Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni

I know it’s supposed to be getting warmer--it’s already May! But here in NH, it’s been very cool and overcast (and a bit rainy) for the last couple of weeks. As per usual--plus, we need the rain. I’m not complaining! I like it when we have actual Spring-like weather when we’re supposed to. It’s no fun having a super hot Spring leading right into a hot summer. As a result of this cool, damp weather, I’m still craving comfort food.

This Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni is pure comfort food. It’s creamy, of course, but it’s also homey, stick to your ribs food. I’ve hardly ever met a pasta dish that I didn’t like. This one is no exception. It came about when I was talking to Billy about making Mushroom Bourguignon. He was wondering if the mushrooms would be good in some creamy sauce over pasta. I said “Hell yes, of course they would be!”

While talking to my good friend Shaye a while back, she mentioned that she was making the Bourguignon, and she wanted to eat all of the mushrooms after sautéing them with the cognac. In my version, I’d left out the Cognac, simply because I didn’t have any on hand. Since it was obviously so good, I decided I had to give it a go. (If you’d like to add the cognac to the Bourguignon, add it after you sauté the mushrooms for the 10 minutes, and let it simmer for a few minutes before removing them from the pan.) Shaye was right! It’s worth getting the cognac to add. In this recipe I’m giving you today, I see no reason why you couldn’t use white wine instead, and if you wish, leave out the alcohol entirely.

Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni

Serves 4

2 tbsp or so of olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 shallots, finely diced (about 3 tbsp)
20 oz sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
10 oz sliced white mushrooms
3 tbsp Cognac (use white wine if you wish, or leave the alcohol out entirely)
1/2 salt and 1/2 pepper
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme (if using fresh, use about 1 1/2 tsp)
1 cup chicken broth (or use vegetable broth and make it 100% vegetarian)
1 cup half and half
Small handful of fresh parsley
1 pound rigatoni (or your favorite pasta) cooked

Start the water for boiling the pasta.

In a large pan, heat the oil and butter over medium-medium high heat. When the butter has melted, add the shallots and mushrooms. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has mostly evaporated. If you find that the mushrooms are getting too dark too quickly, turn the pan down to medium heat.

Add the Cognac and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt and pepper to the pan and sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms. Stir well to coat the mushrooms. Add the thyme. (If you're using fresh thyme, add it more towards the end, say when you add the half and half.)

When the pasta water is boiling, cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Deglaze the pan by adding the broth of your choice, and scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan with your spoon or spatula. Turn heat to low-ish and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the half and half, get it at a good bubbling simmer and let it go until thickened and somewhat reduced, about 10 minutes, stirring often. (It should be the consistency of a cream soup when it’s done.)

Stir in the parsley, and then add the cooked noodles to the pan and stir to coat. Spoon into bowls and serve. This is good with some fresh parm grated over the top, too.

• The quantities on the mushrooms aren’t set in stone, those are just the sizes of the containers at Trader Joe’s. Use what you’ve got, even a bit more or less, if necessary.
• Silly of me, but I can't remember if I used garlic in here or not. I'm guessing I did--I usually do. If you want to, add 3-4  minced cloves of garlic along with the shallots and mushrooms.

Zucchini Quinoa Cakes

“What the hell am I going to do with all of this #$@%^& zucchini?!” Or, in other parts of the world, “What the hell am I going to do with all of these #$@%^& courgettes?!”

Have you been asking yourself that? I haven’t. Yet. This is our first year with zucchini in our garden. Well, scratch that--the first year we’re actually getting zucchini growing in the garden. It was a failure the last time we planted it. This year, though--it’s all good! Happy!

These zucchini quinoa cakes were the result of extra grated zucchini and an unopened bag of quinoa that I didn’t even know I had. The stars were aligned for this Meatless Monday special. Think potato pancakes, but with zucchini and quinoa instead of the humble potato.

Yesterday, there were two very large, fresh zucchini sitting on the counter. After using a bunch to make two loaves of double chocolate zucchini bread, I still had quite a bit left. It hit me that if I made some of the quinoa, I could mix it with the grated zucchini and some other magical ingredients to make these little cakes.

They’re incredibly simple to make, and really, almost everyone needs more zucchini/courgette recipes. Plus, they’re very versatile! Change up the spices in this recipe and you could end up with a sweeter breakfast version--and serve with a nice fruit sauce. I went the Tex-Mex-type route, but you could do parmesan and basil, or use some thyme, tarragon, oregano--whatever you like!

Zucchini Quinoa Cakes

makes one dozen

1 cup dry quinoa, cooked (approx. 2 cups cooked quinoa)
4 cups freshly shredded zucchini (I kept it in a strainer while prepping) *See Note
1 tsp adobo
pinch of black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp (or more, if you like) hot sauce
1 tsp honey or agave
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup panko bread crumbs
6 TBSP flour
2 eggs, beaten
oil, for cooking

Serve with:
Salsa
Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the eggs and oil. Taste for seasonings, and adjust if necessary. Then go ahead and add the eggs. Stir until well blended.

Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Don't drown them in oil, but you want at least a good coating on the bottom of the pan. Drop the mixture into the pan using a 1/4 cup measure. Slightly pat the mounds of batter down so they're flat-ish. In my 12" cast iron skillet, I could fit about 4 per batch.

Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and firm in the center. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Add more oil as needed for cooking the rest.

Serve with salsa and plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.

• *Most importantly, make sure that your zucchini isn’t too wet. This is why, as I was prepping everything else, I kept my grated zucchini in a strainer. I also pressed it down with my hands a few times right before using it to get rid of some of the extra moisture in it.
• If after mixing the ingredients, your mixture seems to be very leaky (juice in the bottom of the bowl), add extra flour, but just one or two more tablespoons.
• Don’t be worried about the list of ingredients. It’s so quick to measure out the spices! And like I said, it’s a very versatile recipe, so you can go ahead and use whatever you like to flavor the base.
• One last thing! I mixed everything together in the bowl, but held the eggs back so I could taste for seasonings. Once I was satisfied with the flavor, I mixed the eggs in.

I love those crunchy bits!

Portland Eggplant Veggie Burgers

We’ve seriously cut back on the amount of meat that we eat in my house. We try to limit to once per week. It’s not as difficult as some of you may think! We were actually vegan for an entire year just a couple years back. After that year, we decided to add some meat back in, like I said--about once per week. We also let dairy back in, mostly in the form of cheeeese. There happens to be some cheese in these burgers, along with the main ingredient--eggplant!

Some of our vegan habits are still in practice, though. We love almond and coconut milks, and those are pretty much the only milks we actually drink or have with cereals. The biggest vegan/vegetarian benefit that we still enjoy is to eat tons of vegetables. We’ll never give those up. I know it’s not easy, and I’m the last person in the world to be preachy about it. I mean, come on--the mouthwatering aroma of meat sizzling on a grill, or a pot roast slowly braising all afternoon…those are scents that evoke so many memories and awake my senses. So we indulge once a week.

Now, after the meat love I was just talking about, I have this recipe to give you for a meatless burger. It’s not quite vegan, because there is shredded cheese in it, but it’s definitely vegetarian. We really loved these, and as a burger alternative, these are especially good. Versatile, too! You can use your favorite seasonings in this recipe, and totally customize your veggie burger experience.

I was inspired to make these from watching an episode of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” on the Food Network. If you haven’t seen it, the premise of the show is asking the FoodTV chefs what their favorites are. Favorite burgers, pizza, ice creams, desserts, crunchy things, crispy things, decadent foods, etc. They tell you about them, show them to you, and then, tell you where you can get them. If you’re lucky enough, one of those places will be near you!

While recently watching the Burger episode, only one veggie burger was mentioned as a fave, and that was by Duff of Ace of Cakes. The burger he described (and they showed) looked fantastic. The chef at the restaurant actually showed what was in them (no measurements, but we eyeballed it). We grabbed pen and paper and scribbled the basics down. All I heard Duff say about the location is that is was in Portland. So now, our version of Portland Eggplant Burgers…

Portland Eggplant Veggie Burgers

Makes 8-10 regular sized patties
Inspired by The Farm Cafe

3 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
6 green onions, sliced, both white and green parts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (or your favorite cheese)
1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp Adobo 
pinch of Kosher salt and fresh cracked back pepper
1 3/4 tsp Weber Grill Creations Gourmet Burger Seasoning (or your favorite blend)

In a large pan (Seriously, you want a large pan--I used my electric skillet.), heat a bit of oil over medium-low and cook the cubed eggplant down completely, till it's sort of a mushy mass of eggplant. (I know, but trust me on this!) This takes about 25 minutes, and be sure to stir occasionally. I also put a lid on it a few times to keep some moisture in it. When you stir, smush it with your spoon or spatula. You don’t want cubes of cooked eggplant, you want it all mashed up. Remove it from the pan and put it in a large bowl.

In the same pan, lightly sauté the green onions and garlic, just about 2-3 minutes to take the raw edge off. Add to the bowl of cooked eggplant.

Stir the parsley, cheddar, bread crumbs, and seasonings into the eggplant mixture. Get in there with your hands and mix it up. Set in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to chill. After chilling, form the mixture into patties.

In the same large skillet, heat a bit of oil over medium high heat (400 degrees on my electric skillet). Get the oil nice and hot, and cook the patties for 4-5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook on the second the side for about 5 minutes. You want them nicely golden brown and crispy on each side.

Serve with your favorite burger accessories.  Store any leftovers in the fridge!

• As much as I love burgers with all kinds of fantastic toppings, at heart, I’m a simple girl. My favorite way to have a burger is with sliced tomatoes and ketchup. That’s what I had on mine. Along with some garden fresh baby lettuce leaves. Use whatever you like on your own burgers!
• These are veggie burgers, and not a hunk of meat, so we’re not going to just toss these on the grill, or they’ll likely fall apart. If you want that smoky flavor, you could cook these on a pan on your grill and see how that goes. Maybe cook them almost completely and then quickly toss on the grill for that smoky flavor. Let me know if you try it!
• As I was looking for the links on Food Network for the show, I found that the place where Duff gets his eggplant burger from is listed. I don’t know why I always forget I can do that! It’s The Farm Café in Portland, Oregon. So there you go. If you’re in the area, stop in and grab one. If you’re not, make mine!

Don't forget to enter to win a $70 Summer Brewing Gift Pack from Mighty Leaf Tea! Winner will be chosen on August 3rd.

Mushroom Bourguignon

Speaking of cold weather and comfort food, today I have a recipe that will knock your vegetarian socks off! You know what? Even if you’re not vegetarian, this one will knock those socks off. This Mushroom Bourguignon is so hearty and, well, comforting. It’s loaded with mushrooms, carrots and potatoes, and served over a bed of fluffy egg noodles. You will not miss the meat in this, honestly. And of you absolutely cannot live without the meat, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t cut the quantity of mushrooms in half, and brown some beef in there while you’re browning the mushrooms in the first step.

Bourguignon refers to recipes prepared in the style of the French region of Burgundy. It’s traditionally beef braised in red wine along with other ingredients--usually beef broth, bacon, pearl onions, and mushrooms. I choose to leave the pearl onions out of this recipe--that’s my preference.  If you’d like to add them, feel free to cut back on the carrots, and add a cup or two of them.

My husband emailed this recipe to me some time ago, and we’ve had it several times since-with a few changes made along the way.  It was submitted to a yoga site by a Kierstin Buchner.  Thanks, Kierstin--we love this one!  What changes did I make?  Well, leaving out the pearl onions, for one, upping the carrot and potato quantities, too.  Changed the herbs up a bit, tweaked the cooking procedure somewhat, and I thicken the bourguignon up at the end of cooking. 

Please don’t be scared off by the ingredient list--it’s not as long as you may think.  This is a fabulous one pot meal, not counting the pot to cook the egg noodles in.  Get your ingredients measured out and ready to go, and it’s very simple.  Here’s the plan:

• Slice and chop the mushrooms, set aside.
• Dice the onion, slice the carrots, and set those aside together-because they go in the pot at the same time.
• Mince the garlic, set aside.
• Measure out the flour, get the spices together. You’re using mise en place bowls, yes? They’ll truly simplify your cooking!
• Measure out the wine, then the broth, set aside.
• Get your tomato paste ready. HINT! You hardly ever need a whole can of tomato paste at once, so here’s what I do: open the can, scoop it all out, toss it in a zip top bag, and form the paste into a log shape in the bottom of the bag.  When you need a tablespoon of the paste, cut a piece off of the tomato paste log (about the width of a tablespoon of butter).  OR, measure tablespoon sized quantities of the paste, and drop them on a parchment lined plate. Freeze them on the plate-when frozen take them off the paper and toss in a plastic bag to keep in the freezer.  Easy!
• While the stew is simmering for the 30 minutes, get the potatoes scrubbed and quartered, and set a pan of water to boil for the noodles. 

See? All you need is a plan!

Mushroom Bourguignon
This makes a lot (like, 6 servings or so?), so unless you're feeding a crowd, be prepared for amazing leftovers.  If you don't like leftovers, send them to me, I'll take them!

2 lbs Crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 Portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, cut into chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally  into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
2 cups dry red wine
4 cups broth of your choice-vegetable, chicken, beef
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves
28 oz (1 lb, 12 oz) small potatoes, quartered (approximately-that's just the size of the bag I had on hand)
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp cold water
egg noodles

In a large pot, heat about 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Add all of the mushrooms, about 1 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper, and sauté for about 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and accumulated juices to a bowl and set aside.

Add a couple more tbsp of olive oil, and sauté the onions and carrots for about 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Sprinkle the onions, carrots and garlic with the flour, stir for about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and accumulated juices back to the pot, then add the wine, broth, tomato paste, thyme, Herbes de Provence and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

After the 30 minutes are up, add the potatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.  (This is also when I get the egg noodles in a pot of boiling water to cook.) Simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are fork tender.  Test for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Stir the cold water into the cornstarch and add it to the stew while stirring.  Stir until thickened.  Serve over the egg noodles.

Also?  You could totally turn your leftover bourguignon and noodles into an amazing soup!  Just broth it up and add anything else that you like.

Soba Noodle Soup

Writer’s block--can’t concentrate.  Could be the sun and the 50 degree temps outside.   But I can’t get too hooked on the nice weather.  It is, after all, only March in New England.  Check out the date on this older post, and don’t forget to scroll all the way down.   See?  It’s just a tease, this nice weather.  It’s ok, though--I love the snow, remember?  I know, I know--I’m a freak.  I love everything about it.  Everything--the boots, cool--or rather--warm mittens (yes, I also have a thing for mittens--love them!), jackets, how quiet it is when it’s snowing…I could go on and on.  But I won’t!

Since it’s still fairly cool outside, I’m still up for soup.  Well, I’m always up for soup, really.  Even in the summer.  Thank you, air conditioning!   I think I was supposed to be living in Alaska or something, come to think of it. 

The soup of the day today is Soba Noodle Soup.   This is the first time I’ve made it!  We had Soba noodles in the pantry for quite a while, and I kept saying “I’ve really got to use these.”  Finally got around to it!  I can procrastinate with the best of them, seriously.  I should have written and published this post on Monday, but there’s that “putting things off” thing again.   Even now, I keep looking at my playlist and picking out songs to listen to (today feels like a Berlin day), and checking Twitter to catch up with my friends.  Someone stop me!

Soba Noodle Soup.  It’s good.  Damn good!  Easy, too.   I found this recipe at In a Vegetarian Kitchen, and I changed it up a bit.   I just about doubled it, so it makes quite a bit, and made a few other small changes.  Doubling it was great, because I love soup leftovers! 

I used Quorn Chik’n Tenders in this, too.   I haven’t talked about this before here on the blog, but if you’re looking for a good meat replacement in some dishes, their stuff is so good.   Sometimes you just want to have that feeling that you’re still eating meat, even if you normally don’t.  Their “Chik’n Tenders” are a lifesaver when you’re doing something like a stir fry or a soup.  Their “Grounds” are great anywhere you’d use ground beef or turkey--tacos, burritos, chili, meat sauce for pasta, etc.   Now, I’m not one to use a lot of processed ingredients--in fact, I usually avoid it.  But I make an exception for Quorn’s products.   Check out their site and what they’re all about.  Here’s some info on Mycoprotein, the main ingredient.   Despite the name, their stuff isn’t made of corn.   We use something from them at least once a week. 

*Feel free to use the broth of your choice in this. 

Soba Noodle Soup
adapted from In a Vegetarian Kitchen
serves 4-6

10 oz Soba Noodles
64 oz vegetable broth
2 cups bok choy, sliced
6-8 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 TB soy sauce (low sodium)
3 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp agave
3 tsp fresh ginger,  minced
5 thinly sliced green onions, green and white parts!
8 oz Quorn Chik’n Tenders, sautéed till golden brown
8-10 oz fresh spinach, torn
fresh cracked black pepper
sesame oil for adding to bowls

Break the Soba noodles in half, cook according to package directions, rinse with cool water and set aside.
In a large soup pot, combine the stock, bok choy, mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, agave and ginger.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. 
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Uncover, add green onions, sautéed Quorn Tenders, and spinach.
Cover and cook 3 more minutes.
Remove cover, and add the noodles.
Season with black pepper.
Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil in each serving.

Hmmm…

• Easy
• Delicious
• Makes a lot, good leftovers
• Nice veggies in this
• Will make again, for sure!
• I was not paid or compensated in any way from Quorn, I just like their stuff.