Wild Mushroom Soup

Here is another wonderful recipe that I have made that Ina Garten has in one of her cookbooks as well as on Food Network.  I am a sucker for mushrooms and so far all of Ina’s recipes that I have tried have been winners.  Mushrooms are matter of taste however, not everyone in my family loves them, but if you do, make this Cream of mushroom soup!  It is quite good!

Wild Mushroom Soup

adapted from Ina Garten

Source:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cream-of-wild-mushroom-soup-recipe/index.html

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 5 oz fresh Shiitake mushrooms
• 5 oz fresh Portabella mushrooms
• 5 oz fresh cremini mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided use
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 tsp fresh thyme, divided use
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 leeks, chopped, dark leaves removed
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Instructions:

Clean the mushrooms and trim the stems and remove any parts that have gone bad.  Separate the stems from the caps.  Coarsely chop the stems.  Place the chopped stems in a stock pot.  Slice the mushroom caps and reserve for later usage.

To make the soup base: heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter in a large pot with the stems.  Add the onions, carrot, sprig of thyme and 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  Add 6 cups of water and bring it to a boil.  Reduce the heat and summer for 30 minutes.  Strain the broth, reserving the soup base.  Discard the vegetables.  If you do not have 4 1/2 cups of soup base, add some water.

In the meantime, heat a large cast iron skillet and melt the remaining butter. Cook the leeks over low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the leeks begin to brown.  Add the mushroom slices and cook them until they are golden brown for another 10 minutes.  Add the flour and cook for 1 minute whisking constantly.  Add the white wine, stirring continuously to loosen any remains from the bottom of your skillet.  Add the soup base, minced thyme, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the half and half and cream, parsley, season with salt and pepper and heat the soup through over low, but do not boil  Serve with crusty French bread.

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Spicy Turkey Meatballs

When I hear the words “Turkey Meatballs”, I think “Diet!”  These are NOT diet!  These are yummy yummy and yummy!  They contain ground turkey, Italian sausage, and prosciutto ham! Red pepper flakes along with Asiago Cheese, gives it a kick of spice.  The recipe is from one of my favorite cooks: Ina Garten,  also known as the Barefoot Contessa.  You can find the original recipe on food network.  She recommends Rao’s Spaghetti sauce.. I did find it, but I have to say it is pricey.  More pricey than I like to spend on a sauce (10/bottle), so I used a nice Barilla Tomato Sauce with Basil.  This makes a lot.  I froze about half the meatballs to use again on a day when I don’t feel like cooking (yes that does happen!) I will be making them again!

Turkey Meatballs

adapted from Ina Garten (foodtv.com)

Serves 10

Meatball Ingredients:

• 3 cups cubed quality rustic bread, crusts removed
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1/2 lb sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• 4 oz deli sliced prosciutto ham, finely chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
• 1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Other ingredients:

• 2 to 3 jars Spaghetti sauce like Barilla Tomato Basil Sauce, for serving
• 2 lbs dried spaghetti, cooked according to package directions, for serving
• grated Asiago (or Parmesan cheese), for serving

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Process the bread in a food processor to make breadcrumbs.  Add them back into your measuring bowl and add the milk and allow the crumbs to absorb the milk for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, use a fork to combine the turkey, Italian sausage, prosciutto, grated Asiago cheese (I processed it in the food processor after the bread), parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Add the breadcrumbs to the mixture and toss gently with a fork to keep the meat light, without pressing  down on the meat mixture.  Add the olive oil and eggs and toss gently to combine.

Using your hands, form 2 inch balls and place them on the parchment paper lined sheet pans.  Brush the meatballs with additional olive oil. Bake at 400 F for 35 minutes or until they are completely cooked through.

Add the meatballs to a large sauce pan and cover with your favorite spaghetti sauce.

Serve over cooked spaghetti and top each serving with additional grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.

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Crab Cakes and Remoulade Sauce

Recently, my daughter requested crab cakes for dinner.  I was actually surprised that she wanted them, I was sure it was salmon cakes she liked, but to be honest I was happy to oblige.  I like Crab Cakes.  When I think of crab cakes, I think East Coast, but as I live on the West Coast – I also think Disneyland Blue Bayou crab cakes.  They are good!  I found a nice recipe in one of my many cookbooks:  America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (page 281) I doubled the recipe because the recipe served 4 and we are a family of 5.  I took leftovers to a neighbor, who said the crab cakes rivaled those served in a fancy restaurant.  It made me smile.  This truly is a good recipe!  They make very large crab cakes though, so I probably would have been okay keeping the recipe at 4 servings and making the crab cakes slightly smaller.  I added a kick of creole seasoning (Konriko brand is my favorite seasoning, that is available through the internet).

Crab Cakes

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Family Cookbook

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs canned refrigerated backfin crab meat (Pacific Cove is an excellent brand)
• 6 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs
• 8 scallions, thinly sliced (green part only)
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (or cilantro, dill, or basil)
• 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 tsp Creole Seasoning (optional, but if not using increase Old Bay to 1 Tbsp)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2  eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup flour, or more as needed
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions:

In a large bowl, using a fork gently combine the crab meat, dry breadcrumbs,  scallions, parsley (or other spices), Old Bay Seasoning, Creole seasoning.

Add the mayonnaise and gently fold it into the crab meat.  Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper if necessary.  (If you are adding creole seasoning it may not need any and if you are not using it then increase the Old Bay seasoning to 1 Tbsp.)  Gently fold in the beaten eggs.  Add more breadcrumbs if necessary.  I used less than called for.

Divide the crab meat into 8 equal portions.  Gently form them into balls and flatten them slightly. They are quite large almost fist sized.  Cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and cool for 30 minutes or longer.

Heat 1/4″ canola oil in a non stick skillet, or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Remove the crab cakes from the refrigerator and lightly coat them in flour just before frying them in the oil.  Fry them until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side and remove them to a platter and keep warm while you finish cooking the remaining crab cakes.  Serve with lemon wedges and Spicy Remoulade Sauce if you wish.

Remoulade Sauce

adapted from: http://southernfood.about.com/od/saucerecipes/r/r90627b.htm

Yields: about 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped dill pickle
• 1 tsp finely chopped rinsed capers
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• dash Frank’s hot sauce, or to taste (I used about 3 tsp)
• salt, to taste

Preparation:

Combine the mayonnaise, chopped dill pickle, chopped capers, lemon juice, mustard, and parsley. Taste and add hot sauce and salt, until you like the taste of the sauce.

Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

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