The Mighty Mushroom
Comments Off on The Mighty MushroomWho knew that something that grows in the dark could be a food source of the “sunshine” vitamin (Vitamin D)? Not me, until I had to do research for a presentation on Vitamin D at school and learned that mushrooms were a great source (in addition to providing selenium, potassium, copper and 3 of the “Bs” – riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid)
Mushrooms are also high in fibre … and they taste great.
I’ve also found them to be great substitutes for meat – Portobello mushroom burgers for example. I prefer those to a hamburger. And here is a recipe that even the most picky meat lovers will enjoy, so that you only have to prepare one meal when you have both vegetarian and carnivore at that table.
Before we begin though, I have two tips.
TIP ONE
When a recipe calls for peeled pearl onions, it is a daunting task to think about peeling 2 bags of these little onions, that really make a bourguignon authentic. So what you do is boil them for 3 minutes (max)
Cut off the root end.
And squeeze out the onion. It’s actually fun!
TIP TWO
When a recipe calls for wine, please use wine you would drink not something you are getting rid of because it has gone off. If you use drinkable wine your dish with have a lovely richness – if you use plonk, well not so much.
Lentil & Mushroom Bourguignon from: “Spilling the beans”
Olive oil for cooking
1 small yellow onion finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves crushed
2 large Portobello mushrooms, sliced (discard the stems and scrape out the gills)
2 – 3 cups sliced button, brown or cremini mushrooms (or a combination)
½ cup cooked brown lentils
1 cup red wine
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 – 3 cups beef, onions or vegetable stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
1-2 cups pearl onions, peeled
Egg noodles (or rice noodles for a gluten-free option) or mashed potatoes for serving
In a large, heavy skillet, heat a drizzle of oil and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the butter, garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, soften and then start to brown – add another drizzle of oil if the pan seems too dry.
Add the lentils and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine and cook for a few more minutes, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet, until the wine has almost cooked off. Sprinkle the flour overtop and stir to blend, then add the stock and tomato paste Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and dark and the mushrooms are tender. If the sauce if too thick, add a little more stock.
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in a small skillet (add a dab of butter too if you like) and cook the pearl onions over medium high heat until golden and soft ( El also added I cup frozen green peas) Pour mushroom mixture over noodles or potatoes and the onions (and peas) over the mushrooms mixture.
