Pasta with Mushroom Sauce

A surprisingly creamy mushroom sauce -- surprising because it doesn't rely on cream at all, although it uses both cheese and butter. Instead, the pasta is cooked with the sauce, and the starch it releases acts as a thickener.

The recipe as written calls for shiitake and button mushrooms and campanelle pasta. I don't remember what pasta we used -- rotini, perhaps -- but as far as the mushrooms go we went all-in on cremini.

The result has a pleasant creaminess to the mouthfeel and a thick, clinging sauce, without the heaviness of an alfredo.

Ingredients
for 1 lb dried, store-bought pasta

• 1.5 lbs whole cremini mushrooms
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• salt and pepper
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 tbsp minced fresh sage
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ oz dried porcini mushrooms, rinced and finely chopped
• ⅓ C dry white wine
• 1 C freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp minced chives

Procedure

1. Coarsely chop half of the mushrooms; quarter the other half.
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add all of the cremini mushrooms and ¾ tsp salt. Cover and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, ~5 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown, ~10 minutes.
4. Add shallots, sage, garlic, and porcini mushrooms and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
5. Add wine and cook until evaporated, ~2 minutes.
6. Stir in 4 cups water, the pasta, and 1¼ tsp salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked al dente. Remove from heat.
7. Stir in romano, ¼ C hot water, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tbsp butter. Stir vigorously for one minute, until the sauce thickens.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with chives and additional cheese.

Carolina Chicken Bog

This "bog" is an almost risotto-ish dish, consisting of chicken, sausage, and rice simmered in broth. It's chickeny and delicious without being overwhelmingly heavy, and has a very small preparation footprint, coming together in a single pot.

This is yet another recipe from Cook's Country.

Ingredients

• 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs. The recipe calls for bone-in; we got boneless.
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 lb beef sausage, sliced into rounds. (The recipe calls for half a pound of kielbasa, but beef sausage is the immortal god-king of sausages and I will take any excuse to use it.)
• 1 onion, chopped fine.
• 3 garlic cloves, minced.
• 4 C chicken broth.
• 2 C long-grain white rice.

Procedure

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook chicken until well browned, 6-8 minutes. Remove and buffer chicken on a plate.
2. Add sausage and onion. Cook until onion is translucent and sausage starting to brown, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
4. Return chicken to pot. Add broth, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper, and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, ~30 minutes.
6. Remove chicken (again). Stir rice into pot and simmer, covered, until rice is fluffy and tender.
7. Shred chicken and mix shredded chicken with rice mixture. Remove from heat and let stand for ten minutes.

Shrimp Wraps with Mango Salsa

Quick easy lunch or light dinner.

Shrimp Wraps with Mango Salsa
Adapted from Cook's Country
Heaping 1/2 c. frozen mango chunks, chopped smaller
1/2 onion, minced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
1 tsp. black pepper, divided
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
400g jumbo shrimp (21-30/lb.), peeled and deveined
2 tsp. chili powder
1 head green leaf lettuce

1. Combine mango, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Chop shrimp into chunks (roughly thirds). Toss with chili powder and remaining salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in skillet and add shrimp. Cook over medium-high heat until shrimp is done (about 4 mintues).
4. Spoon shrimp into lettuce leaves (you should have enough for about 4 wraps). Top with mango salsa. Roll up like a burrito and enjoy!

Tuna Salad Sandwiches (with Eggs, Radishes, and Capers)

Yet another Cook's Country pick. I modified the recipe slightly, and I would make a few more tweaks next time. Nice change from your bog standard tuna salad for lunch or a light dinner though.

Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2015
1 onion, minced
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 cans low-sodium solid white albacore tuna in water
2 ribs celery, minced
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 radishes, halved and sliced thin
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced thin
1/4 c. capers, rinsed and minced
4 slices bread, toasted

1. Combine onion and 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Drain tuna well and pat dry. Break up with a fork.
3. Combine tuna and all remaining ingredients with softened onion. Adjust seasoning to taste.
4. Assemble your sandwiches! Serve with a nice salad on the side and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash

Goulash is one of those foods that I love, but have always had trouble with recipe-wise. I'm used to recipes with lots of seasonings and spices. How can something so simple, with only a handful of seasonings possibly come out tasty and flavourful! I know it's delicious, but I always find it hard to trust the recipe.

I've made goulash before. I'm pretty sure I've even made crockpot goulash before. But I don't have a really good "go-to" recipe. I usually just Google around until I find something that looks plausible. I've been impressed with the results from the Cook's Country recipes so far -- as long as I remember to reduce the salt! -- so I figured their goulash was worth a try too.

Hungarian Goulash
Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2015
4 lbs. stew beef
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, rinsed
1/3 c. sweet Hungarian paprika (don't skimp or substitute on this!)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
5 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 lbs. onions, chopped (recipe says 6 c., I got closer to 10 c.)
4-6 carrots, peeled and chunked
8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
3 Tbsp. flour
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. lactose-free sour cream (or whatever type of sour cream you prefer)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley

1.  Season beef with 1/2 tsp. salt and place in slow cooker.
2. Blend (or process) the red peppers with the paprika, tomato paste, and vinegar. You may need to use some of the water to thin it out enough to blend smoothly.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, mushrooms, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the pepper mixture, flour, and bay leaf. Stir to coat the vegetables then allow to cook, without stirring, for at least 2 minutes.
5. Scrape the bottom of the pot and deglaze with any remaining water that was not used in the blending step.
6. Add the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker and stir to coat the meat.
7. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or 6-7 hours on high).
8. Turn off slow cooker and let stew rest for at least 5 minutes. Skim any fat from the surface.
9. Stir 1/2. c. of broth from the stew into the sour cream to temper it. Then stir the broth-y sour cream into the stew.
10. Adjust seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve! (Preferably over egg noodles or spaetzle.)

Chicken Enchiladas

This was the "recipe makeover" for the April/May issue of Cook's Country this year. Most of the calories (and fat) seem to have been cut by replacing the cheese with a lower fat version. They also recommend using breast meat for the chicken which, while a bit drier and less flavourful, is also leaner.

I was dubious of the use of low-fat Cheddar -- low fat never seems to be as good as its full fat counterpart -- but this actually came out pretty darn tasty! I was hoping for something a bit more innovative than low-fat cheese for the big makeover, but the results are good, so I guess I can't really complain.

Chicken Enchiladas
Slightly modified from Cook's Country April/May 2015
2 onions, minced
1 tsp. corn oil
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1 tsp. adobo sauce
3 Tbsp. garlic paste
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. chili powder
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 c. water
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
black pepper, to taste
8 oz. lactose-free skim milk cheese
1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro
12 corn tortillas or tostadas

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add half the onion and all of the sea salt. Cover and cook over medium-low for 5-8 minutes.
2. Add chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic paste, cumin seeds, and chili powder. Cook for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add chicken. Return to simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, flip chicken breasts, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Remove pot from heat. Remove chicken from sauce.
6. Now is a good time to grate the cheese and chop the cilantro. Combine the cilantro with the remaining onion and half the grated cheese. Add 1/2 c. of the sauce from the pot. Add black pepper to taste.
7. Now that the chicken has had a few minutes to rest and cool, shred it using two forks and combine the shredded chicken with the cheese, cilantro, onion, and sauce.
8. Spread 1/2 c. sauce from the pot over the bottom of a lasagna pan (9x13 baking dish).
9. If (unlike me) you were able to find corn tortillas: Fill them with the chicken mixture, roll them up, and place them on top of the sauce in the pan.
If you're using corn tostadas instead: Place 6 tostadas in the pan, covering the sauce. Spread the chicken mixture over top of this. Then layer 6 more tostadas on top.
10. Pour any remaining sauce over top of your enchiladas.
11. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
12. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
13. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

One-Skillet Turkey Meatballs with Lemony Rice

A lot of the recipes for a while aren't going to have substantial commentary because we're doing the writeups weeks or even months after cooking them; by the time we're writing the post we don't remember much beyond "it was tasty".

This is a straightforward recipe that basically produces a lemon-flavoured risotto with delicious turkey meatballs embedded in it. The whole thing is done in one pan (or pot), minimizing the amount of dish-related aftermath.

Since the rice is cooked the same pot as everything else, make sure you have a close-fitting lid for it.

Ingredients

• breadcrumbs (~2 slices worth)
• 1¼ lb ground turkey
• 6 scallions, sliced thin and sorted into white and green
• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1½ C long-grain white rice
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3¼ C chicken broth
• ½ C freshly grated parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Combine turkey, 2 tbsp scallion greens, egg, breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp parsley, 1½ tsp lemon zest, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Mix thoroughly and divide into ~20 meatballs. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs until well browned all over, 5-7 minutes; remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
3. Keeping skillet on the heat, add the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the edges of the rice begin to turn translucent, about 1 minute.
4. Add scallion whites, garlic, ½ tsp salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add broth, lemon juice, and remaining lemon zest and bring to a boil. Return meatballs to skillet, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender and meatballs are cooked through, ~20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and remaining scallion greens. Eat.