Posts Tagged ‘Mushrooms’
Although this is a great winter soup, it’s also nice during the cooler parts of spring when you’re eagerly waiting the warm summer months. This recipe is a riff on beef barley soup with the mushrooms replacing the beef in this case. The mushrooms do justice in adding a nice meatiness, both texturally and flavor-wise, to the dish. The variety of mushrooms I used here consisted of dried porcinis, chanterelles, oysters, shitakes, and portabellas. While fresh is always best, it’s not always easy to find these more gourmet mushrooms fresh so I opted for the dried here.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup barley
- 2 cups dried mushrooms, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Directions:
- Heat oil. Add onions and sweat for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir frequently. Add garlic and cook on medium low for about 30 seconds. Add in thyme, salt, pepper, paprika, and bay leaf. Cook on low for 20 seconds or so. Add in broth, barley, 2 cups of water, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 50 to 60 minutes or until barley is tender and cooked.
- If soup needs more liquid, add some water to your liking. (I like this soup more on the stew side, so I kept it to 6 cups of liquid). Add in rosemary 5 minutes before the end of cooking time. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
Farro by far is my favorite grain if I had to choose-mostly for its texture, which is just perfectly chewy and al dente when cooked properly. The mushrooms in this dish add a nice earthiness along with the herbs. Choose a variety of mushrooms to use as they add more complexity to the dish than otherwise. And as always, pick fresh aged parmesan.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of dried gourmet mushrooms, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted organic butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves, loosely packed
- 2 cups farro, rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups grated parmesan
Directions:
- Steep dried mushrooms in boiling water for 45 minutes. Do not discard soaking liquid.
- Meanwhile, heat butter. Add garlic and sage. Stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add farro, salt and pepper. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to lightly toast the farro in the sage and garlic over medium low heat. Add the mushroom soaking liquid and enough water to equal 2 cups. Add red pepper flakes and thyme. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and farro is al dente. (Add more water if needed).
- Stir in mushrooms off heat and top with parmesan. Enjoy!
The burgundy in this pasta dish comes from the color the port wine imparts. You can use any red wine here (only ones you would drink of course) but if you opt to use a wine with more bitter notes, increase the amount of honey you add. I used a combination of dried portabella, oyster, shiitake, porcini, and chanterelle mushrooms here. If you are using fresh mushrooms, double the amount. The variety of mushrooms used really makes this dish, especially for transitional vegetarians since the mushrooms impart a meaty flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Half medium red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake or to taste
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves, chopped finely
- Salt and pepper
- 4 cups dried mushrooms
- 1 cup port wine
- 2 teaspoons honey or to taste
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed and chopped
- 2 springs fresh rosemary, de-stemmed and chopped
- One 12 ounce box of 100% whole wheat penne pasta
- 1/3 cup parmesan, grated (optional)
Directions:
- Heat oil. Add butter. Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and sage. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add wine, honey, 1 cup water (use less if using fresh mushrooms), thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Toss with mushroom mixture and add parmesan (if desired) off heat. Enjoy!
