Egg Drop Soup with Mushroom Broth

My first soup for the fall season. Yippy!! The weather yesterday in L.A. was great and I hope that it lasts quite a while. So to make use of the lovely weather I decided soup was the way to go. I still had the broth from the dried mushrooms when I cooked up the Wild Mushroom Fried Rice. I went for something relatively simple. I didn't want to spend too much time fussing over having to chop any veggies or having to go out and get any special ingredient.

One of my favorite soups is egg drop soup. Usually found at many Chinese restaurants. I had made it before on this blog, I kicked it up a notch a little -- at least in my bowl -- with a little sriracha. Give it a little spicy hotness with a corn a mushroom taste. It's perfect as a light meal with maybe a dinner roll or two because I love to dip breads and crackers into soups sometimes. And having looked at the weather for the coming week, I have a feeling I'll be having myself some more soups in the days to come. Yay!

Serves 3-4

Egg Drop Soup in Mushroom Broth

5 c Mushroom Broth
1 12oz can cream style corn
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved 1Tbsp water
2 eggs - lightly beaten in a small bowl
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 scallion - chopped
1 c shredded cooked chicken - optional
1 Tbsp sriracha - optional

Note: to make homemade mushroom broth. You'll need 1-1 1/2 cup mushroom fresh pieces or dried and let it soak for 15-30 minutes in 5 cups boiling water. Separate the mushroom from broth.

Bring the broth to a boil in a small pot. Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer. Slowly add the egg while stirring the broth continuously. Once all the eggs has been cooked add the cream style corn, scallion and optional chicken. Season with the salt and pepper.

Let the mixture simmer for a minute or two before add the diluted corn starch. The soup will slightly thicken. Then finally add the optional sriracha. Bring the heat up a little to a medium high and bring to a slight boil.

Serve hot or warm.

Egg Drop Soup

WIld Mushroom Orzo

This is what I created with the other two mushrooms. I had the porcini and matsutake left and this one I made a another simple easy dish. I used the broth that was made after dehydrating this as the base. It's sort of reminiscent of risotto. I have made something similar before and I have found orzo to be of great use. I think it's become of my favorite pastas.

Serves 2

Wild Mushroom Orzo

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 oz dried matsutake mushrooms
1 c uncooked orzo
1 large beefy tomato - seeded and chopped
1 large garlic cloves - minced
3 c water -- for stock
2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
1 Tbsp Ponzu sauce
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/2 tsp dry oregano


First rehydrate the mushrooms. Do do so in a small pot, boil the water. Once boiling, turn off the heat and place the dried mushrooms in the water. Soak the mushrooms for 30 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Do not throw away water, you will use the mushroom stock to cook the orzo.

Heat a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomato and saute until it is slightly cooked down. Add the mushrooms and the orzo and stir occasionally. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the mushroom stock and and stir. do this until you have added all the stock. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes until the stock as been fully absorbed and the orzo is cooked.

The add the oyster sauce, ponzu and soy sauce. Stir in the dry thyme and oregano stir to fully combine. Then season with the pepper.

It should be a slightly creamy consistency. Serve warm.

Pinoy Style Wild Mushroom Fried Rice

Since I wasn't able to join in on the Food Blog Challenge, which has some amazing participants. I did the next best thing. I enter myself in a Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge from Marx Foods. I wasn't always a lover of mushrooms. As a child, I always thought of them as "icky" knowing the fact that they were a fungi. Though, I know better now and love them like Mario loves them to to grow into Super Mario. (That was a Super Marios Bros reference, if you didn't get it) I like learning of the different varieties too. In which I had no idea there were to many aside from the onces found on your supermarket shelves.

I've been saying for the past several weeks how I wanted to start cooking again. Though, due to time constraints and work that made it a little difficult for me to do. So when I received word of the challenge I figured why not. This was my chance to get back in the kitchen. Grabbing the opportunity while it was there.

So, I received a little 1/2oz  package sampler of dried mushrooms that are currently in season. Morel, Matsutake, Black Trumpet, Lobster and Porcini. The smell of them when you open the box was just awesome.

Participants can use some or all the mushroom and create a dish and must be posted by October 11th. I'm posting mine today. Then the folks at Marx Foods will open it up to voting for you lovely awesome interweb friends of mine to choose which recipe you like best. You will vote for mine...right? Winner receives 3 shipments of fresh wild mushrooms. Can you imagine the mushroom dishes one can make with that????? Seriously...think about it. Mmmm...

So on to my entry into the Mushroom Recipe Challenge. I used the morel, lobster and black trumpet mushrooms for this. I'm reaching into my Filipno roots for this one. And cooked up a simple, yet delicious Pinoy Style Wild Mushroom Fried Rice. 


Thanks again to Marx Foods!!


Serves 3

Pinoy Style Wild Mushroom Fried Rice.

1/2 oz dried morel mushroom
1/2 oz dried black trumpet mushrooms
1/2 oz dried Lobster mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves - fine shopped
1 Tbsp margarine
extra virgin olive oil
3 c cooked white rice
1 tsp garlic salt
water

Note: leftover rice is also okay.

Bring a small post of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add all three dried mushrooms. This is to rehydrate them. Let them soak for about 15-30 minutes, then drain. Give the mushrooms a nice rough chop. (bite size pieces) You can save the broth and use it for soup or a different dish.

In a non-stick skillet heat some olive oil -- Enough to coat the pan. Cook the garlic until slightly brown, then add the mushroom. Saute then for roughly 2-3 minutes. Add the margarine.

Once all the margarine has melted, add the rice. Be sure to stir and toss constantly to break the rice apart also to keep it from sticking to the pan. Add in the garlic salt and stir again to fully combine.

Serve warm.

Cream Cheese and Mushroom Tartlettes

Appetizer #2 for Stir It 28. These little guys went quick. I barely got out of the kitchen and half was already gone! This one is pretty simple and easy to make. It's almost the same as my cream cheese and mushroom puffs, but in bite sized form. I did tweak the recipe up a bit. The cups are made from phyllos dough. No, I didn't make those. I got the premade ready to eat ones from Whole Foods. I was tempted at making them from scratch since I did make the paprika tortilla chips myself, but I've had fairly mixed experiences with working with phyllo dough sheets and being in a bit of a time crunch I couldn't afford to futz around in the kitchen too much. I'll let someone else do that work for me.

The mushrooms and onion were simply sauteed and slightly cooled before mixing in the cream cheese. I chilled it for half hour before stuffing them into the phyllo cups.

Makes 38 tartlettes

Cream Cheese and Mushroom Tartlettes

8oz white mushroom - chopped
1/2 small sweet onion - chopped
1 1/2 oz cream cheese
38 Phyllo cups
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat a tiny drizzle of oil. Saute the onion and mushrooms. The onions should look translucent. Season with a little salt and pepper. Transfer for a bowl and drain out the juices. Let it cool for 10 minutes before adding the cream cheese. Mix together thoroughly.

Let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then scoop into the individual phyllo cups.

These can be served at room temp.

 

 

Mushroom Jalapeño Pita Sammies

An easy sammie only takes minutes to make. I was pretty much in a jam to make something as I wasn't feeling like my usual self. Maybe it was because I was hungry. Yeah, that's usually the case.  I took it upon myself to make a quickie sandwich. I had some mushroom leftover from the Roasted Eggplant and Mushroom Soup, so I got that out along with some plain Greek yogurt I needed to use up. If you remember my mushroom croquettes, it's a bit similar to that. I combined them with the yogurt along with freshly roasted jalapeño peppers and I was good to go. I used my George Foreman grill to heat it up and give it a little press. That's optional. You can eat it straight up as the mushroom are still warm after the saute.

I have to admit that it was an interestingly odd combination. But I like it. Mushroom and peppers. They go well together.

Serve 1-2



Roasted Jalapeño and Mushroom Pita Sandwich

1 c sliced white mushrooms
2 large jalapeños (or peppers of your choice)
2-3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 pita bread (divided in half)

Note: you can use the canned roasted peppers, if you don't feel like roasting your own.

Preheat your broiler.

Place the jalapeño peppers on a baking sheet and roast the until the skins have blackened. Give the peppers flip to roast the other side.

Let the peppers cool and gently remove the skin and the seeds, if you don't want the heat. Shred the peppers into pieces. Set aside.

In a pan, saute the mushrooms in some olive oil until until tender and slightly darkened. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove the mushroom from the pan and mix in the yogurt and add the shredded pepper.

Mix together then take a couple spoonfuls and stuff it into the pita bread.

You may heat the pita bread for a few minutes in a 350˚F oven and wrapped in foil

Enjoy!

Chicken Stroganoff

I've always want to try beef stroganoff. Searching through the interweb, I found this simple recipe from Simply Recipes. Although, as much as I wanted to eat beef, I replaced it with sliced chicken breast. I had gotten a jumbo 10lb bag from Costco. Gotta love it!

This dish is made with sour cream, but you can use yogurt as a substitute. I wanted criminis, yet sadly the Ralphs near my house didn't have any. *tear drop* So my only choice was sliced white mushrooms. It still tasted great. Note to self: Next time, make it with some beef strips.

I served it over some whole grain penne from Barilla. But you can choose whatever pasta you want. Usually it's served over egg noodles.


Serves 2



Chicken Stroganoff
adapted from Beef Stroganoff from Simply Recipes.

1 large chicken breast
1/2 medium Sweet Onion (diced)
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp dry oregano
4-5 Tbsp Sour Cream or plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves (minced)
8 oz (2 c) White or Crimini Mushrooms (sliced)
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Cut the chicken breast into 1/2-inch strips. Season both sides with salt, pepper and paprika.

Heat the oil and melt 2 Tbsp of the butter in a skillet on a medium flame. Cook the chicken slices for 2-3 min on each side.

Remove from the skillet and let it rest for 2-3 min, covered loosely with foil.

In the same skillet, melt the other 2 Tbsp butter. Then saute garlic and onions until tender. Add in the mushroom and cook until they are slightly darker in color. Stir constantly. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Then add in the sour cream. Combine thoroughly. Feel free to add in more, if needed. It should look like a thick sauce.

Pour over or mix in your favorite pasta.

Grilled meat, potatoes and shrooms

First, a little reminder about the BSI challenge with this week's ingredient of choice Bell Pepper. You've got until Sunday night to enter. (here)

-----------------------------------



Ever since I brought out my George Foreman grill from obscurity, I've been itching to grill more and more. With summer just around the corner, I'm trying to find any excuse to take it out.

So, meat and potatoes with little shrooms. Can't beat that combination. A good ol' fashioned steak. Well, a couple of filet mignon cuts for me. It was the only cut of meat that screamed out to me when I was in the market. I'm no meat aficionado, I'm used to a few cuts like tri-tip, rib-eye, and prime rib, just to name a few. What part of the cow they come from, don't ask me. I'd probably give you the wrong answer. Anyway, I haven't grilled in a LONG time, so I'm slowly, but surely, getting my footing again.

I usually like my steaks medium or medium-well. Depending if I'm eating out. On this day, I went for medium. A simple seasoning of only salt and pepper on the filet mignon before grilling as I made a dijon sauce to go with this. I don't want to over power the meat with too many flavors by marinating it or putting a rub. Spoon some of the sauce over it or on the side. Tastes great with the juices of the meat. It gives it a nice little twang.

This will serve 2.



Filet Mignon with Grilled Herbs Potatoes and Baby Portobellos With a Dijon Sauce

2 1" thick cuts Filet Mignon
12 Baby portobello mushrooms
6 Baby yellow potatoes (quartered)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Dry Basil
1 Tbsp Dry Oregano
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your grill.

Toss the quartered potatoes and baby portabellos in a long drizzle of olive oil, dry basil and dry oregano. Season with a little salt and pepper.

When your grill is hot, place the potatoes and the mushrooms.

Grill the mushrooms roughly 3-5 minutes per side.

There are two way to grill sliced potatoes that I know of:
1. place them directly on the grill for 20 min. 10 min per side.
2. parboil them first. Cuts the time in half. Make sure you drain them well before adding any
seasonings. Cook for 5-10 min per side.

If you've got room on the grill, start your filet mignon.

For outdoor grills, Sear them first for 3-4 minutes on both sides on direct heat with lid closed, if you're using an outdoor grill. Then cook for another 2-4 minutes on indirect heat until done to your liking (2-4 min for medium)

If using an indoor grill, roughly 5-10 min per side depending on your preference.

Remove the filet mignon and let the meat rest at least 5 min. This goes for any meat that you cook. It will redistribute the juices inside.

Serve with some of the grilled mushrooms and potatoes. And spoon over some Dijon Sauce.


Dijon Sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry thyme
1 Large garlic clove (minced)
pepper

Combine all ingredients together. Stir until brown sugar has fully dissolved. Season with a little pepper.

Mushroom Croquettes

Fun little appetizers, starter or snack. I was about to try making something with mushroom and pureed squash, but my brain wasn't up for making any type of sophisticated recipe. Rather than using an egg as a binding agent I used some Greek yogurt as well as serving this with a yogurt dip. I received a couple of coupons in the mail from Stoneyfield Farm Organic for their Oikos Greek Organic Yogurt.

I don't usually use yogurt for cooking I usually just eat it with some granola for breakfast or snack. So, I decided to give it a try, buying one 5oz cup. I used half in the mushroom mix and the other half for a dip. This would be good also with sour cream, if you'd prefer. It's pretty good. I have a couple more coupons, so I'll be using those soon.

from oikosorganic.com

This will make 6-8 croquettes. I had made 8, but you only see six in the picture because I had eaten two. I have to try it out just to make sure it's blog-worthy, right?


Mushroom Croquettes

2 Large Portabello mushroom caps (chopped)
Salt
pepper
paprika
3 oz sour cream or yogurt
1 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus extra)
Panko crumbs

In a pan, melt the butter and heat the oil. Saute the mushroom until they darker in color and tender. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Roughly 5-8min on medium heat.

Remove from heat and let it cool completely. Then mix in the sour cream or yogurt. Form into balls or whatever shape you'd like and coat completely with panko crumbs.

Heat some oil in another pan. Pan-fry the balls 2-3min each side. It will have a nice crispy crust on the outside and tender and flavorful on the inside. Place on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.


Garlic Herb Yogurt Dip

4 Tbsp yogurt of choice
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Parsley
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Combine ingredients together.

Mushroom Casserole

Every writer's worst nightmare is having writer's block. I've felt my groove had been misplaced for quite a while. That's what happens when life kicks you in the behind. Luckily, I've recently gotten my groove back and have crazily been trying to hammer out the ideas I have in my head before it loses its luster. In my immense concentration in trying to get this get a script written, I lose track of time. Before I know it, it's dinner time. I scramble for an idea for a meal.

To add on to it, the inside of my fridge is a sad sight. It was yelling out at me to "feed it" with stuff. Poor fridge. How I neglect it sometimes. But I do reward it with luscious produce every week from the farmer's market. It all works out.

I took stock with what I had around the kitchen. Some ramen packets, sliced portabello mushrooms, a can of cream of mushroom soup. Poof...Pow...Dinner! (Just imagine that in those comic book graphics)

With a full stomach, I happily went back to my writing.


Mushroom Casserole

2 ramen packets (minus seasoning packets)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 large portabello mushroom caps (diced)
salt & pepper to season
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven 350˚F

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season liberally with salt and place in the ramen noodles. Cook for 5-10 min and drain.

In a pan, heat the oil and butter together. Saute the mushroom until they are tender and slightly darker. Season with some salt and pepper. Add in the cream of mushroom soup and mix well for 2 min. Turn off the heat, then mix in the ramen noodles.

Place the mixture into a casserole and bake for 20-25 min. Sprinkle some dry parsley for garnish.

Poof...Pow...Dinner!

Cream Cheese Mushroom Puffs

So here's what I did with the other half of those white sliced mushrooms I had bought a few days ago. I had another roll of the Pillsbury dough sheet in the fridge, so I figured why not a little party appetizers for a small group. You can also use puff pastry, if you can't find the flaky dough sheet. Some markets usually don't stock all products of a certain brand, which can be a headache sometimes.

I tried sealing them up like little dim sum dumplings, but the dough was being uncooperative with me that day. Some opened up during baking, some remained sealed. But I must admit, I liked how they turned out.

I may enter this into the Pillsbury bake-off competition along with the pesto pockets I'm working on. (Pesto Pockets) I've got a week to decide. This will roughly make 8-10 Depending how many squares you want to make. It's definitely flexible.


Cream Cheese Mushroom puffs.

2 oz cream cheese (around 4 Tbsp)
12 small white mushroom - diced (or which ever mushroom you prefer)
1/2 medium onion - diced
1 can Pillsbury Creations dough sheet or 1 sheet puff pastry
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Butter or margarine


In a saute pan, heat oil and melt butter on a medium to low. Sweat onions when butter is nearly melted. You'd want them to have a nice soft and floppy texture to them. Then add the mushrooms. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5min.

Place the mushrooms in a small bowl and add in the cream cheese. Mix to combine well. It'll make it into creamy mix.

Cut the dough sheet in 8 to 10 square pieces. Place a teaspoon of the mushroom mix at the center of each square. Bring the corners together and crimp the edges to seal.

Place the puffs on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15min or until crust is golden brown.


Eat one, you'll have to have another.

Shroomwich

I had bought some pre-sliced white mushrooms the other day from Whole Foods and wondered what I can make with them. I had some cheese and pan de sal (filipino bread). The easiest thing I could think of was a sandwich. Plus, I was pretty tired from the day. I only used half of the package and it made about two sandwiches.



Shroomwich


1/2 medium onion - sliced
2 cups sliced white mushroom - rough estimate (or any mushroom you prefer)
salt & pepper to season
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter or margarine
Swiss cheese slices
Bread of choice


In a saute pan, heat oil and melt butter on a medium to low. Sweat onions when butter is nearly melted. You'd want them to have a nice soft and floppy texture to them. Then add the mushrooms. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5.

Preheat oven to 350˚F and toast one slice of the bread for 5 min on a baking sheet or a piece of foil. When the bread is toasted, place a nice helping mushroom on it then a slice of swiss. Place back into the oven and toast the top piece of bread as well for 5-10 or until cheese is nice and melted.