I enjoyed this chicken meal I made ages ago, while the air was still chilly and snow was on the ground. I made some changes to the original recipe, including adding sausage to the pot, and mushrooms and brussel sprouts. It’s a comforting meal, and I love the bright lemon and the warm rosemary, the dominant flavours. The sausage, of course, was a great touch too!

I definitely recommend marinating the chicken overnight, if possible. If not, then at least a few hours. I used skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and thought the chicken and resulting dish was a bit too fatty. Next time, I would use chicken breasts, which would probably be a better cut for this dish. I did enjoy the crisp on the skin from cooking the chicken on the stove before popping the whole dish in the oven, where all the flavours melded together.

Rosemary Chicken and Sausage Skillet adapted from Food Network

3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
Salt
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons leaves
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 cups cremini mushrooms, halved
2 cups brussel sprouts, halved
1 large onion, sliced
2 italian sausages

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

2. Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken let marinate, at least 30 minutes, better if it`s a few hours, or even overnight!

3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

4. Add the sausages to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove sausages from the pan.

5. Add the mushrooms, brussel sprouts, and potatoes to the skillet, place chicken over mushrooms and potatoes and drizzle with any marinade remaining in the bowl and the juice of the remaining lemon.

6. Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

This has not been my healthiest winter. I am one of those people who rarely get sick or hurt, but the past few month or so has taken away that bragging right. In the last thirty days, I managed to suffer from a bile attack, sinus infection, hacking cough, burnt eyeball, wisdom tooth extraction, and hacking cough #2 (not great to have with fresh stitches and a bout of canker sores along the gums). Add to this list of miseries that it is currently -26C with the wind chill (-14F). Not great stuff to be talking about on a food blog….but the reason why is that I think I may have found the meal that can at least pacify all these ills: rich, saucy mushroom bourguignon.

In the middle of winter, achy with coughs and a cold, mouth sore and tender, there’s nothing better than soft mushrooms that have simmered in a thick sauce of red wine, broth, fresh thyme, and onions. The mushrooms are tender, juicy and bursting with flavor. The sauce is decadent, and easily vegetarian if you use veggie, onion or mushroom broth (we have found the best organic bouillon cubes that come in every flavor you could want). The red wine really shines through, the chunks of carrot and pearl onions are sweet, and the thyme the idea herb. Serve atop a bed of egg noodles, settle in on the couch under a blanket; it suddenly doesn’t feel so cold out and everything starts hurting a little less.

Obviously, I’m in love with this dish – highly recommended! It’s also versatile, so add the mushrooms you like, throw in some potatoes, add a bay leaf or two. The only things I would suggest you ensure you do is use good enough red wine, as its taste does shine through (and really, you want to be able to tolerate drinking a few glasses of it yourself – you need something to keep the spirits up while putting this together), and to use fresh thyme. You would never miss the meat that’s not in here, and if you’re a vegetarian, you would relish in that that fact!

Mushroom Bourguignon
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 or 3 large Portobello mushrooms, cut in ¼ inch slices (don’t include the stems)
1 ½ pounds cremini or button mushrooms, cut into ¼ slices.
1 carrot, finely diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch (you may not need all of this, or you may need a little more. Start slowly and stop when it’s thick enough!)
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)

Egg noodles, for serving

Sour cream and chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

2. Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

3. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

5. Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes.

6. If the sauce is too thin, combine the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of hot water. Add the mixture in small increments to the pot, until it reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with parsley.

As promised, a seasonally-appropriate dish! When I saw the recipe for a vegetable cobbler on Ezra Pound Cake’s site, I knew I had to make it. I loved its simplicity, as well as the great amount of vegetables in it. What a great vegetarian dish; it’s certainly hearty, and packed with flavour. It’s especially wonderful because you can add pretty much any vegetable you have sitting in your fridge, as well as any spice you tend to like. Versatile, healthy, cheap and comforting – does food get much better than this?

I really loved this. My biscuits were a bit tough, but once they soak up all that vegetable gravy, they were perfect. I liked the tang of the yogurt in them, and the fresh thyme over the top added a lot. This also makes a lot of food, and served us well for at least two lunches each and one dinner. It’s the ideal winter comfort food and makes for a filling main course or a good choice for a side dish.

Hearty Vegetable Cobbler
adapted from Ezra Pound Cake (original from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)
Printable Recipe

Feel free to substitute the vegetables in the recipe for your favorites – the recipe below lists the veggies I used, but really, any veggie you can chop up can easily find its place in this dish. sliced celery, cut-up asparagus spears, diced red bell pepper, diced butternut squash, cut-up green beans, etc.

VEGETABLE FILLING
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or butter)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons dried savory (or thyme)
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (I like my stuff with a bit of heat!)
4 to 5 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash (or sweet potatoes)
2 cups chopped potatoes
2 cups peeled and chopped carrots (or parsnips)
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (the original also includes 1 cup of frozen peas, but I hate those things)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of hot sauce (optional, but I added it)

BISCUIT TOPPING
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or any herb you have on hand)

VEGETABLE FILLING
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 X 13-inch baking dish.

2. Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onions and garlic, cover, and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the salt, savory, crushed red pepper flakes, mushrooms and mustard. Cook until the mushrooms start to release their juices, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the squash, white potato, carrot, celery, black pepper and stock, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.

5. Stir the dissolved cornstarch mixture into the simmering vegetables, stirring constantly. When the liquid starts to thicken, mix in the corn, soy sauce and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed (I had to add more salt and pepper then called for). Add dash of hot sauce.

6. Pour the vegetables into the prepared baking dish, and set aside.

BISCUIT TOPPING

1. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and buttermilk or yogurt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible to make a soft dough (I think I overstirred, or didn’t have quite enough liquid…my biscuits were a little tough)

2. Drop the biscuit batter over the vegetables in the dish in six equal mounds. Sprinkle the thyme over the dough.

9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Here’s a quick and easy summery pasta dish that can use up some of that zucchini surplus! With summer drawing to a close (sob!), zucchini is everywhere, and so this is a great weekday meal if you’re a little rushed and have pounds of zucchini sitting on your counter.

I knew I wanted to prepare a pasta dish that used thin slices of zucchini, so I went from there. What would go well with zucchini? In the end, I decided to sauté the zucchini slices in olive oil with garlic, onion and mushrooms, added a little bit of cream, then tossed in with the pasta. I topped it with fresh basil from the balcony garden and some grated Parmesan. In all, the dish probably took less than 30 minutes to prepare, and was bursting with fresh summery flavours. This is extremely versatile as well, so if you have other favourite veggies you’d like to include, just toss them in the pan!

Zucchini & Mushroom Pasta with Garlic and Onion
Adapted from Dirty Gourmet

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 -3 zucchini, thinly sliced
½ – 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2-3 tablespoons cream
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil, finely chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated
½ pound pasta

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add garlic and onion and sauté over medium high heat.

2. Add mushrooms and zucchini and continue to sauté until soft.

3. Add cream, salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Simmer while pasta cooks.

4. Prepare pasta.

5. Add pasta to the zucchini mixture. Top with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

This is a recipe for chicken tetrazzini that I’ve used many times. It doesn’t take all that long to make, it doesn’t call for a ton of expensive ingredients, and it makes enough to fill a hungry table of eight. And on top of all that, it’s a great-tasting pasta dish!

If you’ve never eaten chicken tetrazzini, it’s a creamy pasta-casserole dish with juicy chunks of chicken, buttery mushrooms, fresh parsley and peas, topped with a crisp Parmesan topping. It’s garlicky comfort food, and I could eat this every week. I made it recently for my mother’s birthday dinner, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis at Food Network, but I have made a few changes to it. I find hers to be a bit lackluster, so I recommend upping the amount of seasoning and flavours in it.

If you’re searching for a substantial, warm, creamy dish for a family dinner, this would be an awesome choice! You can always speed up the prep time by buying a rotisserie chicken and using that..I’m sure the roasted chicken flavours would only improve the dish!

Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini
adapted from Food Network

9 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
7-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk , room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper on each side. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through.

3. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

4. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat (salt the mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon for the salt) until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

5. Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining teaspoon salt, and remaining pepper Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

7. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

I miss writing, especially here. Been gone, but where?

These were the days of my life since… last October. I am a foodie, but a keener of the sort. I have loved food since the start – easy hobby I figured. My mom didn’t really “love” food, but she loved the people eating it, and it showed. She gave me a head start on the whole ethnic palette idea – foreign color, flavor, and texture on a regular basis. I explicitly remember the breaded and baked calf brains served with a highly acidic, but still un-cured green/white cabbage salad. I was 7. I was not happy.

Pied de Cochon make a great calf brain omelet soufflé thing – fantastic

Taken from www.rawfish.com.au/brains-and-bacon/ - this is about what it looked like, but my mom served this with a cabbage salad and did not use any bacon.

Anyway, I started cooking and eating everywhere/everything. Traveling as a foodie is too good, especially if stop as you go… so after taking to as many markets, tables, sidewalks as there are types of bread, I decided to take a few sporadic plunges.

The Ritz Carlton – as far I know, my mentor. I worked there as a banquette server, always between the kitchen and the client. The kitchen was – the best. It’s where I saw my first 400 liter stock pot.

Other restos followed. I served mostly, but that implies always near the kitchen. Italian, Sushi, Chinese, tapas, bars and pubs – all different; all fascinating.

I eventually managed a couple for restos, but most recently, in the last year in fact, I was a chef. I cheffed for fifty, everyday.

They loved it. I loved it. Here a short list of some of what I served: Sample Menus

Why am I telling you all this? Because I went from foodie to pro, and thought you should know. Plus, I just sort of want to say thanks to all the people who truly love food and have shared with me their experience and passion – professionals and foodies, diners and dishers, servers and savants… thanks. My palette will forever know the amalgamation of texture and flavor one uses to taste the art of life…

…and with that, one of my favorites from the last year:

Crepes Terrine with Spinach, Mushroom, and Smoked Turkey

Crepes are my favorite and are in fact the first thing I learned to make after the fried egg. I know it as a breakfast food or dessert and love the way you can fill them up and roll them on your plate, blanketing them in any of many syrups, sauces, or jams. But the rich and sumptuous crepe is far more ready for a savory setting than I had earlier thought, dans la forme d’une… terrine? Sorta. Not exactly right, but serves the purpose.

So, first – prepare you fillings:

Mushrooms and Spinach

I like to use a mix of mushrooms that have been roasted and chopped with a bit of salt and pepper or a mushroom duxelle – nothing too fancy required, but feel free to experiment. Be wary of over flavoring as the finished dish is quite complex from a flavor perspective. Same goes for the spinach – roasted with salt and pepper. I mixed both of these with some onions rendered in butter for some extra flavor. Again, any approach to creating a delicately flavorful filling is good.

Smoked Turkey

I did this dish with shrimp when I was working (cooked then minced with green onion and garlic), but the deli-slice is far easier to work with. Use any you like, i.e. smoked turkey, but nothing too crazy. Finding something with little salt and fat is a good start.

Cheese

Buying sliced cheese is fun, but pricey. I like to get a few small chunks, grate, and mix (at work, this was replaced with a saffron roux and wilted spinach with onion). I also included a few intermittent layers holding brie as their prize. Remember to save some cheese to top the terrine.

Crepes

¾ cup all purpose flour (you can use any basic flour, but the texture will change)
1 cup milk
3 eggs
½ tablespoon sugar (optional, but I like the bit of sweetness)
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk the eggs and milk together – you can optionally do all this in a blender or using a hand blender. Add the sugar, mix again. Temper the hot butter and add to the mix. Add remaining ingredients and mix for a last time. Store this in your fridge for one hour. This is required for a moist and tender crepe as the flour will have the time require to sponge-ily absorb the wet stuffs. Drink flour, drink (evil laugh)…

Heat a non-stick pan, butter it, and drop a teaspoon of the batter in the middle. Leave there until firm and then wipe it around the pan and throw it away (well, eat it, but for some reason the first crepe is never a nice one). Heat up your oven to the minimum setting and leave the crepes in there with a slightly damp towel overlying to keep them from drying.

Once done, and in an oven safe vessel, start the layering. Make sure to double or maybe triple the crepe count at the bottom so that you have something of a base. Use an intermittent method, is this case, mushrooms, turkey, cheese, mushroom, turkey, brie, as so on…

Top the last crepe with your reserved cheese, some crushed oregano, and finish in a 350C oven for a few minutes, just to melt the cheese. Remove, let rest 10 minutes, and then slice with a bread knife or another super sharp or toothy knife – enjoy.

You have the option to top with a hollandaise or other like sauce, but I like a drizzle of truffle oil and maple syrup. Serve with a sharp crisp white wine.

Now, I was sort of mentioning a shrimp based approach, but there are many options here. Enjoy ham, smoked salmon, spinach, avocado, other cheeses, other sauces, and of course – any dessert manifestation.

When I stumbled upon Once Upon a Plate‘s recipe for Wild and Mild Mushroom Lasagna, I knew I had to make it. It’s been sitting in my must-eat-recipe backlog for a long time, just waiting for the perfect occasion. The time finally came when I had my family over for a Mother’s Day/sister’s birthday meal.

My mother made a great spinach salad, filled with pralined pecans, cranberries, red pepper and mango:

This lasagna did not disappoint. I made some changes to the recipe, like using more dried mushrooms in the bechamel, and adding onion to the mushroom filling (as well as adding more fresh mushrooms, thankfully, as the filling was rather sparse), and I’ve taken some liberties in rewriting the recipe for clarity’s sake (some info was missing, or so I found).

The bechamel sauce in here is so wonderfully tasty…packed with earthy, rich mushroom flavour! Make sure to chop those reconstituted mushies very well, as they’ll always stay a little bit tough. I found adding wine to deglaze the pan imparted a lot of flavour, so I wouldn’t skip that part. Next time, I might try making a bit more sauce – perhaps by another half – because I loved it so much and could’ve done with a bit more.

Same with the mushroom filling. Next time, I think I would go as far as doubling it, as there wasn’t enough sliced mushrooms between the layers. The onion addition was a good one as well, the flavour really carried over.

The thyme really stands out in this recipe, especially the next day. I might be tempted to make this a day ahead of time, just to let all the flavours flourish. The leftovers were particularly tasty! (Speaking of that, that’s why the cut portion photos are so lame…I didn’t take the time to take pictures hot out of the oven, so what you see isn’t the lasagna in its most appealing state )

I was really pleased with this dish and think it’s a great vegetarian option, as well as an excellent crowd pleaser. The instructions make it look longer and more complicated than it is – it’s actually quite easy to prepare.

Wild Mushroom Lasagna
adapted from Once Upon a Plate
Printable Recipe

BECHAMEL SAUCE
3 oz dried mushrooms, soaked for 1/2 hour in 1 cup hot water (I used a “forest mix” of dried mushies)
2 1/2 cups milk or half & half (I used 1 cup milk, 1 1/2 cups 15% cream)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

MUSHROOM FILLING
2 lbs fresh mushrooms, mixed and sliced (I used a combination of button, shitake and oyster mushrooms)
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil, divided into 2 parts
4 tablespoons butter, divided into 2 parts
3 to 4 chopped garlic cloves, divided into 2 parts
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese for topping
1 tablespoon of Cognac or extra dry sherry or white wine
3/4 cup grated Parmesano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for passing at the table
kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

1 pound of Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles
fresh thyme for garnish (optional)

BECHAMEL SAUCE
1. Put dried mushrooms in hot water. Let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Melt butter over low heat.

3. In a separate pan, (or in microwave) heat milk gently.

4. Whisk flour into butter, stir for a few minutes to cook flour, without allowing mixture to gain color.

5. Slowly add warm milk, still whisking. Keep whisking over low heat until smooth and thickened.

6. Grate fresh nutmeg over and stir in. Let the sauce cook very gently over a low flame, as you continue with the recipe.

7. Chop the reconstituted dried mushrooms rather finely (reserving mushroom water).

8. Heat 1 part butter and 1 part olive oil in a large frying pan. Saute the chopped wild mushroom & 1 part of the chopped garlic in the oil and butter, then salt and pepper generously. Saute until most of the mushrooms are a good medium brown. Stir in the Cognac, sherry or wine at this time, if you are using, and allow to cook off for a moment or two, until the strong alcohol scent has dissipated.

9. Pour in the reserved water from soaking the mushrooms, taking care not to allow any sediment (sand, etc.) to go into the frying pan. Turn up heat and stir until mushroom liquid has nearly all evaporated.

10. Transfer the contents of the pan (chopped mushrooms and any bit of juice) to the bechamel sauce, stir and retain over low heat; stirring occasionally; add a bit more milk or cream if sauce becomes too thick. The bechamel will turn a deliciously looking tawny to deep brown color.

MUSHROOM FILLING
1. Wipe out the frying pan, and heat the remaining butter & olive oil.

2. Saute the onion until translucent, then add the remaining garlic, dried thyme and sliced fresh mushrooms, salt & pepper them, and cook until nicely browned and liquid has evaporated. If the pan is very dry add a tablespoon or two of water or chicken broth.

3. When mushrooms have finished cooking, toss the minced parsley in the pan, stir and set aside.

ASSEMBLING THE LASAGNA
1. Though not indicated on the box of “no-boil” lasagna noodles, I soak each noodle in a bowl of hot water for about 1 minute for this particular recipe.

2. Lightly oil 9×14 lasagna pan.

3. Pour about 1/4 cup of milk or half & half into bottom of baking pan; this provides added moisture while baking so noodles will become tender.

4. Place noodles next, then follow with the bechamel sauce (cover noodle completely), a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan, then arrange 1/2 cup of the cooked sliced domestic mushrooms on top.

5. Repeat layers 3 to 4 more times, ending with sauce and grated cheese.

6. Finally sprinkle generously with grated Mozzarella.

7. Cover baking dishes with foil (not resting directly on the lasagna ingredients, but rather ballooned on top and sealed around the edges), and bake in a 350-degree (F) oven for approximately 45 minutes. I check at 30 minutes, then watch carefully from that time forward. Sauce should be bubbling vigorously, and all layers of noodles should be tender when pierced with a toothpick or tip of sharp knife.

Allow lasagnas to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional thyme sprigs.

If you like this, you might also like:

Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
Butternut Squash and Pecan Lasagna
Sour Cream Mushroom Pasta

We’re all settled into the new house, and I’ve even had the chance to get some baking done! However, our computer still isn’t set up, so I can’t really post about it. Soon though (I hope!) I can’t wait to start visiting all my favourite cooking blogs too – I miss drooling over all the fantastic recipes!

For now, here’s a dish I made ages ago, and completely forgot to write about. It was one of those evenings where I was famished, but running kind of low on ingredients. I grabbed a bunch of stuff from the fridge, and came up with a sour cream mushroom pasta dish, loosely based on this recipe.

It was pretty satisfying, and even better reheated the next day. I think it could use some tinkering, but for a spur-of-the-moment pasta, it does the job. I love sour cream sauces; the tang is sharp, especially compared to the mellowness of the mushrooms.

There are also some pretty unexpected ingredients in the dish, including pickle brine and sauerkraut. The pickle brine wasn’t very noticeable, but I have a feeling the dish might’ve been a bit bland without it. Same thing with the sauerkraut, though I really liked having the chopped cabbage in there – it added a fun texture to the pasta.

Of course, parmesan made the whole thing even better, and I added a whole lot of chopped parsley to get a bit of a brighter flavour.

All in all, when you’re looking for a way to use up the rest of your sour cream, I think a mushroom pasta dish like this is an excellent option, and very open to your own personal variations.

Sour Cream Mushroom Pasta
adapted from Seasonal Ontario Food

½ – 1 pound pasta
3 cups mushrooms
1 large onion
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup sauerkraut
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons brine or pickle juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried dillweed
pepper
cayenne
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped parsley

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. When it boils, salt it and add the pasta.

2. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and cut them in halves or quarters. Peel and dice the onion. Sauté the mushrooms and onions in the butter in a large skillet until soft and lightly browned. This should happen a little after the pasta goes into the pot to cook.

3. Meanwhile, mix the sour cream, chicken stock, sauerkraut, flour, brine, dill and pepper and cayenne to taste. Add this to the mushroom and onion mixture. Add the parmesan. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened.

4. When the pasta is cooked, drain it well and toss it with the sauce. Add the chopped parsley.

This dish, as simple as it sounds, was a big hit and I completely loved it! Packed with flavours, it’s a warm and hearty dish that’s perfect for these fall days. It can be fantastic side dish, and can even be a main dish.

The garlic is not too strong, but is definitely a prime component to the overall flavour. I loved the idea of steeping it all in boiling milk; it made the garlic stand out, but not become overwhelming. Slightly crisp asparagus mixed with a variety of mushrooms, surrounded by creamy bread and topped with melted cheese – can you say delicious? I will be making this over and over.

I found many recipes for this floating around, and ended up using a combo of several. The original seems to stem from Deborah Madison, but Washington Times also put out a recipe for it as well (adapted from Madison’s). My version comes from the two…I’m writing it out as I made it, but feel free to make your own combo. It seems quite versatile.

I halved the recipes that I found, as only three people were eating – however, there still wasn’t enough to go around (it was that tasty!).

Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
adapted from Deborah Madison
(this recipe is for three people – double these amounts for a 6-serving dish)

5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole or low-fat milk
3 -4 sandwich loaves, cut into thick slices (preferably stale) (mine were fresh and I toasted them)
Kosher salt
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch pieces and soaked in cold water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 spring onions, finely diced (2 to 3 tablespoons)
1 pound mushroom mix – I used fresh shitake, oyster and button, cleaned and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2vlarge eggs
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a round gratin dish.

2. Combine the garlic and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove from the heat and set aside to steep (5 to 8 minutes).

3. If the bread is not stale, lay it on a large baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until crisp (but not hard, or the pudding will be mushy). Break the bread into chunks and put it in a large dish.

4. Pour the milk through a strainer over the bread (discarding the garlic) and let it sit while you prepare the vegetables, turning the bread occasionally so that it soaks up as much of the liquid as possible.

5. Fill a large skillet 2/3 of the way with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lightly salt the water and add the asparagus pieces; cook about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

6. Melt half the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the mushrooms. Increase the heat to high and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms brown in places and exude their liquid. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the parsley, oregano, 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Add the soaked bread and any liquid left in the dish, the asparagus-mushroom mixture and its juices and 2/3 of the cheese, mixing well.

8. Pour into the prepared baking or gratin dish and use a spatula to even it out. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dot with the remaining butter. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

I hate eggs. Can’t stand them, especially perfectly poached, atop a crispy French baked starch, delicate, slightly sweet, partial to the moment, and often impossible to resurrect. Who wants that?

No, no, love them…

I only recently learned that you can take a pound of mushrooms, cook them, and eat them, so mushroom duxelle is becoming my Marmite, only delicious (kidding, actually sorta like Marmite).

Mushroom Duxelle
1 lbs mushrooms (your choice)
2 tbs butter
salt
pepper
¼ cup wine or 2 ounces of vodka (optional as this is breakfast)

Heat skillet; add very clean, finely chopped mushrooms, salt, and butter (the butter, seeing as the mushrooms won’t stick in the beginning, can be added at the end). Give it 10 -15 with some good heat behind it. Add a good splash of wine and move it around until it reduces.

I’ve reviewed poaching eggs before, try Eggs if you need to follow up.

The croutons… don’t know what happened, by a stroke of tasty genius hit me. These are, by far, the best crouton ever! But they are somewhat rich, so maybe they won’t fly in all crouton-ish applications.

Fried Croutons
French Baguette (in France them just call them baguettes)
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste

So cut up your fresh baguette into pieces the size you like, but not too small. We are going to need a bit of moisture and a small piece would dry out too quickly. Melt the butter in a bowl large enough to hold all your croutons. Add the oil, salt, and pepper, and whisk it up. Toss your croutons in the quasi-emulsion. Bake in an toaster over (or oven) at 350F for about 15 minutes.

Using this method, the croutons fry while toasting. I can’t say I’m sure, but it seems the butter adds a light nutty flavor and nice kind of crispy browning while the olive oil goes the distance in adding a firm chewiness.

Plate up! and DO NOT go back to bed; common problem I have – rich sleepy weekend breakfasts that insist Monday race itself back. This dish is light and breezy. Out the door and off to market

ADD: Omitted from this post was the drizzle of truffle oil to finish. Truffle oil is the best money you can spend, if you think you like truffles. Dizzle here, teaspoon there, infusions, finisher, starter, star and support, pfft… anyway. I hate to know there is none in the kitch.