Mushrooms Stuffed with Sausage and Pine Nuts

Inspired by a Spanish Tapas recipe, these stuffed mushrooms entice with butter and brandy. Try them and watch them disappear!

MUSHROOMS STUFFED with SAUSAGE and PINE NUTS

1½ lbs. medium white mushrooms
Lemon juice
10 Tbs. butter
1 large shallot, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
½ lb. sweet Italian sausage (about 2 sausages, casings removed)
6 Tbs. dried breadcrumbs, plain or garlic & herb flavored
1½ tsps. brandy
2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley
3 Tbs. pine nuts, lightly toasted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)

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1. Preheat oven to 375°. Clean mushrooms. Separate stems from caps and finely chop. Sprinkle caps with lemon juice.

2. Heat 8 Tbs. of butter in a medium skillet. Sauté shallot over medium low heat until wilted. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add sausage meat and cook until well browned.

3. Add chopped mushroom stems to meat and cook 3 minutes more. Remove pan from heat. Stir in bread crumbs, brandy, parsley, and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

4. Stuff mushroom caps with meat mixture and place in baking pan. Melt remaining 2 Tbs. butter and drizzle over stuffed mushroom caps. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Middle Eastern Zucchini Salad

Light, refreshing, easy. What more could you want for a wonderful summer side dish, brought to us by the Arabs via Sicily and Spain? This one is sure to help use up all that extra zucchini in the garden!

MIDDLE EASTERN ZUCCHINI SALAD

1 zucchini squash (about 1 lb.)
1 summer squash (about 1 lb.)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. toasted pine nuts, plus extra for garnish
2 Tbs. golden raisins
1 tsp. dried mint (look for Syrian/Tabbouleh mint)
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

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1. Slice squash into ¼-inch slices (I use my food processor's thickest slicing blade)

2. Heat garlic and oil in frying pan until garlic is fragrant. Add squash. Sauté over moderate heat until heated through. Add pine nuts and raisins. Sauté until heated through.

3. Add mint and salt and pepper. Stir until squash is tender crisp. Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Stir in lemon juice. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with additional toasted pine nuts. May be served warm or cold.

Risotto with Shrimp, Green Beans, and Pesto Sauce

I had a great vegetarian soup planned for our writers' group last Monday night, but icy weather nixed our meeting, and I didn't want to make a huge pot of soup just for my husband and me. What do to with fresh French green beans, a bunch of basil, and a gorgeous chunk of Parmesan Reggiano? Sounded like risotto to me. I put a few recipes together and came up with something new and delicious. For a vegetarian delight, omit the shrimp and use vegetable broth.

Risotto is one of my favorite dishes to make, and I've made dozens of scrumptious variations of this classic Italian dish. Don't be put off by all the stirring. It's really quite soothing, and there's something great about starting to stir and announcing that no one can bother you for the next twenty minutes or so. If you've never made risotto, give this one a try, and keep an eye on Kitchen Excursions for some great risotto recipes!

RISOTTO with SHRIMP, GREEN BEANS, and PESTO SAUCE

Make the pesto sauce:

2-3 garlic cloves                        1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups of fresh basil                  Salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbs. pine nuts                         1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano

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Drop garlic into food processor and mince. Add basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and salt and pepper and process well, scraping down sides once or twice with a spatula. Add cheese and process into a creamy sauce. Empty into prep bowl and reserve.

For the Risotto:

½ lb. French green beans,          1¼ cups arborio rice                       

   trimmed and cut into thirds     ½ dry white wine

4½ cups chicken broth               1 lb. medium shrimp, cleaned

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil          Salt and pepper to taste 

1 large shallot, minced

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1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch green beans for 5 minutes and drain. Place in a bath of cold water and drain again.

2. Bring broth to a simmer, preferably on the burner right behind the nonstick skillet in which you'll make the risotto.

3. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallot until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the rice, stirring until the grains are well coated with oil.

4. Increase heat to medium high. Add wine and stir until liquid is almost absorbed.  Using a ladle, add about 1 cup of broth to the skillet, stirring again until liquid is almost absorbed. Continue for 14 minutes, then add the shrimp. Continue stirring until shrimp is cooked and rice is al dente. Total cooking time 18-20 minutes.

5. Remove risotto from heat. Stir in green beans and pesto, adding enough of the remaining broth for a creamy consistency. Serve with crusty bread and extra cheese, if desired. Serves 4. 

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Quinoa and Spinach

Quinoa-Stuffed Mushrooms,
Steamed Purple Cauliflower,
and Kabocha Squash
Braised in Soy and Ginger

The grain-like seeds of quinoa (KEEN-wa) were first cultivated by the Incas of South America thousands of years ago. A complete and easily digestible protein, this tiny pseudograin is a scrumptious and nutritious addition to any diet.

I first came across quinoa while seeking vegetarian recipes for our Monday night writers' group suppers, and it's one of the best food finds I've ever made. If you've never tried quinoa, please do. Cook it like rice, and use it as the base of a main course salad, as a side dish, or, as in this recipe, as a stuffing. Look for the pre-washed kind, and don't be afraid to experiment with different colored quinoa "grains."

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS STUFFED with QUINOA and SPINACH

For the Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

For the Mushrooms:

8-10 portobello mushroom caps             2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil                      3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. soy sauce                                       Salt and pepper

To Assemble the Dish:

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil                      1 10-oz. pkg. fresh spinach,

1 large shallot, chopped                               stemmed, washed, and chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced                        1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

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1. Combine quinoa and broth in a 2-qt. pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat. Simmer about 12 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and germ of the grain becomes visible. Remove from heat, fluff quinoa, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, combine oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Remove mushroom stems and gills, rinse briefly, and brush mixture over mushrooms. Place topside up on foil-wrapped baking sheet and let sit at least ten minutes.

Heat broiler and broil mushrooms about five minutes, then turn and broil another 3-4 minutes. (Mushrooms may flatten. Don't worry.) Using a spatula, remove them to a baking pan or oven-proof serving dish, bottom side up.

3.  Heat oil in non-stick skillet. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic. Stir for a minute. Add spinach. Turn gently until wilted. Fold in quinoa, mixing until all the grains are unclumped and coated with oil. Spoon mixture onto mushroom caps. Drizzle liquid in broiling pan over mushrooms. Cover and keep in warm oven until ready to serve. Top with pine nuts and serve with salad and/or vegetables, as desired. Generously serves 4-5.