Tomato Mushroom Bisque

This was a pretty easy soup and was a nice twist on classic tomato soup.  We had these with Brazilian cheese rolls so if I were to get all “Top Chef” about our meal I’d call it a modern twist on grilled cheese and tomato soup.

 

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1/2 bunch of celery, diced
• 1 tablespoon basil leaf
• 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon oregano leaf
• 24 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 liter water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon honey

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Saute the onion, celery, and mushrooms. Add the tomatoes and spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the water and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cream and honey and whisk well. Simmer 30 minutes. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese

 

 

 

Creamy Mushroom and Pea Pasta

I have a creamy mushroom pasta that I really love, but in an attempt to eat more healthy I tried this recipe that swaps the cream for silken tofu.  I was skeptical that this would taste good, but it didn’t taste good or bad, just sort of ehhh.  You definitely miss the flavor of the cream but it’s a perfectly eatable dish and certainly more healthy.  You can just tell that it’s missing a little something.  I would recommend it if you’re trying to eat more healthy, but you won’t fool anyone that it’s a real cream sauce.  

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large shallots, divided and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces silken tofu
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon lemon juice (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch nutmeg
4 to 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced into strips
1 1/2 cup green peas
Black pepper to taste
8 ounces farfalle, orecchiette, or linguine pasta
2 tablespoons minced chives

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over a medium flame. Add two of the chopped shallots. Cook until they’re fragrant and soft (about 3). Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Transfer the shallot, garlic, and oil mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper to taste. Blend the ingredients thoroughly, adding a little water as you go. You want a sauce that has a thick, rich, creamy texture–just like regular alfredo sauce. A quarter cup of water should be about right. When the sauce has your desired consistency, set it aside.
Place one pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta and another small pot to boil for the peas. In the meantime, add the final chopped shallot back to your skillet (there should be enough oil left in it for sauteing) and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms, season them with sea salt and pepper to taste, and saute until they’re totally soft and cooked through. When the water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to directions. Add the peas to the small pot of boiling water and cook for a few minutes, or until they’re tender and bright.
When pasta is ready, transfer it to a serving bowl. Add the peas and shiitake mushrooms and combine them thoroughly. Top the pasta with about a half cup of the alfredo sauce, adding more as needed, until it’s quite creamy but not drowning. Divide the pasta into bowls and sprinkle with fresh chives. Serve.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

This is one of our favorite recipes.  Sometimes with make it with pork, chicken, or mushrooms, but we always have steamed broccoli. You can probably add any vegetables you want like roasted peppers or snow peas.  

1/3 c Tamari Sauce

2 Tablespoons lime juice

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon sesame or peanut oil

3 Tablespoons ketchup

3 minced garlic cloves

 

Start the water boiling to steam some broccoli.

In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients and stir well. (to mince garlic chop it as small as you can). You can keep the sauce refrigerated for about a month.

Put the broccoli into your steamer.

In a frying pan heat enough oil to cover the bottom (on medium) then add in your stir fry ingredients (such as chopped chicken, beef, mushrooms, etc…). Add the sauce and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.  Serve over rice and steamed broccoli.

Black Peppercorn Beef

This is one of our favorite easy beef recipes. Plus, since it calls for red wine, it gives us an excuse to have a nice glass or two with dinner. 

3/4 lb. beef tenderloin
2 tsp. chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dry marjoram
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tablespoon margarine
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms (about 3 oz.)
1 small onion
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Trim the fat from the beef. cut the beef into 4 3/4 inch slices. Mix the marjoram, sugar, salt, and black pepper then rub on both sides of the beef. Cook the beef in the margarine in a skillet over medium to high heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once until brown and medium doneness. Remove the beef and keep warm
Cook the onion and mushrooms in the skillet over medium to high heat for about 2 minutes. Mix the broth, wine, and cornstarch then pour into the skillet. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for about 1 minute then serve over the beef on a bed of rice or egg noodles.

Turkey and Ham Pie

Making an entire ham or turkey for two people usually means a lot of leftovers. That’s why I love this recipe for turkey and ham pie that uses up some of the turkey and ham in our freezer. It calls for a puff pastry crust but you can use a regular pie crust if need be.

1 lb. cooked turkey meat
1/2 lb. cooked ham
2 carrots, diced 1/4 c butter
1 celery stalk
12 shallots, peeled and left whole
1/2 lb sliced portabella mushrooms1/4 c corn starch
2 cups milk
2 tsp. fresh tarragon or parsley, chopped
seal salt
ground black pepper
10 oz. puff pastry dough1 beaten egg for glaze

Cut the turkey meat along the grain and cut the ham into strips of a similar size. Fry the carrots gently in the butter for a few minutes, then add the celery, shallots, and mushrooms, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Combine the milk and cornstarch then slowly add it to the pan, stirring or beating constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer it for a further 5 – 10 minutes before adding the turkey, ham, and seasoning. Remove from the heat, stir everything together well, and add the fresh herbs. Ladle the mixture into your pie pan and let it cook. You may do this hours before you need it or the night before. Preheat the oven to 400F.
Cover the pie with dough and brush it with beaten egg. Bake for 40 – 60 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

For St. Patrick’s Day I made a Shepherd’s Pie. I adapted it from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook and it was awesome.

• 1 lb. 93% lean ground beef
• 3 Tbsp. water
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in. hunks
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 large egg yolk
• 8 scallions, green parts only
• vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 oz. white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp Maderia
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 tsp. cornstarch
• 5 oz. frozen peas, thawed

Toss the beef with 2 Tbsp or water, 1 tsp salt, 1/4tsp pepper, and baking soda in a bowl until combined.  Set aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to just cover them with 1 Tbsp salt.  bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium – low and simmer until the potatoes are just soft (8-10 min.).  Drain the potatoes and re

turn to saucepan.  Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until moisture has evaporated, about 1 min.  Remove the pan from the heat and mash the potatoes well.  Stir in the melted butter.  Whisk together the milk and egg yolk, then stir into the potatoes.  Stir in the scallions and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and set aside.

Heat the oil and add the onion, mushrooms, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are just starting to soften, 4-6 minutes.  Stir in the the tomato paste and garlic and cook until the the bottom of the the skillet is dark brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the Maderia and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until evaporated, about 1 min.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the beef in 2 in. chunks, and bring to gentle simmer.  Cover and cook until beef is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, breaking up the meat chunks with 2 forks halfway through cooking  Stir cornstarch and remaining 1 Tbsp. water together, and then stir the mixture into the filling and continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Discard the thyme and bay leaf then add the peas.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Adjust the oven rack 5 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler. Pour the beef mixture into a pie plate then top with the mashed potatoes.  Broil until the potatoes are golden brown and crusty and the filling is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes.

Hamburgers

This makes about 6 burgers so I usually freeze some for later use. 

• 1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 tsp.)
• 2 teaspoons steak or BBQ sauce
• 3/4 teaspoons table salt
• 1 1/2 lbs. 80-85% lean ground chuck
• 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. Break up beef into small pieces and stir in the pepper, garlic, and steak sauce. Using fork or hands, lightly mix together until mixture forms cohesive mass. Divide meat into equal portions about 5.25oz. each. (for juicy lucy’s about 2.5oz. each). Gently toss 1 portion of meat back and forth between hands to form loose ball. Gently flatten into 3/4-inch-thick patty that measures about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Press center of patty down with fingertips until it is about 1/2 inch thick, creating slight depression in patty. Repeat with remaining portions of meat. For Juicy Lucy’s place thin slices or shredded cheese (cheddar, montery jack, pepperjack, or blue are good) in the center of the burger. You can also add finely chopped bacon. Place another patty on top and press together. Sprinkle the patties with even amounts of the salt.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
3. Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium to high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add meat patties, indentation side up, and cook until well-browned, about 2minutes per side.
4. Transfer the burgers to a small rimmed baking sheet and top with cheese if desired. Bake in the oven for 3 – 5 minutes (until internal burger temps is 125 degrees). Let them rest on a different plate for about 5 minutes before eating. Top with mushrooms, sauces, tomatoes, lettuce, and any of your other favorite things.