Sunday, September 25, 2011

Potatoes, Mushrooms, & Eggs

Tonight's dinner was terrific! The inspiration recipe came from the book Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen. On page 120 is a recipe for eggs baked on a bed of sauteed mushrooms and croutons. I changed it up a bit. I wanted to use a couple of baked potatoes we had in the refrigerator instead of croutons. Here is the recipe as adapted by me:

2 tablespoons butter
2 baked potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 container sliced "steak" mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 generous teaspoons tomato paste
3/4 cup burgundy wine
4 eggs

1- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it on a sheet pan.
2- Melt half the butter in a medium skillet, add the cubed potato, and toss it about the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until it's golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes, but not hard. Put the potatoes in the baking dish.
3- Heat the oil and remaining butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic. Raise the heat, then add the mushrooms, most of the herbs, and a few pinches of salt. Saute until the mushrooms have started to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the wine and immediately scrape the pan to release the juicy bits. Lower the heat and simmer until a few tablespoons of juice remain. Season with salt and pepper and add the mushrooms to the baking dish.
4- Break the eggs over the mushrooms and add a pinch of salt and some pepper. Bake until the whites are set, about 15 minutes, and the yolks are as firm as you like. Remove, sprinkle the rest of the herbs over the top, and serve.

We had sides of asparagus and komato tomatoes, along with a nice sourdough bread. Yummy!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

After Dinner Thoughts

Hmmm...another good meal. Mom and Dad really enjoyed the new dish. I thought it was fine, Michael hasn't had it yet - he's out watching football. I don't know if I'll make this again, though. It is fairly labor intensive; there are quire a few steps and it takes more than an hour of constant cooking (not counting prep time). Having made this I just might try to tackle real risotto some time.

Have a good week and I'll let you know what's for dinner the next time I cook!

Reverse Risotto

For some reason I've always been intimidated by the thought of risotto. I like risotto, have had it once or twice in a restaurant and enjoyed it, but have felt it will take more patience than I have. That is until I came across this recipe. Also, my friend and hairdresser, Karen tells me she is confident I could handle risotto. So, I'll start down the risotto path with this recipe that is in the October 2011 Vegetarian Times magazine.

The recipe comes from Chef Keith Pooler of Bergamot restaurant in Somerville, Mass. It incorporates garlic, green beans, mushrooms, fresh thyme, shallots, sweet potato, parsnips, and (of course) rice. It sounds lovely.

Tomorrow is Mom and Dad's 52nd wedding anniversary. Wednesday is Michael and my 20th wedding anniversary. Sunday dinner will be our celebration together. I'll be sure to let you know how it all turns out!