Mushrooms with brown rice

When the cat is away, the mice will play. When hubby is traveling, we have all kinds of different foods for dinner. Where normally, we would have rice and dal, today, we had brown rice with musrooms gravy. The kids were smart enough to catch me out, though, and have already extracted a promise that I will make the same mushroom dish with pasta!

200 gms button mushrooms
1 onion, cut lengthwise
4-5 pods garlic
3 tbsp basil leaves
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chicken stock

Method:
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet. Add garlic and onions, and saute will browned.
Meanwhile wash the mushrooms, and cut them lengthwise. Add to the browning onions, and saute till the water is released, and then starts drying up.
Add chicken stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Gradually bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, make a paste of cornflour with 2-3 tbsp water. Add to the gravy, serving constantly to ensure there are no lumps.
Simmer for 5-8 minutes till the gravy starts to come together. Add torn basil leaves, and simmer for an additional minute.
Serve with steamed brown rice.

Omelette with mushrooms and microgreens

One takeaway container yields enough microgreens to stretch to at least three portions, and since I am the only consumer of the stuff, I decided to try out this Martha Stewart recipe. Yummy.

1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 eggs

1 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

3-4 tbsp microgreens

Method:

Heat half the butter in a pan, and cook the mushrooms, undisturbed, until they begin to release their liquid. Add salt nd pepper, stir, and saute till golden brown. Remove, stir in microgreens and keep aside. 

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl until well combined; season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs into the pan, swirl till well distributed. Allow it to cook till one side is done. Flip over and cook for 30 seconds. Flip over again

Place mushroom filling on 1 side of omelet. Using spatula, gently fold other side of omelet over filling. Serve immediately.

Kadhai Mushroom

Ever since I made the kadhai paneer last week, I've been wanting to make kadhai mushroom. I adapted this from the same recipe.

200 gms mushroom

2 onions chopped fine

2 tomatoes chopped fine

1 green capsicum chopped fine
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp jeera powder
2 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp red chilli sauce

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

Wash the mushrooms well, then cut them vertically. 

Heat 1 tbsp oil, sauté the mushrooms till lightly browned. Keep aside.
In the same pan, add rest of the oil, add chopped onions, and saute till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste, and spices, and saute till the raw smell goes. Add tomatoes and sauté till mushy.
Allow the masala to cool, then grind it till you get a fine paste.

In the pan, add 1 tsp oil and sauté the capsicum. Add the ground masala, salt to taste and mix well. Add the sauted mushrooms, and mix well. Add water, bring to boil, simmer for 2 minutes and serve. 

Pasta in mushroom sauce

When you are doing all the cooking yourself, the family tends to have a more varied diet. Pasta often make sn appearance twice a week, and mushrooms grave the table at least once. And spices too- I've consumed more nutmeg in the last month than I did in the year before!!!!

This pasta tasted much better than it looked. 

300 gms pasta

1 packet mushrooms

1 large onion, sliced long 

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp ground pepper

2 tbdp cornflour

1/2 cup chicken stock (I substituted with water)

Salt to taste

Method:

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Drain and keep aside. 

Heat the butter, sauté the onions till brown. 

Meanwhile wash mushrooms well and slice longitudinally. 

Add mushroom to the onions and sauté on a low flame till browned. 

Add cornflour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir till mushrooms are well coated. Sauté till browned. 

Add stock, and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add the pasta, mix well. Serve hot. 

Thing Two's cheesy mushroom pasta

After Thing One's success in the kitchen, Thing Two wanted to try his hand at making pasta, and he proved to be as adept.

200 gms pasta
100 gms mushrooms, sliced thinly
4 pods garlic
2 tbsp basil leaves
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 cup milk
1 tbsp cornflour powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack, drain, wash with cold water and keep aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil, add the garlic pods and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the mushroom, and saute till well browned. Add torn basil leaves and toss for about 30 seconds. Add salt to taste, mix well and keep aside.
To make the white sauce, heat the milk, make a paste of cornflour with milk, mix well, and let it simmer on a low flame till the sauce attains desired consistency. Add salt and red chilli flakes to taste, and mix in the cheese.
Mix the pasta and cooked mushroom well, pour the white sauce, and serve.

Pasta in mushroom sauce

I adapted this recipe from a similar one I made a couple of months back, and the medley of mushrooms, creamy sauce, basil and chilli flakes was as good as I'd hoped it would be. I tossed in a few chicken sausages for the hubby and kids, but thought it was really good without any of it.

200 gms macaroni (or any other pasta)

1 packet mushrooms
1 onion chopped fine
6-8 pods garlic
1 cup milk
2 tbsp cornflour powder
1 tbsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp basil, shredded
1 tbsp butter
Salt to taste

Method:
Cook the pasta in sufficient water (and 1 tsp salt), stirring constantly to ensure it doesn't stick. Drain and keep aside. Reserve some of the water that the pasta was cooked in.
Heat the butter, Saute garlic (peeled and cut lengthwise), and onions till transparent.
Wash the mushrooms. Chop lenthwise in half. Add mushrooms to onions and garlic, and saute till browned.
Sprinkle the cornflour, salt and chilli flakes and stir till well coated. Once browned, add milk gradually, with constant stirring.
Let the milk simmer for a few minutes till thickened.
Stir in the basil (reserving a little for garnish) and turn off the flame.
Add pasta and mix well (add the reserved pasta water, if required).
Check for salt and serve, garnished with fresh basil leaves.

Mushroom-spinach casserole with leftover rotis

When I saw a packet of plump mushrooms, I couldn't resist picking it up. It was only after I got home, that I thought about what to do with it. Since I had half a bunch of spinach, and a whole lot of leftover rotis, I invented this dish which ended up tasting really good.

1 packet of mushrooms, cleaned well
1/2 bunch spinach
4-5 pods garlic, chopped
6 leftover rotis
4 tbsp grated cheese
1/2 tbsp butter

Method
Wrap the rotis in a towel and microwave for  30 seconds. Tear into bite sized pieces
Slice about 1/4th of the mushrooms, and chop the rest into tiny pieces
Chop the spinach into thin slices
Heat the butter, fry the garlic till the aroma is released. Add mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach, and fry for 2-3 minutes, till half the water that was released is absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Grease a baking dish with butter. Put one layer of leftover rotis, one of spinach-mushroom sauce and top with cheese. Repeat.
Put in a preheated oven, and bake at 175 degrees for 10 minutes.
Serve hot.

Brown rice in a Creamy Mushroom- Dill Sauce

A couple of days back, I bought a beautiful bunch of leaves intending to use it in an egg curry. Unfortunately, however, plans changed, and I never got to use it. On the same day, I bought a packet of button mushrooms, but ended up serving a very different dish when I had guests over for dinner.
With us leaving on a ten day vacation, I tried to clear up the fridge, and adapted this recipe to fix ourselves a great lunch.

200 gms mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Butter
4 tbs chopped fresh dil, reserve a little for garnishing Salt to taste
Grated cheese
1 measure brown rice
1 cup milk
1 tbsp cornflour



Method:
Soak the rice for 30 minutes, and cook with 2 1/2 measures of water till done. Drain and keep aside
Heat the butter, saute garlic and onion till they turn transparent.
Add chopped mushrooms and salt to taste, and saute on a low flame till the water evaporates.
Add dill leaves and salt and stir for another minute. Keep aside.
In the same pan, heat the milk, and taking a little milk, make a paste with the cornflour. Add cornflour to the warm milk, bring to a boil, and simmer for about a minute. Add 2 tbsp grated cheese and salt to taste.
Add cooked rice to the white sauce, and after well mixed, add the sauteed mushrooms.
Serve garnished with some dill leaves.

1.Start by cutting up 1/2 LBS mushrooms 2.Finely chop 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves. 3.Heat up a pan and saute mushrooms, onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil until the mushroom starts to golden and the onion is soft. 4.Add 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1 1/2 cup cream and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill. 5.Let it simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. 6.Cook up enough pasta for 4 people, remember to ad salt to the water. 7.Boil until al dente. 8.Strain and place in a bowl. 9.Add the sauce, mix and serve with shaved parmesan on top.

Read more: http://www.sweetpaulmag.com/food/mushroom-dill-pasta#ixzz30YA77IMX

Fusilli in Mushroom Sauce, with sauteed broccoli

It is a pleasure cooking for my Older One, because he genuinely enjoys his food, and can be counted on to do full justice to a meal he likes. Since it is now just the two of us for lunch, I decided to make pasta in mushroom sauce today. The only problem was that the recipe I had bookmarked didn't seem as good when I finally started gathering the ingredients, so I decided to adapt my mushroom soup recipe to come up with my own. And it was really yummy!

Pasta in Mushroom Sauce

200 gms fusilli pasta

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup milk

1 tbsp butter
3 fat cloves garlic chopped fine
1 small onion chopped fine
3/4 cups mushrooms- mostly chopped fine, but with a few large slices
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cornflour mixed in 1/4 cup milk
1 sprig fresh basil

Method:
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, drain and keep aside.


Combine 1 cup mushrooms and 1 cup milk and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Cool and blend in a mixer to a coarse paste. Keep aside.

Heat the oil, saute garlic and onions till onions turn transparent. Add chopped mushrooms, and saute till browned.
Add the ground paste and cook for a minute.
Add the cornflour-milk mixture, fresh basil, salt and pepper and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the pasta, and serve with sauteed broccoli.


For sauteed broccoli:
Heat butter in a pan, add 1 fat garlic clove finely sliced, and fry till the aroma of garlic fills the room.
Add broccoli florets and saute till lightly browned.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Creamy mushroom soup

A few times last year, I made soup and bread for dinner, and it worked much better than I'd anticipated it would. So this year, I am planning to make "soup and bread" once a week at home. This is my first attempt at making a soup which all of us love- mushroom soup- but which I have never been brave enough to try.

1 tsp cornflour mixed with ¼ cup milk

3/4 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt to taste

For the paste:
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup milk

Method:
For the paste:
Combine the mushrooms and milk and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Cool and blend in a mixer to a coarse paste. Keep aside.


Heat a non-stick pan, add the ground paste, mushrooms and 2½ cups of water and simmer for a few minutes.
Add the cornflour-milk mixture, oregano and salt and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or till the mixture thickens.
Serve hot, with breadsticks.

Mushroom cream

When I saw this recipe for crumbed chicken with creamy mushrooms, on MM's blog, I knew I had to try it. Though she makes it as an accompaniment to fried chicken, I served it with bread.

Mushrooms
Butter for frying
Garlic- finely chopped
Onions- finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley
Fresh cream

Method
Heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add onions and garlic, and fry till onions turn transparent.
Add sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper, and cook on medium heat till most of the water disappears
Lower the heat, and add parsley and cream
Stir, and let it cook on a low flame for less than 5 minutes.
Can be had with fried chicken, or with bread.

• Olive oil/Butter
• Mushrooms, thinly sliced )I used button mushrooms)
• Garlic, very finely chopped
• Onions, finely chopped
• Salt
• Pepper
• Fresh parsley, very finely chopped
• Fresh cream

Instructions:

In a non-stick pan heat some olive oil. Add garlic and onions. 

When onions go soft add sliced mushrooms,salt and pepper. 

Cook on medium heat till most of the water evaporates.

 Lower the heat and add some fresh parsley and cream. 

Stir and let it cook for no more than 5 minutes on low flame. - See more at: http://mmskitchenbites.blogspot.in/2012/12/crumbed-chicken-with-creamed.html#sthash.9CBDDR5z.dpuf