Fiesta Friday #252

November – Dried Porcini, Fresh Mushroom and Whole Tomato Ragout
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November – Dried Porcini, Fresh Mushroom and Whole Tomato Ragout

Dried Porcini, Fresh Mushroom, and Whole Tomato Ragout

Doesn’t that look delicious? Dried porcini mushrooms (or any other variety you have in your pantry), fresh mushrooms, roma-type tomatoes (canned are fine), with fresh herbs. Serve this as a main course for a vegan or vegetarian meal with crusty bread, sweet butter, and a chunk of flavorful cheese. Toma is my personal favorite right now. Or, as the recipe suggests, on top of cheesy polenta. Or as a low carb/low calorie side dish to some thinly sliced grilled steak (steak and mushrooms are a combination made in heaven). Be sure to include a few slices of crusty rustic bread to soak up the juices. It’s the perfect antidote to all the rich foods of last week.

The recipe came from the cookbook In My Kitchen by Deborah Madison.

In My Kitchen by Deborah Madison

Deborah calls for a tablespoon of fresh herbs in addition to parsley. Use whatever you have on hand, the season my dictate it. In my case it was some fresh marjoram but adding additional fresh parsley at the end would work as well. If you have access to wild mushrooms, use them as the fresh ones. But plain old grocery store varieties work just fine. Porcini mushrooms can be pricy, but you can substitute another variety. I have seen large bags of dried shiitake mushrooms at Asian grocery stores, at good prices. Recipes are only a starting point to your imagination. Make the substitution and let me know how you like it.

I was lucky to have stumbled upon a large bag of dried porcini while in Italy this past September. It was a tiny store on a back alley. I now wish I had brought back 2 bags. But that’s a long way to go for a bag of dried porcini.

Dried Porcini Mushrooms

It’s mushroom season up here on the coast but tomato season is over. I used good quality Italian canned roma tomatoes. One 28-oz can was just the right size. If you make this in summer, use fresh tomatoes. Slip them into boiling water for 30 seconds and they are easy to peel.

 

Dried Porcini and Tomato Ragout

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dried porcini (or other) mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white or red wine
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound of fresh mushrooms, gills still closed if possible, cleaned and thickly sliced at odd angles
  • 8-12 peeled whole roma-type tomatoes
  • optional: 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, any seasonal will do
  • For finishing – optional: Parmigiano-Reggisno cheese, grated and more fresh chopped herbs

Method:

  1. Cover the dried mushrooms with 1 1/2 cups of hot water and set aside while you assemble the rest of the ingredients, for at least 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. If there is any soil or small grit in the water, pour it through a fine mesh strainer.
  2. Heat a wide skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When warm, add the onion and the drained porcini. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden (about 5 minutes). Then add half the parsley, all the other fresh herbs and the garlic. Work in the  tomato paste. Pour in the wine and cook until it is reduced to a syrupy consistency. Season with a pinch of salt and fresh pepper. Remove to a bowl.
  3. Return the skillet to the heat and add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, when it is hot, add the fresh mushrooms. Increase the heat to high and saute until they start to color, add a few pinches of salt and cook until they release and reabsorb their juices (about 6-8 minutes).
  4. Add the contents of the bowl to the skillet and pour in the mushroom soaking liquid. Nestle the tomatoes among the mushrooms. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked and the tomatoes are hot, at least 15 minutes.
  5. Add the remaining herbs and optional butter for more richness.
  6. Serve with a grating of Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.

Simmering Mushrooms and TomatoesI am taking this recipe to Fiesta Friday #252 to share with Angie and the gang. This weeks co-hosts are Alex @ Turks Who Eat and Zeba @ Food For The Soul

Be sure to click on the link to read all the interesting posts for holiday food, gifts and crafts. And, add your own link to the party. If you want to be considered for “post of the week” be sure to credit Fiesta Friday, Alex, Zeba and Angie in your post.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

November – A Glut of Lemons
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November – A Glut of Lemons

I am enjoying a glut of Meyer lemons from the container tree on my deck. This is a common situation in California when many homes have backyard trees. I hate to waste them and am always looking for new ways to preserve the bounty. These lemons are small (probably because the tree is root bound…it has been in the same half wine barrel for 5 years) but very numerous. And the tree is in flower again (Meyer lemon trees will produce almost all year-long) I want to send the tree’s energy to the new maturing lemons, so I harvested most of them. Starting in March I will trim out the middle branches to let in more light and fertilize it. But I don’t necessarily want to encourage a lot of new growth right now in case we get a freeze.

Meyer Lemons

The next question is always, what to do with them? They won’t last forever. I already have several jars of salted preserved lemons in the pantry, so I didn’t want to do that again. I use them for salad dressing instead of vinegar but there are still a lot left in the bowl.

So, I decided to do something new and make lemon confit with some of them, candy a few, and with the rest make an Indian Lemon Fermented Pickle. I’ve made a version of the lemon pickle before, but this one looked easier and a little different.

You don’t have to use Meyer lemons for these recipes, regular grocery store lemons will work as well. However, try to buy organic ones without the wax coating. If you don’t have any choice, be sure and scrub them well in warm water to remove the wax.

All three of these would make good holiday gifting.

Meyer Lemon Confit

Wash and dry your lemons (as many as you want), slice them about 1/4 inch thick and remove any seeds, add them to a saucepan. Cover with olive oil and bring to a slow simmer. Turn down the heat (you should only see a bubble rise now and then) and simmer them on the low heat for 60 to 90 minutes. Cool and put them in clean jars, cover with the lemon olive oil. You can use the lemon infused oil in salads or for finishing vegetables, pulse the slices with the oil to make a lovely super lemony salad dressing, top fish or chicken with the slices before baking, marinate fish or chicken with chopped lemons and the oil, a multitude of uses.

Lemons slowly cooking in olive oil

 

Confit Meyer Lemons in Olive Oil

These are some turkey legs that I will sous vide for turkey confit.

Flavoring for Turkey, Lemon Confit, Rosemary, Thyme and Sage Leaves

Candied Meyer Lemon Slices

  • Slice several Meyer lemons thinly, removing any seeds.
  • Combine 1 cup of water with 1 cup of cane sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
  • Add the lemon slices and turn down the heat to a slow simmer.
  • Simmer until the edges turn translucent, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Remove to a parchment or wax paper lined pan and allow to cool.
  • Refrigerate.

Candied Meyer Lemon Slices

And the uses are numerous! Use them to sweeten your tea, add them to muffins when baking, top a lemon tea cake with a few slices, and what about adding a slice to your cocktail? It makes an amazing lemon drop. The lemon syrup can be strained and used in cocktails, glaze a chicken or fish, make a version of lemonade with mineral or soda water…

A couple of years ago I made fermented Meyer lemon pickles with Indian 5-spices. I wanted something slightly simpler this year. I found the recipe for Spiced Indian Fermented Pickles on the blog Fermenting for Foodies. 

Indian Spiced Lemon Pickle

Spiced Indian Fermented Meyer Lemon Pickle

  • 1 lb. of lemons
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder or 1/2 tsp whole seeds (see note 1)
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
  1. Wash the lemons well, removing any wax coating if necessary.
  2. Add them to a saucepan with the turmeric and cover with water. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes.
  3. Drain well and allow to cool, then cut each lemon into 6-8 wedges, depending on size. Remove any seeds. Do this over a bowl as they may be very juicy.
  4. Sprinkle the lemons with salt and pack into a sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid. A 1 quart canning jar is perfect.
  5. Allow to ferment at room temperature for a week, turning the jar over every day.
  6. After a week (a few days extra won’t hurt), toast the spices.
  7. Add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds to a dry skillet (I use a small cast iron one) and heat until you start to smell the spices and they turn slightly brown. Add the chili powder to the skillet and toss together. Remove from the heat immediately (the chili powder will easily burn).
  8. Once cool, grind the spices in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
  9. Put the lemons in a bowl, add the spices and toss to mix.
  10. Add them back into the fermenting jar and cover with the oil.
  11. Store in the fridge. They will keep for 6 months.

Note 1: If you are using fenugreek powder, add it with the chili powder.

Serve with rice and yogurt or with any food that needs a flavor boost.

Mustard and Fenugreek seeds

Indian Spiced Lemon Pickle

I am taking these suggestions to Fiesta Friday #252 to share with Angie and the gang. This weeks co-hosts are Alex @ Turks Who Eat and Zeba @ Food For The Soul

Be sure to click on the link to read all the interesting posts for holiday food, gifts and crafts. And, add your own link to the party. If you want to be considered for “post of the week” be sure to credit Fiesta Friday, Alex, Zeba and Angie in your post.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving.