IF YOU GO INTO THE WOODS TODAY...

     ...you'll be in for a big surprise. Well that is, if you happen upon a patch of wild chanterelles. Every summer around this time, I keep my eye on a very special spot in the forest near my house because I know chanterelles grow there. If I don't get there in time, the slugs will have started eating them. It seems the mushrooms appear after a nice succession of rainy days, which we certainly had last week. This is the first year I've gathered mushrooms at what appeared to be their peak moment.

     When I still lived in the city I would buy wild chanterelles from a man at the Farmer's Market. It was always a treat to walk by his stand and see the rows of brown paper bags full of wild mushrooms. I must admit though, the thrill of finding them in the forest is even better. Anyway, my favourite way to eat chanterelles is sautéed with onions in salty butter, and served on homemade pasta. Topped with lots of cheese of course. Unfortunately, I just wasn't up for making pasta yesterday - as much as I wanted to so I could film the whole process to share with you - so I made a batch of polenta instead. I know, what a let down. That's alright, there's always next year.

ENOKI ROLLS

As you can probably see, I am still addicted to the Real Women of Philadelphia contest.  But the contest is over now so I can be honest and recommend you actually use goat cheese or organic cream cheese....

Enoki rolls are delicious and elegant appetizers to serve to your guests this spring. Thin slices of prosciutto enclose creamy cheesy creminis, chives, and crunchy enoki mushrooms. A "must try" recipe, you won't be disappointed!

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• |
• Cook time: 5 minutes
• |
• Total time: 15 minutes
• |
• Servings: 16

• 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup(s) of minced shallots
• 1/2 pound(s) of fresh cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped
• 1 tbsp. of brandy
• 2 tsp. of fresh lemon juice
• 8 ounce(s) of organic goat cheese (chevre) or organic cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tbsp. of minced fresh chives
• 1/2 tsp. of sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
• 12 slices Italian prosciuotto, each cut into 4 rectangles
• 1/2 pound(s) of fresh enoki mushrooms
• 32 2" pieces of fresh chives

Steps

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the olive oil, shallots, and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are nicely browned and soft.
3. Add the brandy and lemon juice, and stir until the liquid is absorbed, about a minute.
4. Remove from heat and spoon into the bowl of a food processor.
5. Process until the mushrooms are finely chopped. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape down the sided of the bowl.
6. Blend together the cream cheese and chives with an electric mixer.
7. Stir in the mushrooms, sea salt, and pepper.
8. At this point you can refrigerate the mix until you are ready to assemble the rolls, or you can proceed to the next step.
9. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese blend onto a piece of the prosciutto. Lay a few of the enoki mushroom on the end closest to you, along with a few chives.
10. Ensure that the chives and mushrooms stick out on either end for visual appeal, then roll them up tightly in the prosciutto.
11. Arrange on a serving dish with grated lemon zest and chopped chives around the edge of the plate.

BIRTHDAY DINNER

My son is two years old today.  I didn't know I was making a special meal until we sat down and realized just how lovely it was.   It is such a joy preparing food for my family.  Happy Birthday Faegan, here's to many, many more delicious meals together!

BROILED HADDOCK with Mushrooms and Thyme

1 pound hook and line haddock fillets

1 pound organic mushrooms

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 Tbsp Tom's Spice (available from my Etsy Shop)

Method:  Preheat oven to 450*.  In a cast iron skillet, toss the mushrooms with half the olive oil, thyme, and 2 tsp of Tom's Spice.  Roast for about 10 minutes.

     Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the fish, season with the rest of Tom's Spice.  Pile the fish onto the mushrooms and roast for 10 minutes. 

 

HORSERADISH MASHED POTATOES

5 organic potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 pieces

sea salt and pepper

1/2 cup organic whole milk

3 Tbsp organic salted butter

1 heaping Tbsp natural horseradish (I like Bubbies)

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:  Bring potatoes to a boil.  Cook until very tender, drain and then add the remaining ingredients.  Mash until creamy.

SPINACH SALAD with Leftover Easter Eggs, Spring Sprouts and Walnuts

3/4 pound organic spinach

1/2 cup organic sprouts

1/2 cup organic raw walnuts

3 organic boiled eggs

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp organic Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

2 tsp local honey

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:  Whisk the vinegar, mustard, olive oil and honey together in a bowl.  Drizzle over the salad.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIZZA

Today was the last day of local butternut squash for us.  To honour this special day I sent the squash out with a bang by creating a very lovely and tasty pizza with it.  It tasted really great for breakfast, but you can make it anytime at all (in season of course).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIZZA with Gouda, Mushrooms and Fresh Thyme

1 organic whole wheat pizza dough (http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/10/pizza-night.html)

1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and grated

1/2 cup organic gouda, grated

1/2 cup organic mozzarella, grated

1 cup sliced organic mushrooms

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, removed from stems or dried thyme

1/2 cup organic pizza sauce

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method: Preheat oven to 450*.  Spread the pizza dough out into a greased cast iron skillet.  Top with the tomato sauce, some of the cheese, then the squash, mushrooms, the rest of the cheese and then sprinkle with thyme, sea salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Breakfast for Dinner

Had a wonderful jolt of inspiration this evening over breakfast for dinner tonight.  When my mother gets home she is going to be a regular contributor to this blog!  It is so brilliant because my mother is a phenomenal culinary artist.  Everything she makes not only tastes incredibly good, it looks like art (did I mention my mom is an artist?)  Anyway, so look forward to some amazing recipes by Ellen in the very near future.  

     Mom won't be here this weekend for our regular Sunday brunch extravaganza, so I decided we would have breakfast for dinner tonight.  This was the perfect time to try out a recipe I noticed while flipping through Martha's Everyday Food mag the other day called Skillet Potato Cake.  It is an amazingly crispy yummy potato dish that is a recipe definitely worth making again and again.  

     Ted Hutten at the Halifax Farmer's Market was working magic this winter while the rest of us hibernated.  He magically has spinach this early in the season, so I decided to use it to make a Spinach Mushroom Fritatta.  And no breakfast is complete without some Getaway Farms real bacon and sausage....

SKILLET POTATO CAKE (modified from MS Everyday Food)

2 pounds organic baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

3 Tbsp organic butter

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

3 scallions or 1/2 organic onion and chives

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Preheat oven to 425*.  Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10 mins or until tender.  Drain.

     In a 10" cast iron skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat.  Stir in the potatoes, onions, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  With the back of a large spoon, press the potatoes into the pan, crushing them slightly.

     Bake the potato cake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 mins.  Loosen the cake with a spatula if needed.  Cover the pan with a plate, flip over and remove from pan.

LOCAL SPINACH AND MUSHROOM FRITATTA

6 organic eggs

1/4 cup organic whole milk

8 organic mushrooms, sliced

1/2 organic onion, chopped

1/4 cup garlic chives, minced

2 Tbsp leftover bacon grease or olive oil and butter

sea salt and pepper

1 bag Ted Hutten's local spinach (around 4 cups fresh)

1/2 cup organic swiss cheese

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  Heat the bacon fat in a 12 inch cast iron skillet and fry the mushrooms and onion/chives until golden brown.  Remove from heat.  At the same time place all the spinach in a covered pot over medium heat until the spinach wilts.  Drain in a colander, pressing out the excess water.  Chop the spinach.  Add spinach to the pan with mushrooms.

     In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and some sea salt and pepper.  Pour on top of the mushroom mix.  Top with grated cheese.  Place in oven for about 15 mins or until the egg has set and puffs up a bit.

Creamy Mushroom Rotini

I planned ahead and made sure that I bought enough mushrooms from the Farmer's Market for my turkey stuffing.  But then I made this pasta and used them all up.  I thought I was pretty much ready for the grand feast, but it looks like we need to make ONE more trip to the supermarket!

     The photo was taken long before I coated it with a massive layer of grated romano cheese.  Be sure to remember to add cheese before you serve.

  In the spring I made a small batch of Dandelion Wine from the lovely flowers that grow in our yard.  It takes 6 months to ferment and I opened a bottle this weekend.  I like it!  I used up what was left in this pasta.

CREAMY MUSHROOM PASTA with Spinach and Bacon if you're not a vegetarian 

1/4 pound organic bacon, chopped into little pieces

4 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 pound organic mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp fresh organic thyme or 2 tsp dried

sea salt and pepper

3 Tbsp organic unbleached white flour

1/2 cup organic white wine 

1 cup organic chicken stock or veg stock

1/2 cup organic whole or half and half cream

2 cups organic fresh or some frozen chopped spinach

grated fresh romano cheese

1/2  pound organic kamut rotini

1/2 pound organic rotini

Method: Bring a huge pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.  

     As this cooks, heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and onion.  Fry for 1 minute then add the mushrooms .  Sprinkle with the thyme and cook mushrooms, stirring for about 5 minutes.  Then add salt and pepper to taste, and the flour.  Stir and cook for about 3 minutes.  Whisk in the wine and and cook for about a minute, stirring.  Then whisk in the stock, cooking for about a minute until it starts to thicken.  Add the cream and cook on low for about 5 minutes.  When done, stir in the spinach and serve.

GNOCCHI

Whenever I see homemade gnocchi on a restaurant menu, I always order it.  After defrosting some of my pumpkin puree this morning for baking, I had some leftover and needed to figure out a great dinner meal idea to use it up. What better time to make up a batch of homemade gnocchi than when you have some squash hanging around?

PUMPKIN GNOCCHI with Spinach, Mushrooms and Sage

1 1/4 cups well drained organic pumpkin or squash puree

1 organic egg

1/4 cup romano cheese, grated 

1/3 cup organic whole wheat bread crumbs

2-2 1/2 cups organic unbleached white flour

3-5 Tbsp organic salted butter

1 Tbsp dry organic sage or 3 Tbsp fresh sage minced

more romano cheese

1 onion, sliced thinly in wedges

1 cup organic mushrooms, sliced

1 large handful of spinach

Method:  Place the squash, egg, 1/4 cup romano cheese, and bread crumbs in a bowl.  Mix well to combine.

     On a work surface, place 2 cups of flour in a mound and make a well or hole in the centre. Scoop the squash mixture into the well and gradually add begin adding the flour into the squash until you have a ball of dough.  If you need more flour add it a little at a time.  This is a soft dough and too much flour will yield a hard dumpling.  

     On a well floured surface, gently knead the dough until it is smooth.  Roll it into an 8" log.  Cut the log into 4 equal pieces.  Working with one piece at a time, roll each piece into a 20" long rope about 1" wide.  I sometimes cut this in half to make it easier to work with and roll out.  Cut each rope into 40 1/2" pieces and press each piece gently against the tines of a fork.  Place the pieces on a floured kitchen towel.  Let the gnocchi rest for 15 minutes.

     In a skillet, melt 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat and saute the onion until they begin to soften.  Then add the mushrooms and sage, cooking until soft and golden.  Set aside, keeping warm.

     In 6 quarts of boiling water, cook the gnocchi and spinach until they rise to the surface, about 2-3 minutes.  Drain carefully and toss with the remaining butter and mushroom mix. Sprinkle with romano cheese.