Lisa says:

I like how thin you cut the chicken.

Chris says:

Yep — it cooks pretty quickly that way.

Lisa says:

Well this soup is disappearing pretty quickly this way.

Red Chileatole with Mushrooms, Corn, Peppers, and Chicken
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 1/2 tbsp masa harina
4 cups chicken broth, divided
6 oz cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 ears of corn
1/2 poblano pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
salt, to taste

Husk the corn. In a shallow bowl, hold ears of corn upright and, with a sharp knife, cut kernels from the cobs. Then with blunt edge of the knife, scrape juice from cobs. Discard the cobs.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring until golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer the onion and garlic to a food processor or blender. Add chile powder, masa harina, and 1 1/2 cups broth; process until smooth.

Return the puree to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, mushrooms, corn kernels and juices, poblano pepper, and parsley and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken and continue to simmer until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes more. Taste and add salt if needed. Remove parsley and ladle into soup bowls.

3-4 Servings