Mushrooms en papillote

Christmas is behind us and New Year's Day is just ahead.  And here we are in the first true weeks of winter hoping for snow sometime.  Well, maybe not everyone is hoping for snow, but I am.  I was very happy to look at the forecast for the upcoming weekend and see that we have snow expected to start the new year.

This cold weather also makes it a great time to eat hot foods.  And I have a really good one for mushrooms lovers today.  It is simple, flavorful, and easy.  

Mushrooms en papilotte.  

The picture above shows the prepared mushrooms before foil is wrapped around them like a pouch.  Cooking "en papillote" means to cook in a pouch.  This pouch can be made of parchment paper, folded properly to seal it, but it can also be made of foil and since almost everyone has foil in their kitchen, that's how we'll do it today.

Get a pound of mushrooms.  I like to get a mix of mushrooms varieties.  You can cut them or leave them whole.  I prefer to cut them up a variety of sizes.  Place them all on a large square or rectangle of foil.  I like to use extra wide heavy duty foil, and I'll tear off apiece about 18 inches long.  If you are using standard foil that is not as wide, you probably want to divide this recipe into two portions since the decreased width will make it harder to put this large quantity of mushrooms all in the same pouch.

Place the mushrooms in the center of the foil.  (You can also use a bowl instead and mix all the ingredients in the bowl before you transfer them to the foil -- this is especially helpful if you are dividing this recipe into two halves.)    Sprinkle a 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the mushrooms along with a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.  Add sliced or pressed garlic cloves.  I like to add 5 or 6, but you can add just a couple if you want less garlic.  Then place a bit of butter right on top, about a tablespoon, but it doesn't have to be exact.  Then drizzle a bit of olive oil over the mixture, about a tablespoon.  (For vegans, just leave out the butter and add an extra tablespoon of olive oil.)  At this point I sometimes add a bit of dried parsley and thyme, but sometimes I will wait and add those after the cooking is done if I have fresh herbs on hand. And of course, you can always change up the variety of herbs you use to whatever you find most appealing.  Now, wrap the package, but not tight.  It needs a little space at the top for the steam to collect.  We want these mushrooms to steam in this pouch.  I seal the pouch lengthwise first with a nice double fold which is creased very firmly, and I make sure it "tents" nicely above the mushrooms.  Then I fold the ends.  I do this in such a way that the folds are all on the top, pointing up, so that if a fold is not quite precisely sealed, no liquid drains from the package.

Here is a pouch that is all set to go into the oven.  Your oven should be at 400 F.  Place the pouch on a baking sheet, and pop it in for about 45 minutes.

Here's what you have when it comes out.  The mushrooms are a bit smaller.  They are tender.  They are delicious.  And they reheat very well, so you don't have to eat everything all at once.

So there you go.  An easy hot nutritious dish (and vegan if you leave out the butter) to enjoy during the cold days of winter.  Perfect for humans or hobbits (any LOTR fans reading this?).

I hope you all enjoy the last few days of the year.  For those of you who are here in Kansas City, I hope you are excited about our first significant snowfall of the winter.

Christmas

 

Good morning, good morning!

It's the day before Christmas Eve, and all is quiet on this early December morning.  

You may have noticed that there are is no weekly menu offering this week.  The same goes for next week as well, New Year's Weekend.  But I will be sending out food again beginning the weekend of January 7th.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas season.  I will be enjoying it with various family and friends, lots of good food, fun Christmas movies, and other similar things.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Cornucopia

Cornucopia:  an abundant supply of good things.

Today is Monday.  It is the first day of the week in which Christmas arrives this year.  I love the Christmas season.  I love the buildup to it.  I love the rising expectations as it comes closer and closer.  I love the way the world seems to change just a little, even if it's just for a little while, as Christmas arrives.  And I love making good foods for the holiday.

One of the fun things about making as much food as I do, and sending it out to friends and family, is that I get see to my kitchen looking like it does in the picture above.  Seeing a spread of good food is very satisfying.

A cornucopia of good food.

Every time I spend a day making breads and cookies and lasagnas and ice creams and so many other things, I look ahead to when they will be done and ready to go out the door or be consumed here at home.  Sometimes I'm up very early to make food.  Sometimes I'm up very late to make food.  Sometimes I have a short night of sleep because I'm making food.  But in the end, I get to see countertops and trays full of food, yummy delicious amazing food, and it's all worth it. 

Sometimes it's nice to order out and have food delivered, ready to eat, ready to enjoy.  But there's nothing quite like the feeling of making something yourself.  When you pull something out of the oven and see the results of your time, your effort, your creativity, it's very satisfying and very rewarding.

Enjoy this week before Christmas!  And share some good food with family and friends.

Savory pies

During these upcoming cooler months, I will enjoy making savory pies.  To be honest, I enjoy making them even in the hotter months.  I love dessert pies, too.  Just about anything put in a pie crust would probably be delicious.

A new item, a savory pie, has been added to the menu.  This is a delicious and nutritious pie with Roma tomatoes, corn, cheddar cheese (and sometimes a bit of gruyère when I feel like adding it), scallions, lots of basil, and some other seasonings.  Let's not forget what holds it all together -- eggs and cream.

First the pie crust is par-baked.  Then shredded cheese, tomato slices, and corn are layered.  A mixture of cream and eggs and seasonings are heated up and then poured over the layers.  And then a final addition of basil is spread over the top.

This goes into a fairly hot oven for almost an hour.  Once the half hour mark has been reached, a wonderful aroma starts to fill the kitchen and then slowly flows through the air into the rest of the house.  It makes me want to go to the oven and open the door again and again to take in more of that aroma.  But I wait.  And wait.  And wait.

When it comes out of the oven, I wait a little more.  It has to cool for a little while, and as it cools, it sets.  I will eat a slice as soon as possible.  But then I like to let it sit more.  As it sits, the flavors meld.  

This pie will then sit in the fridge, and a slice can be reheated easily by placing it in a 350 F oven for about 20 minutes.  Whether eaten on Day 1 or Day 2, it is delicious.

Watch for it on an upcoming weekly menu offering.  And in the meantime, enjoy the Christmas season! 

Spices

Today is spice day.  "What is spice day?", you ask. 

Well, a couple times every year, I do a complete inventory of all the spices and seasonings in my kitchen.  There are some frequently-used spices that are replaced on a regular basis as the containers are used up.  But there are others that aren't used very often, things I keep around for only a single food that I make infrequently.  Nonetheless, they are important to keep on hand.  

For these spices that aren't used that often, I want to ensure that I have fresh containers around.  Spices age, and I want them to be fresh and potent.  So in December and July, I take the time to see what I have on hand.  I make sure that everything is stocked with fresh containers of cayenne pepper, cardamom, paprika, Italian seasoning, and many others.  

For some of these not-as-often used spices, I end up tossing the oldest containers.  The spices are still good but they simply aren't as powerful as they used to be.  While I do this every 6 months, I don't toss everything that is 6 months old.  But I take inventory and see what I think needs to replaced.

This is a very important thing for me in my kitchen.  I find it quite vexing if I start to set out ingredients for something that I want to make and I find out that don't have enough of a particular spice.  Or even worse, that I have the spice I need but it is much older than I wish.  Some spices are OK aging longer, but then there are some that need to be replaced more often.

So today, I will take inventory.  I will note which are old and which are new.  I will set up an order for Penzey's for some spices, while others I'm fine getting from the local grocer.  It will be a nice day because it's part of a very satisfying process in which I know that my racks are always filled with fresh and aromatic spices and seasonings.

Pasta salad

Good morning, everyone!  We're well into the Christmas season now.  And with all the Christmas cookies and other sweet goodies that are part of our yearly celebration, it's nice to sit down with something healthy and delicious to offset all those sweets.

This weekend we have a new item offered for the first time:  farfalle pasta salad with salami and balsamic vinaigrette.  In this salad, there is nothing but healthy stuff:

pasta, shredded carrots, English cucumber, Kalamata olives, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, red onion, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, salami and a delicious balsamic vinaigrette

I make this on Day 1 and then chill it overnight with the balsamic vinaigrette already stirred into the salad.  And on Day 2 after that overnight chill, it is absolutely scrumptious.  Once I devour one serving, it's impossible for me not to have a second serving.

I love all the gingerbread and Christmas cookies and cakes that are part of the December celebrations.  But I certainly also love to have something that is so incredibly delicious that it can offset my cravings for all those other holiday sweets.

More new food items are being added to the menu in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes open and read about those additions here.

Have a great week!

New oatmeal cookies

It's finally December and the Christmas season is in full motion.  That means lots of Christmas goodies.  I've been baking many things including a couple new oatmeal cookies which have been placed on the menu.  The ones in the photo above are on the menu as oatmeal chocolate chip homestyle cookies.

And the other, in the second photo, is on the menu as oatmeal spice chocolate chip cookies.  

The homestyle cookies are just what they sound like:  good dense oatmeal cookies with mini chocolate chips that are very traditional in taste and texture.

The oatmeal spice has a much darker flavor since it is heavily spiced.  It might be a bit too dark and heavy for some people, but I love them, and I'm sure at least some other people will love these as well.   

Both are wonderful cookies and as with all oatmeal cookies (in my opinion), they are best served with milk.  

I find oats to be wonderful to eat.  They have that proverbial "stick to your ribs" quality that fills you up in a way that feels satisfying and healthy.  And they are so delicious in cookies and breads, and even by itself as one of my favorite breakfasts:  hot cinnamon spiced oatmeal with milk.  When I want to start the day with a breakfast that makes feel good, that's one of my go-to breakfasts. 

These cookies also make me feel good when I eat them.  They'll be on a weekly menu soon.  Keep an eye open for them.  

Have a wonderful start to the Christmas season!