White Rice with Assorted Mushrooms

Every dish contains a lesson, yet, its teaching can often be overlooked or ignored. As part of my effort to incorporate Buddhist principles into cooking, I decided to make this dish -- White Rice with Assorted Mushrooms -- as part of a meal for New Year's Eve. The lesson that emerged from this dish became apparent, but only after the dish was completed and eaten.

I approached this dish -- and, indeed, the whole meal -- being mindful of the preparation of each ingredient for each dish. I laid out everything on the island in my kitchen. I went dish by dish, ingredient by ingredient, down the island until I had just about everything prepped. The kitchen island was basically one very large mis-en-place. 

To this point, it seemed like I was approaching my cooking with a certain mindfulness, especially with this dish. After all, it comes from the book that serves as my guide, Wookwan's Temple Food. The recipe seemed simple and straightforward - a variety of mushrooms, some dried and some fresh, served with rice. The key to the recipe can be found in the dried mushrooms. The water used to rehydrate the mushrooms is used to prepare the rice, imbuing the white rice with a flavor that is very similar to wild rice. The use of the water from rehydrating rice (or other dried ingredients) is not new to me. I have done it before, but, I was reminded about how much flavor can be added to a dish by using what is in front of you, rather than discarding it down the sink. 

As I continued to prepare and even cook this dish, I had not realized that the lesson was still to come. All of my focus, the entirety of my effort to be present in the moment, seemingly vanished in the final minutes of the cook. I soon became enmeshed in the completion of not just this dish, but the main course and other sides as well. My thoughts about how I would present this dish receded as the urgency of actually plating the dish gripped me. In the end, I fell back upon a traditional way I plate dishes, putting the rice in the center and the mushrooms around the side. It was not what I initially planned to do and it looks nothing like the picture in the cookbook. 

However, I was still mindful. I noted that my rush to plate the dish, and others, did not lead to what I had envisioned for this dish. This recipe could be an entire meal in and of itself. Mushrooms have many important health benefits, including (when eaten regularly) decreasing the risk of cancer, lowering cholesterol, promoting brain health, providing a good source of vitamin D, and helping to ensure a healthy immune system.

The lesson from this recipe is that there comes times when I lose my focus and my mindfulness. Those times occur when multiple things (like different dishes) are competing for my attention. I need to remember that, when my attention is pulled in different directions, I need to keep myself centered on the present moment and what I am trying to accomplish.  

WHITE RICE WITH ASSORTED MUSHROOMS

Recipe from Wookwan's Korean Temple Food, pg. 35

Serves 3-4

Ingredients (for the mushrooms):

• 1 cup short grain rice
• 15 grams dried shiitake mushrooms
• 15 grams dried white wood ear mushrooms
• 50 grams king oyster mushrooms
• 50 grams enoki mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon perilla seed oil
• 2 cups water, for soaking dried mushrooms

Ingredients (for the seasoned soy sauce):

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon perilla seed oil
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 1 Korean green chile pepper, seeded and minced

Directions:

1. Prepare the rice. Wash and rinse the rice. Soak in water for about 1 hour.

2. Prepare the mushrooms. Rehydrate dried shiitake and dried white wood ear mushrooms by soaking them in water. Save the water after soaking the mushrooms. Cut off the stems of the shiitake mushrooms and slice thinly. Cut white wood ear mushrooms into small bite-sized pieces. Slice king oyster mushrooms thinly. Cut the bottom of the enoki mushrooms, and tear it into thin pieces by hand. Tear oyster mushrooms by hand as well. 

3. Continue to prepare the mushrooms. In a mixing bowl, add all of the mushrooms except the enoki mushrooms. Add soy sauce and perilla seed oil. Mix well. 

4. Prepare the rice. In a pot, add rice and water from soaking the mushrooms. Add seasoned mushrooms on top. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low for about 10 minutes. Add enoki mushrooms and cover for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. 

5. Finish the dish. Stir rice gently. Serve with seasoned soy sauce on the side. 

This post is part of my project, the Mindfulness Foodways. To check out other posts that are part of this project, please click here.

ENJOY!

Mushroom Bisque with Yellow Oyster Mushroom Garnish

Ludwig von Beethoven once remarked, "anyone who tells a lie has not pure heart and cannot make good soup."  So, I should be honest when I say that I don't really make a lot of soups. There are approximately two dozen recipes on this blog, but that is over several years.  Much of my cooking has been focused more on main courses, and, in particular, my interest in barbecue.

Nevertheless, I think soups are important.  For many people, a soup may be a main course. It may be the dish that is served to the family because, for whatever reason, there is not enough money to go to the market and purchase expensive ingredients, like most proteins. It is far more economical to scrounge around for or use one's money to purchase a few, cheaper ingredients. 

Yet, he use of simple, cheap ingredients can be combined together to produce something almost magical.  A dish that can nourish people, providing the sustenance or fuel for the hard work that they do, day in and day out. That is what I would like to think that the combination of mushrooms, onions, garlic, and rice can do when combined together to produce a mushroom soup. 

I found a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman on NYT Cooking, which served as the starting point for this recipe. While I could make a cucina povera version of mushroom soup, I wanted to use my creative skills to elevate the dish a little.  Those skills were primarily focused on the yellow oyster mushroom garnish. I came across the yellow fungi in a store and wanted to try to use them with this soup.  Hence, the fried mushrooms became the garnish.

MUSHROOM BISQUE WITH 
YELLOW OYSTER MUSHROOM GARNISH

Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking

Serves 6-8

Ingredients (for the soup):

1 1/2 pounds of  mushrooms (white or cremini) sliced 

1 leek (white and light green part only, 

     cut in half, cleaned and sliced)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup medium grain rice

4 1/2 cups of vegetable stock or broth

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons of dried thyme

1 Parmagiano Reggiano rind

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

2 tablespoons sherry

1/2 cup milk or additional stock

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ingredients (for the garnish)

Fresh yellow oyster mushrooms

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:

1.  Saute the vegetables.  Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, leek and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Do not brown the onions or the leek.  Add the garlic and another pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring, until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until they begin to sweat and smell fragrant, about 5 minutes. 

2.  Cook the soup.  Add the rice, stock, bay leaf, thyme, Parmigiano Reggiano rind and soy sauce.  Salt to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the rind.

3.  Blend the soup.  In batches, blend the soup until smooth.  Fill the blender less than half way and cover the top with a towel pulled down tight rater than airtight with the lid because hot soup will jump and push off the top if the blender is closed airtight.  Return to the pot, taste and adjust salt, add pepper and the sherry. Add the milk and another cup of stock and heat through, stirring.  If the soup seems to thick, thin it with a little more water or stock, but check the seasoning.  

4.  Make the garnish.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.   Line a baking sheet with foil and place in the oven as it preheats.  Remove the oyster mushrooms from the main stem.  Toss the mushrooms in a bowl with the oil and garlic powder. Remove the baking sheet, spray with non-stick cooking spray Spread them onto the hot baking sheet so that there is one layer.  Bake in oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until all mushrooms are brown and crispy to taste.  

5.  Finish the dish.  Pour the soup into a bowl.  Add the crispy oyster mushrooms garnish in the center of the bowl.  Sprinkle the parsley around the crispy oyster mushrooms. 

Chicken Saltimbocca

As the story goes, the dish known as Saltimbocca originated in Rome.   The story seems kind of sketchy, because one of the featured ingredients - Prosciutto - does not hail from Rome or the province of Lazio, where the capital is located.  Prosciutto comes from two places.  First, there is Prosciutto di Parma, which comes from the region of Emilia Romagna.  Second, there is Prosciutto di San Daniele, which comes from Friuli-Venezia-Giulia.  Given that prosciutto comes from places other than Rome, it made me a little skeptical of the story. 

So, I did my research.  According to one source, the dish of Saltimbocca came from Brescia, which is in Lombardy.  That source also traced the recipe to its first written origin, which was an "influential book" published toward the end of the 19th century by Pellegrino Artusi, an Italian chef.  Chef Artusi included a recipe for "Saltimbocca alla Romana" as Recipe No. 222 in his book.  He also claimed to have the dish at a trattoria named "La Venete" in Rome. 

On additional note about the history of Saltimbocca.  In Rome, Saltimbocca is most commonly prepared with veal.  The recipe adapted as it made its way to America with Italian immigrants, who prepared it with chicken instead of veal.  Chicken is far more commonplace in the United States and is far cheaper than veal. 

I found a recipe for Chicken Saltimbocca in a cookbook by Mario Batali, America Farm to Table.  The recipe looked simple enough to prepare on a busy weekday night, and it included a pan sauce with mushrooms that looked delicious.   

As I made this recipe, I would note a couple of observations.  First, the marsala wine.  One could buy a nice bottle of Marsala wine, which I am sure would make a difference in the final product.  I did not want to spend a lot of money on a wine that I don't drink and, to be honest, don' t cook with very often.  So, I got a store-bought version that probably barely resembles marsala wine.  The cheaper version worked just fine.  Second, the recipe calls for cremini and oyster mushrooms.  That is definitely a good pairing of mushrooms, but I could not find any oyster mushrooms when I went shopping.   The thing about fungi is that they are, for the most part, fungible.  I bought some shiitake mushrooms and they worked just as well as the oyster mushrooms.  

In the end, I can see why Chicken Saltimbocca is a very popular dish.  The flavors from the chicken, sage and prosciutto, enhanced by the sauce and, in this preparation, the tender mushrooms, made for a very enjoyable dinner.   

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA

Recipe from Wedge Oak Farm

Printed in Mario Batali, America Farm to Table, pg. 176

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs,

8 large fresh sage leaves

8 large slices prosciutto

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound of a mix of cremini and oyster or shiitake mushrooms, 

     cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 cup sweet marsala wine

1/2 cup of chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bunch fresh, flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the chicken. Place the flour in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Lightly pound the chicken thighs to 1/4 inch thickness.  Season with salt and pepper and lay a sage leaf on each thigh.  lay 1 slice of prosciutto over each thigh and fold in half like a book.  Secure the two sides with a toothpick and dredge the whole piece in the seasoned flour. 

2.  Saute the chicken.  In a 12 to 14 inch saute pan, heat the oil until just smoking.  Add the chicken and saute until golden brown on both sides, then transfer to a plate.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until the mushrooms have sweated out their liquid, 5 to 6 minutes.  Add the marsala and chicken stock and cook over high heat until reduced by half.  Return the chicken thighs to the an with the sauce and simmer for 3 minutes.  Swirl in the butter, add the parsley and serve. 

ENJOY!

Mushroom Bolognese

When one thinks of a Bolognese, it is a sauce made with onions, celery, tomatoes and cheese, with meat.  Beef, pork or lamb.  One never thinks of a vegetarian Bolognese and a vegan Bolognese gives me the shivers.  A true Bolognese has been on my short list of dishes to make.  However, because Clare does not eat beef, pork or lamb, that dish has to wait for a night when I am only cooking for myself.  

In the meantime, I decided that I would make a Bolognese recipe that Clare would eat.  I found a recipe by Sarah Grueneberg, a Top Chef contestant, which provided a good starting point.  The one thing that caught my attention was the use of a variety of ingredients at the outset ... not just onions, carrots and celery (which are usually found in Bolognese sauces), but also parsnips and turnips.   Grueneberg's recipe also calls for the use of dried porcini mushrooms and king oyster mushrooms.  The latter mushrooms are chopped with the vegetable mixture, while the former provide the "meat" in the dish.

I decided to alter the dish in a few ways.  First, there was the mushrooms.  Rather than use porcini and king oyster mushrooms, I used a combination of portobello, oyster and shiitake mushrooms.  I decided to use half with the vegetable mixture and keep half sliced to serve with the pasta.  The substitution of these mushrooms for the porcini created another issue.  This led to the second substitution.  Grueneberg relied upon the water from rehydrating the porcini for the sauce.  I needed something in place of that liquid.  This was not really a problem at all.  I used about 1 cup of vegetable stock in place of the porcini water.

The third substitution involves the pasta.  Grueneberg uses spaghetti in her recipe.  When it comes to a Bolognese, I think that a flat pasta is better, because it shows off all of the elements in the sauce.   Fettuccine would work well with this recipe; however, if you can find pappardelle, that is the pasta of choice.  Its wide flat noodles provide the most space for the Bolognese sauce to cling to the pasta. 

Finally, the recipe calls for the use of 1/2 cup of wine.  Given that I was making a Bolognese sauce, a wine from Emilia-Romagna -- the region where Bologna is located -- would have been the ideal choice.  I could not put my hands on a non-sparking wine from the region, such as a Sangiovese di Romagna.  So, I went with a Sangiovese wine that is a lot easier to find ... a Chianti Classico from Tuscany.

MUSHROOM BOLOGNESE

Adapted from a recipe by Sarah Grueneberg 

and available at Food & Wine
and some other recipes

Ingredients:
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
1 medium parsnip, chopped
1/2 small turnip, chopped
3 ounces of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
4 ounces of portobello mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces of oyster mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine (preferably Sangiovese)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon minced rosemary
1 1/2 pounds of pappardelle (or fettuccine)
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Prepare the vegetable base.  Pulse the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip, turnip and one-half of the mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped  In a large pot, heat the oil.  Add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 20 minutes. 

2. Make the Bolognese sauce.  Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Add the wine and red pepper, and cook until the wine evaporates.  Add the vegetable stock, cover partially and cook over low heat, stirring until thick, about another 25 minutes.  Add the cream, rosemary and 1/4 cup of grated cheese and simmer for 5 minutes. 

3. Cook the pasta.  Heat a pot with salted water until it boils.  Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.  (Generally, dried pasta takes several minutes while fresh pasta only takes about 1 to 2 minutes.)

4.  Finish the dish.  Add the warm pasta, butter and 1 cup of water to the sauce and toss, stirring until the pasta is well coated.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!