Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Nutty Candy

Pistachio-Almond Brittle... appetizer? Dessert?

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms

It's earthy, it's comforting and it's light. Just what the proverbial doc ordered in the days leading up to Christmas. Especially here as we start Christmas Eve with a traditional Midwestern menu (and the Feast of the Seven Cheeses - what can I say - the Midwesterners don't do a lot of fish) for 40 people (lots of food and 4 generations under my roof - does it get any better?). Christmas Day continues to be an all Italian affair with as much food as the night before but for only 6 people.

It's a simple dish to enjoy between the two holidays, elegant for company and a balm for two grad students who just finished their finals. I found this in my mother's recipe file. Not sure where it is from but I love going through her files and picturing her talking to herself as she eyes the ingredients.
Recipe says this serve 8. Only as a first serving. I used more pasta and it served 5.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup diced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces mixed mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt - divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper - divided
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1-1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese
12 ounces pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) - I used 16 ounces
Chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, shallots and garlic to pan and saute about 3 minutes (till tender - I add the garlic the last minute). Add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes until mushrooms soften. Add white wine, Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 2 minutes until liquid evaporates. (I lowered the temp a bit.) Set aside.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until it thickens - whisking. Remove from heat. Add cheese, remaining salt and pepper; stir until smooth. Stir into mushroom mixture; keep warm.

3. Place 1 cup of pasta in shallow bowl and top with mushroom mixture. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve. Savor.

I don't have a huge sweet tooth (what I love about Italian cookies - is that they are not terribly cloying). But I saw this pistachio-almond candy in a long-ago Tastes of Italia and couldn't get it out of my head. I think when you see this - you won't be able to get it out of your head. And it's easy!

Almond Pistachio Candy

Ingredients
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped

Toast almonds in a large, dry skillet until just starting to brown. Remove and cool.

Spray a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan combine sugar, orange juice, honey and almond extract. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add nuts and cook for 8-10 minutes. You want a lovely golden color.

Poor mixture onto prepared baking sheet and smooth with a spatula until 1/4 inch thick. Chill. When completely cooled, break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 cups of brittle.

We can't keep Luce out of the tree. He was born in the woods and was happy to see the woods brought indoors. He makes it to the top, sleeps in it and wreaks havoc making merry. We anticipate an ornament-less tree come Christmas. And we smile. I wish you lots of smiles, the merriest Christmas, sparkle in the dark days and a New Year brimming with new possibilities, joys and love. I am grateful to be part of this extraordinary food blogging community and thank you for your support in 2012.

Peace, comfort and joy,
Claudia

Linguine and Thyme-Scented Mushrooms - Nigella Lawson

Something happens when you don't watch much TV - you remain clueless about people and things that the world is well versed in. I had heard of Nigella Lawson. I had gathered she was some sort of seductive cook? That she was famous for wrapping her lips around spoons for photographs.

What did I know? I have been amazed since I joined this group of dedicated bloggers working their way through Gourmet's Fifty Women Game-Changers in Food. I have been sequestered in my corner of the Italian cooking world and have paid little mind to new chefs, new faces and current "stars" in the cooking sphere.

Lawson was born to a wealthy and influential family (her father was a Chancellor in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet and her mother was an heiress, a socialite and renown beauty). The family moved a lot during Lawson's teen years and Lawson got into trouble at many of her schools.

"I was difficult, disruptive, good at school work but rude, I suspect and high-strung, she noted.

She did go on to graduate from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford with a degree in medieval and modern languages. There were many curves and detours to the career she has now. I won't list it all but you can find her biography here. Today, she is noted for her cookbooks How to Eat and How to be a Domestic Goddess (among her many) as well as her TV Series Nigella Bites. Compared to Delia Smith, Lawson's cookbooks were noted for being accessible, chatty and a bit cheeky - a definite change from the more matronly approach favored by the current British cooking icon!

I seem to be back with the mushrooms. This is the 3rd time in a row that I've chosen a mushroom recipe from the Gourmet Game-Changers! I am either in an earthy phase or a spore phase. At least I don't dream about them. Apparently, that is bad news.

I was interested in this dish because - more so than ever - my days call for ease and this had it. And it was noted that it could be dressed up for dinner with protein additions (shrimp, tofu, chicken) and except for the pasta - nothing else needed to be cooked! The mushrooms cook in the marinade. As another Gourmet Game Changer notes often, "How easy is that?"

I used it as a side dish because I have been known to eat my weight in pasta when it is the main deal. More so now that I am writing about the North Pole. I come down to dinner cold and in need of carbohydrates as if I spent hours on the ice (I wouldn't last five minutes - or maybe I would last if pasta was promised at the end of the day!)

Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushrooms - serves 6 as a side dish in a nomrla home and 4 in mine
(I changed amounts, find the original recipe here.)
16 ounces chestnut mushrooms - thinly sliced (I used a mix)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt (I used sea salt)
1 garlic clove minced (I used more)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves (I used more)
3/4 pound linguine
3/4 cup fresh, minced Italian parsley
2-3 tablespoons freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (I always use more)
freshly ground pepper - to taste

Combine first 6 ingredients. (I whisked the lemon juice into the olive oil first). I did this in the morning to allow the mushrooms to marinate and "cook." Lawson does this as she puts the water for the pasta on - do it as you choose. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain saving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Toss with the mushrooms mixture adding pasta water if it seems dry. Add the parsley and toss again. Add - or serve separately - the cheese and ground pepper. Serve.

You may of course skip the cheese and go vegan (but please not that I would never, ever skip a chance to play with Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is part of my DNA).

Please check out what the other bloggers are doing for Week 44 of Female Chef Gourmet Game Changers. And if you want to join in the fun, e-mail Mary at  One Perfect Bite. Mary started this delectable journey. 

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne - Eats Well With Others, Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed

Susan - The Spice Garden, Heather - girlichef,

Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette - Healthy Living, 

Mary - One Perfect Bite, Kathleen - Bake Away with Me

Sue - The View from Great Island, Barbara - Movable Feasts

Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds, 

Linda A - There and Back Again, 

Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen

Annie - Most Lovely Things, Alyce - More Time at the Table; Amrita- Beetle's Kitchen Escapades
Jill - Saucy Cooks, Sarah - Everything in the Kitchen Sink

Warm Mushroom Salad

Ina Garten is #39 on Gourmet's list of Women Game-Changers in Food. She is known for using fresh ingredients and de-mystifying recipes so that the average home cook can truly make them. Her circular path to the top of the Food Empire is well-known. She spent years in Washington D.C. as a White House Nuclear Policy Analyst. Somewhere along the way there was a seemingly impulse buy of the Barefoot Contesssa (A gourmet food store) in the Hamptons. (This is one smart woman - not sure how much of an "impulse buy" this truly was!) The Barefoot Contessa led the way to creating recipes for her store. She was mentored by such luminaries as Eli Zabar (from Eli's Manhattan in NYC) and Martha Stewart. Cooking and catering led to cookbooks. Cookbooks led to a cooking show and Garten remains on the map as a mover and a shaker in the food world.

(Ina Garten at a book signing in Chapel Hill, NC 2006; photo from Wikipedia)

I own two of her cookbooks. My husband's side of the family is - numerous! When I have a family gathering 40-45 people of all generations will show up.That is not the time to try out your 12-step recipe! I have found  her recipes add elegance to the proceedings and her food is packed with flavor - because the woman is not afraid of using fat!

It's been written that the ease and success of her recipes is because she is very careful to have the recipes tested by others again and again before she publishes them. I chose Garten's Warm Mushroom Salad from Barefoot in Paris. In the opening paragraph, Garten admits, "It's Italian!"

Mushrooms - you love them or you hate them (especially if you are a child). In this recipe - you love them. There's an early spring brewing around the country. Although in Minnesota - we are skeptical.

"Does this mean it will snow for 8 months next year," asks my daughter.

"Does this mean we will have 100-degree weather all summer," I muse.

A smart person would tell us to turn off our thoughts, get outside and enjoy the early warmth. Think of this March as a gift - instead of worrying what Mother Nature in Minnesota is really planning!

The warm mushroom salad is indeed perfect for spring - it's fresh, a tad meaty (and you can certainly omit the prosciutto to make it vegetarian; all right - you want vegan? Eliminate the cheese, too!) Garten suggested cremini mushrooms for this - I used a mushroom blend. Portobello mushrooms would also be delicious in this. It's hearty enough for a proper lunch. And if I had leftovers - I would be nibbling this for breakfast.

Ina Garten's Warm Mushroom Salad - serves 4
16 ounces cremini mushrooms, wiped clean (use your favorites)
2 tablespoons butter (I used Earth balance and I used less)
4 tablespoons olive oil - divided (I used less)
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked pepper
4 bunches (I used 4 cups) fresh arugula - cleaned
8 slices good Italian prosciutto (I used 4)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (I used a little less but oh do love sherry vinegar!)
Chunk of Parmesan cheese for shaving
8 sun-dried tomatoes - drained and cut into slivers
Italian parsley for scattering

Clean mushrooms by brushing them with a sponge - do not wash or immerse in water. Remove stems and save for another use (I just used them.) Slice the caps 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When all is bubbly add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute 5 minutes over medium heat - stirring.  Lower the heat and saute another 2-3 minutes until cooked.

Arrange arugula on plates - 1 cup for each plate. Drape your prosciutto over the arugula. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the sherry vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir. Spoon the warm mushrooms on top of the arugula and prosciutto. With a vegetable peeler, shave parmesan on top of all. Sprinkle Italian parsley and sun-dried tomatoes about. Finish with a bit more of the salt and pepper. Serve.

It's perfect. It's spring. It's robins in my backyard, ducks in my front yard and geese flying overhead.

Please check out what the other bloggers are doing for Week 39 of Female Chef Gourmet Game Changers. And if you want to join in the fun, e-mail Mary at  One Perfect Bite. Mary started this delectable journey. 

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne - Eats Well With Others, Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed

Susan - The Spice Garden, Heather - girlichef,

Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette - Healthy Living, 

Mary - One Perfect Bite, Kathleen - Bake Away with Me

Sue - The View from Great Island, Barbara - Movable Feasts

Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds, 

Linda A - There and Back Again, 

Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen

Annie - Most Lovely Things, Alyce - More Time at the Table; Amrita- Beetle's Kitchen Escapades

A Tale of Ugly Food

It's not p.c. to say flat out in public, "This is ugly." But you know - it is. It just is. It is possibly the ugliest appetizer I have ever made. Next time, I shall have to disguise them in pillows of cotton in the same way I disguised my ugly drawings in grade school. Even if I spread them around a gorgeous dish of mixed greens, they would still be ugly.
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But - they're tasty. Maybe I can only make them for family members who still trust me and close, really-close, extremely-close friends. I don't know the future of the recipe - I only know it was tasty enough that my husband asked me what sort of meat I used. When my husband is eating mushrooms and thinks its meat - that usually means pretty tasty.
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In another lifetime - (this would be my actress days when I stopped waitressing and was typing in an engineering office - oh - you do get the picture... how I never speak about my "acting" jobs ...) - anyway - in my past, I was inspired to make chocolate truffles. I don't know why - I saw a recipe and thought, "I could do that." Well. No. I couldn't. I mean - it tasted really good and I had the nerve to bring a platter of them to all the engineers I worked for and stepped aside to listen to the critiques. Some remarks were not G or PG rated and since I write for children, I shall not dwell on the exact words - you can imagine. But by the end of the day, all the truffles were eaten. By the end of the year, I married one of the engineers.
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Ugly food can win hearts.



An hour ago, I made fifteen of these little tartlets - filled with mushroom mousse. My husband, daughter and I are the only ones around today. My daughter (just before she popped one in her mouth) mentioned, "I'm not going to lie to you. These look disgusting." Well, there are two left.
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In the interest of being politically correct and standing up for ugly food - below is the recipe. It is from Tastes of Italia.
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MUSHROOM MOUSSE TARTLETS
You need: (Serves 6 - or in my case - 3)
8 oz mushroom
1/2 medium onion
2 T olive oil
2 T Italian parsley
1 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 package of frozen phyllo dough tarts (15 to a package)
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Coarsely chop the mushrooms and onions. Heat the olive oil to medium high and add mushrooms and onion. Salt and pepper the mixture. Cook till browned - about ten minutes.
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Cool. Transfer to food processor. Add butter and parsley. Pulse till the mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Fill tart shells.
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Note: They tell you to fill a pastry bag to pipe it into the shells. I didn't. I saw their photo - it was still ugly. They also tell you to serve it a room temperature - which I did. Tasty - but I think next time (see, I am thinking of next time), I will warm them briefly in a 250 degree F oven.
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Anyway, ugliness is in the eye of the beholder.

When Simple is Just Enough - Aunt Fay's Mushrooms

Aunt Fay was fiercely devoted to her home. According to Aunt Fay, there were two careers open for women: teacher and nurse. In both cases, these were careers that gave you enough flexibility to keep a proper home and raise a family. Then the 60's and 70's came and the world whirled. Teen adolescents could dream of being anything. But Aunt Fay was adamant. You want work that allows for family. Aunt Fay claimed to want the simple life and I believe she did. She never veered from her childhood home. She visited Italy because her husband's family still lived there. But she was never going to winter in Vegas or Florida or Arizona. She liked being home. I was touched when she made the trip to Minnesota for my wedding. (Pictured below: Aunt Fay in pink, then that force of nature - my Aunt Rose and then my Aunt Annette.) Aunt Fay was not a traveller.

When I visited New York with husband and kids in tow, there were appetizers, dinner, wine and she invited the family for a huge dinner so I could see everyone at once. When I awoke in the morning, she had already done her 30 minutes on the bicycle in the basement, scrubbed the floors on her hands and knees and had the laundry going. And she was in her 80's! She was prepared with brown coffee or black and some morning biscuits were always nearby.

Nobody could accuse her of being "easy going." She was capable of holding a leg-of-lamb (perfectly cooked) over the garbage can - threatening to throw away Easter dinner because someone was late and the lamb was now too well done to serve.

When, my family had arranged to go down the block to visit Aunt Rose for a night, Aunt Fay wouldn't hear of it. We had already dirtied two sets of sheets. Did it make sense to go two blocks away and dirty two more sets?

Growing up, when she uttered the exclamation heard in many Italian families, "If you do that again, I'll cut your heart out!" - you believed her. And someday, I will relate the Easter "mutton" story.

It is a wonder then that she supported my career choice of "actress" and never did refer to it as "one step off of the street." She was hugely indignant when she found out an actress in her favorite soap opera who was playing an Italian woman - wasn't Italian! She insisted I go straight to the casting director and offer them my services because at least I was Italian! She was sure the other actress would be instantly fired and they would recast with me.

That's the support you get in an Italian family. We may (and do!) war at each other and get our noses out of joint, hold a leg of lamb over the garbage pail, throw out flowers and complain about dirty sheets, but when it comes time for the world to take a peek at us - we present a united front.

Last New Years when I was in New York with my family, my cousin made some stuffed mushrooms - Aunt Fay's recipe. My daughter - who is adept at picking mushrooms out of appetizers, soups, salads, etc. had ten!



They're not gorgeous and they're really basic - simple - but most importantly they're really, really tasty.

I asked my cousin for the recipe - and I got the typical answer: onions, breadcrumbs, olive oil, mushrooms - do it to taste. And mince the onion really fine (mine are never as fine as Aunt Fay's) - you can see some gawky strips sticking up this way and that - they are my errant, dishevelled mushrooms - but they always get eaten. The lamb may hover close to a garbage can. The mushrooms never do.

So without further ado: a typical Italian recipe:

Wipe some button mushrooms with a paper towel. Take out the stems. Chop "some" of them and put in a bowl. Add "some" bread crumbs. Add "some" minced onion - chopped very, very, very, very, fine. Ignore my picture and chop them finer. Add "some" oil - just moisten. Stuff the mushrooms. Bake in 350-400 F until they are cooked. (You'll know when they're cooked. You have to - because that's all the directions I ever had.) And you know what - you do know.

I've done sausage stuffed mushrooms. Sometimes I add cheese, garlic, Italian parsley. I change at whim. But there are times when you just want the vegetable, some bread and some oil - the simple stuff. And people gravitate to it. I'll make them for my family on a snowy Sunday - just because. Or I'll turn out a whole tray at a family gathering. I've never had to throw one out. Simple always works.