Filed under: Comfort Food, Farmers Market Finds, recipes | Tags: local food, cast iron, squash blossoms, southern cooking, seasonal
I finally had a chance to get back to the farmers market, just in time for autumn harvest vegetables! In addition to beautiful acorn and butternut squash, I was able to score fresh squash blossoms. I made two batches, one last night with chevre and one this morning with cheddar cheese; both were totally scrumptious.
Fried Squash Blossoms-
14 – 20 blossoms
2 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
4 oz. cheese (soft cheeses work best)
half cup vegetable oil (I used grape seed with a pat of butter added.)
Wash squash blossoms and spoon a small amount of cheese into the middle of each one. Gently press petals closed. Mix eggs in one bowl and put cornmeal into another. Dip each blossom in egg, wipe off excess, and roll in cornmeal. Fry in oil over medium heat for about three minutes, turning over halfway through, until golden. Drain on paper towel covered plate and serve immediately.
This was a simple yet scrumptious dinner. I roasted sliced fingerling potatoes with garlic, onions, and fresh goat cheese in olive oil and served it with sauteed kale. I always forget how much I absolutely adore kale.
Filed under: recipes
I had a fabulous meal planned for Christmas day. The new boy and I had been having a terrible time finding room in our schedules to see each other, and we finally both had the same day off from work. I wanted to do something special, and cooking dinner sounded like the best possible option.
Until he flaked via text message. I deleted his phone number and had vodka and pretzels for dinner. The last thing on my mind was cooking a tasty meal.
However, I am not one to waste good mushrooms, and I had bought a bag full of wild hedgehog mushrooms the day before. So today I cooked what should have been a meal for two. I would have done something fancier, had I had an audience, but a simple stir fry was just as delicious. I think I have a new second favorite mushroom.
Hedgehog Mushroom Stir Fry
1 medium red potato
1/2 red onion
1 small head of broccoli
1 cup hedgehog mushrooms
butter
ginger juice
soy sauce
salt
white pepper
I cooked the onions and potatoes for about ten minutes, then added everything but the broccoli. I stir fried everything on medium high heat until the mushrooms were cooked through, then added the broccoli for just a few minutes.
Simple and tasty.
I’ve been cooking rice bowls for breakfast this week. I start with brown rice and then saute whatever vegetables I have around and add a fried egg. The variations are endless, and the results are always scrumptious.
Today’s rice bowl consisted of assorted wild mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, and garlic sauteed with ginger juice, soy sauce, and a little olive oil.
Filed under: recipes | Tags: chanterelles, cooking, fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, recipes
I made dinner last night for my house mate and myself. Rainbow Grocery had huge chanterelle mushrooms, so I looked for recipe inspiration at http://fungi.com, (which is an AWESOME website. You can order gourmet mushroom grow kits to produce your own fancy fungi at home!) The one thing I took from their recipes was adding sour cream to the finished product. I kind of made this up as I went along, and it turned out really well. Here’s what I did:
I started a cup of brown rice in the steamer and boiled the fingerling potatoes until just barely cooked through. Then I melted one tablespoon of butter in a saucepan with one small, diced red onion, two crushed cloves of garlic, sliced fingerling potatoes, and one giant, sliced chanterelle. I added salt and herbs de Provence, then sauteed everything for about 14 minutes.
At this point, the rice was pretty much done, but there was still too much water in it, so I dumped everything out of the pan and put in the rice with a little more butter. I pan fried the rice for a few minutes, letting some of it get golden brown and a little crunchy. Next I took the pan off the heat and added a couple tablespoons of sour cream, mixing it into the rice. Finally, I put the rice in bowls and topped it with the sauteed mushrooms and potatoes.
My house mate seemed to really like this, and I think I will definitely make it again when I have chanterelles to use. I have one mushroom left, and I think I will use it to make a pasta sauce. Yum.
