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

A few nights ago we made this Mushroom Chili, as featured in The Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook. Portobello and Oyster mushrooms really add a lot of texture and flavor to the usual beans, tomatoes, and spices.

Lisa says:

Mushrooms in chili sounded… interesting… it ended up being really good. I liked adding Chipotle Tabasco to the bowl.

Chris says:

And I certainly didn’t miss any meat. I love all those shrooms!

Lisa says:

This was just as tasty the next day.

Chris says:

Tell me about it — hooray for afternoon snack!

Mushroom Chili
————–
2 cans black beans, drained, liquid reserved
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large jalapeño, minced
12 oz (about 2 medium) portobello mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and diced 1/2 inch
12 oz (about 3 large) oyster mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups canned diced plum tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp hot red pepper sauce

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and chili powder, coriander, and cumin. Sauté until the mushrooms have absorbed the oil and begin to shrink, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and salt. Heat to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook until the portobellos are very soft, about 20 minutes. Add the beans and enough liquid to cover the mushroom mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and hot pepper sauce. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.

4 Main-Dish Servings

Chris says:

A little goes a long way with that truffle oil; that really adds a lot of flavor.

Lisa says:

Yeah, you can totally taste it. This dinner rules — I like it better than the other grilled tuna salad we had.

Chris says:

More filling?

Lisa says:

Totally. Of course, that could be because I’m making little sandwiches out of it with this awesome herb baguette.

Grilled Tuna and Mushrooms with Mixed Greens
——————————————–
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp truffle oil
coarse ground sea salt and ground black pepper
2 tuna steaks, about 1″ thick, 8 oz each
8 oz mix of portobello and shiitake mushrooms
6 cups mixed greens
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2 inch dice

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, truffle oil, and lemon juice until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste, measure off 1/3 cup of the dressing, and reserve the rest.
Rinse and pat dry the tuna, then sprinkle both sides with salt and ground pepper. Brush the tuna and mushrooms on both sides with the 1/3 cup of dressing and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat a grill to hot, or heat a grill-pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Grill the mushroom slices for about 3 minutes on each side, then set aside. Grill the fish until medium-rare, about 2 1/2 minutes on each side.
Toss the greens, grilled mushrooms, chives, and tomato in a bowl. Add as much of the reserved dressing to the salad as you would like. Divide the salad between two plates, and top each with a tuna steak.

2 Servings

Chris says:

This is really good — and a nice change of pace from the Great Bowls of Fire soup/stews; most of those seem to have tomato bases.

Lisa says:

Yeah this one’s a bit thinner because of the broth — but really good. And not too spicy.

Chris says:

Yeah, not real hot peppers in here, but they do add flavor. I’m going to make this one again when I stumble across some of that corn smut!

Latin Tomato and Mushroom Soup
——————————
6 cups chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained
1 cup shredded chicken
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup tomato puree
4 green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1 large anaheim pepper
1 small poblano pepper
2 large portobello caps
1/4 cup chopped cremini mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
tortilla strips *

Combine the stock, chicken, corn, tomato puree, whites of green onion, peppers, and black beans in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and sautee the mushrooms in the olive oil until they give up their juices. Set aside.
Stir in the mushrooms, cilantro, lime juice, and green onions, and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot, sprinkling each bowl with tortilla strips.

* To make tortilla strips, cut 2-3 corn tortillas into thin strips, spray with cooking spray and bake in a 400F oven for 10 minutes or until crisp.

Chris says:

Wow, this is a really good recipe. I like that these aren’t the battered and fried variety. The filling is *really* good.

Lisa says:

I shouldn’t have eaten all those chips earlier. I was totally full after just one of these — but it’s so good I keep eating it!

Abbie says:

It’s the peas that really make this dish!

Thad says:

I’m digging through here and … hey, there’s some shrimp! Hey, there’s a little shroomy! It’s very good.

Shrimp Chiles Rellenos
———————-
8 oz medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
8 oz portobello mushrooms, cleaned and coarsley chopped
1 cup fresh corn kernels
8 oz queso fresco
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
8 large poblano peppers
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce

To Roast Peppers:
Preheat the broiler, brush the peppers lightly with olive oil, and place them in a low-sided pan. Broil, turning the peppers as the skin blackens, for 12 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap as they cool. When at room temperature, cut a slit lengthwise in each pepper, and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Turn the peppers over and remove the skin, which should scrape off easily.

Cut the shrimp crosswise into thirds. Set aside.
Heat the oil and the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Stir in the mushrooms. Cover the skillet and cook until the mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about 2 minutes. Uncover the skillet, increase the heat to high, and cook, stirring, until the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are slightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and toss until they turn bright pink and firm, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Stir the corn, half the queso fresco, the cilantro, and lime juice into the mushroom mixture. Divide the filling among the chilies, filling them completely. Close the chilies so the slits are barely visible. Pour half the tomato sauce over the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish in which the chilies fit snugly. Pour the remaining sauce over.
Sprinkle the remaining queso fresco over the chilies. Bake in a 350F oven until the sauce in the center of the dish is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

4 Servings

Chris says:

I can’t believe you used to hate mushrooms.

Lisa says:

I can relate to people not liking them, but these are delicious. So you cut a bunch of oil out of the recipe?

Chris says:

Yep, the original called for like 5 tablespoons… that’s “Molto” Mario for you!

Fettuccine with Shiitakes
————————-
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and cut in half
1 cup chicken broth
2 oz sweet red vermouth
8 oz fresh fettuccine
1 bunch of arugula, cleaned and chopped (1 cup)

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic until soft but not burned. Add the shiitakes and cook until they give up their liquid, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the stock and vermouth. Bring to a boil and boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. The sauce should just coat the mushrooms.
Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the fettuccine until al dente.
Over high heat, toss the arugula into the shiitake sauce until it just wilts. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta. Serve hot.

2 Servings.