Mushroom Stout Pie.

a comfort-food extravaganza from the amazing post punk kitchen, this recipe wasn’t too insane to make, and it made me wanting to keep re-filling my bowl. you can find the original right here.

For the stew:
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
3 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced medium
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 lb carrots, peeled, sliced into thin half moons
1 1/4 cups stout beer
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Fresh black pepper (a lot!)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups cooked kidney beans – 2 15 oz cans rinsed & drained [see note for tofu version]

For the biscuits:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes [see note on leftover mashed potatoes]
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cold water

You’ll want to cover the dried mushrooms in boiling broth to start, and let them get all good and hydrated.

In the dutch oven, you then saute the onions, then add in the garlic.

Follow by adding the chopped cremini mushrooms, the celery, and the thyme and rosemary. This is the part where it starts to smell pretty great.

Then, add the tomato paste, the beer, the carrots, and salt and pepper. Depending on the stock, you might want to be generous on the salt here. Let the stout bubble and reduce some.

Finally, add the porcinis and the broth. Again, let it boil to really cook the mushrooms.

Mix the flour with some cold water well, then slowly add it the pot. Let it cook and thicken, then add the kidney beans and cover to keep warm.

The potato biscuits, which had a dumpling-like quality when I made them tonight, will get placed on top of this stew, and put into the oven at 425 for about 20-25 minutes.

To make the biscuits, mix your mashed potatoes with the oil and water, then add them to the sifted combination of flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. My mixture needed a bit more flour than the recipe above calls for.

Turned out to be very enjoyable, will certainly make it again.

Wild Mushroom-Barley Risotto

Serves 4

14 oz. wild mushrooms (such as cepes or porcini, trompettes de la mort, and chantrelles) (We used portobellos – so, maybe not that wild…)
3 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 c pearl barley
slash of dry white wine
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbs. mascarpone
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves minced

Clean the mushrooms and thickly slice the large ones. Set aside while you start the risotto.

Brink the stock to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, heat the butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan or sauté pan and add the onion and a little seasoning. Gently fry the onion, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften 4-6 minutes. Tip in the barley and stir well to coat. Toast the barley for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the splash of wine and let it bubble until reduced by half. Stir in two-thirds of the hot stock and simmer, stirring every once in a while, until the barley has absorbed almost all the liquid. Add more stock, a ladleful at a time, and simmer until the barley is just tender (you may not need all the stock). Stir in the Parmesan and mascarpone and season well to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan. Fry the mushrooms with some seasoning until they are lightly browned and any moisture released has evaporated, 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the risotto and stir well to mix.

Divide the risotto among warm plates and sprinkle with the minced parsley. Serve immediately.

David: I thought it was great! It came together pretty easily and I feel like it could go on the side with a lot of different things. A.

Carla: I also really enjoyed this risotto. It went together nicely. And who doesn’t love cheese? A.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Panini (August 24, 2006)

Panini night moved to Thursday for one week…

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (we used a whole pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 portobello mushroom caps (we used sliced portobello)

1. Preheat grill for medium heat (we used a skillet)
2. In a large bowl mix the red bell pepper, garlic, oil, onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper.

We now deviate from the recipie a bit…we placed Kaiser rolls (wheat) on the panini maker and topped them with the portobello mixture. We also added some greens, a tomato slice, and mozzarella cheese. We sprayed balsamic vinegarette on the tops of the buns, as well. We grilled them for a while (5-7 minutes) and served them with a salad and broccoli.

David: It was very tasty. It could have used more cheese and fewer peppers. Maybe more spiced. The mushrooms should be more featured. B+
Carla: Tasty, but I think it needed a bit more sauce (we used balsamic vinegarette). I liked it. Different than chicken or some other thing on the panini. B