Sautéed Green Beans With Mushrooms and Caramelized Cipollini Onions

Ingredients

serves Serves 6 to 8, active time 1 hour, total time 1 hour 15 minutes

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 pound cipollini onions, trimmed and peeled
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1 pound button mushrooms, washed, trimmed, and cut into quarters
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon picked fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

Procedures

1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add cipollini onions, season well with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, and cook, turning occasionally, until onions are a deep, caramel brown, about 45 minutes total.
   
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add beans and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain and run under cool running water until at cold. Set aside.
   
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat until lightly smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they've released all their liquid and are browned, about 10 minutes total, reducing heat if oil starts to smoke excessively. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add shallots, garlic, thyme, and remaining tablespoon butter and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add soy sauce and toss to combine.
   
4. Add green beans, onions, and lemon juice to mushrooms and toss to reheat and combine. Serve immediately.

Steamed Dumplings With Shiitake Mushrooms in Sichuan Soup

The setup for this part dipping sauce, part soup couldn't be much simpler: add stock, some pantry staples, and scallions, dump in steamed dumplings, and that's dinner.

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 10 minutes, total time 10 minutes

• 24 small Chinese dumplings, fresh or frozen
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, ends removed, caps sliced 1/2-inch thick
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons preserved bamboo shoots in chili oil
• 1/4 cup scallions greens, thinly sliced
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn

Procedures

1. Pour water into a large pot until it comes 2 inches up the sides, and top with a steamer basket. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add as many of the dumplings as will fit in one layer and cook according to the directions on the packaging. (The frozen dumplings I used took about 4 minutes.) Repeat step, if necessary, until all the dumplings are cooked.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high. When oil shimmers, add sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their water and start to brown, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
   
3. Warm the stock in a medium saucepan over medium high heat until starting to simmer. Turn off the heat.
   
4. Take out four large bowls. In each bowl add 1 tablespoon preserved bamboo shoots, 1 tablespoon sliced scallion greens, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn, and 3/4 cup chicken stock. Taste and, if needed, season with additional salt. Add 6 dumplings to each bowl and a quarter of the mushrooms. Serve immediately.

Smoky Cauliflower Soup With Wild Mushrooms and Ham Crisps

Lush and creamy roasted cauliflower soup is finished with herb-roasted wild mushrooms and ham crisps.

Note: Feel free to make the soup and mushrooms in advance. Both will store nicely in the refrigerator for about two days. However, make the ham crisps prior to serving.

Special equipment: Baking sheets, blender, cooking spray

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 15 minutes, total time 30 minutes

• For the Soup:
• 1 large head cauliflower, cored, cut into florets and tough stalks discarded
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon hot or sweet pimentón (smoked paprika)
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk, plus additional as needed
•  
• For the Mushrooms:
• 1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
•  
• For the Ham:
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1/2 pound very thinly sliced deli ham or prosciutto

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. Place cauliflower on a 13- by 9-inch baking sheet in a single layer. Toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and pimentón. Transfer to oven to roast, tossing halfway through, until tender and browned, 35 to 40 minutes.
   
3. While the cauliflower is cooking, add mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar to a medium, oven-safe baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine and transfer to the oven to roast until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are nicely browned, 25 to 30 minutes
   
4. On another baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray, place sliced ham in a single layer. Spray the side facing up with a thin coating of cooking spray and place in oven to crisp, about 10 minutes.
   
5. Remove cauliflower, mushrooms and ham from the oven. Discard rosemary and thyme and cover mushrooms to keep them warm. Transfer cauliflower to a blender. Add milk and pulse to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then puree until smooth, adding additional liquid as needed to create a smooth, creamy soup. If necessary, heat soup in a large pot after blending.
   
6. Ladle soup into individual bowls, and garnish with a ham crisp and mushrooms. Serve immediately.

Pasta With Mushrooms, Brussels Sprouts, and Parmesan

A quick dinner of orecchiette pasta tossed in a clingy sauce made with mushrooms, shallots, thyme, and brussels sprouts leaves.

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 25 minutes, total time 25 minutes

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound brussels sprouts, divided into individual leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, button, cremini, and maitake
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon picked fresh thyme leaves
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 pound dried orecchiette
• 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Procedures

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add brussels sprouts, toss to coat in oil, season with salt and pepper, cook without moving until well charred on one side. Toss and continue to cook until leaves are bright green and charred in spots, about 2 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
   
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, until moisture has been evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned, about 4 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring, until shallots are softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add butter, lemon juice, and stock. Simmer until sauce is reduced and emulsified, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper (this may not be necessary if stock is store-bought). Set aside off heat.
   
3. Add orecchiette to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly al dente (about 1 minute less than the package instructions). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Add orecchiette, half of Parmesan, reserved pasta cooking water, and a generous amount of black pepper to mushrooms. Cook, stirring, over high heat until pasta is fully al dente and liquid has thickened into a sauce that coats the pasta, about 1 minute. If sauce looks greasy or broken, add 2 tablespoons of stock or water and stir vigorously to bring it back together. Stir in brussels sprouts leaves and serve, topping with more cheese at the table.

Portobello Mushrooms With Pearled Barley and Preserved Lemon

Ingredients

serves Serves 6, active time 20 minutes, total time 1 hour and 15 minutes

• Pearled barley
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cups (750 ml) vegetable or chicken stock
• heaping 1/2 cup (110 g) pearled barley
• 1/4 preserved lemon, flesh removed and skin finely chopped
• 1 3/4 ounce (50 g) feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons purple basil sprouts, radish sprouts, or purple basil leaves, shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•  
• 7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter
• 15 sprigs thyme
• 6 large portobello mushrooms
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) dry white wine
• 1 cup (180 ml) vegetable stock
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

1. First cook the barley. Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-based saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the barley, lower the heat, then cover and simmer for 1 hour, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the barley is tender.
   
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Take a large baking sheet and grease it heavily with two-thirds of the butter. Scatter the thyme sprigs over it. Stem the mushrooms and place the mushroom caps, stem side up, on top of the thyme. Pour over the wine and stock and scatter the sliced garlic over. Dot each mushroom with a couple of knobs of the remaining butter, then season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. Leave them in their cooking juices until you are ready to serve.
   
3. When the barley is done, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the preserved lemon, feta, parsley, and thyme. Taste and add salt and pepper. To serve, reheat the mushrooms in the oven for a few minutes, if necessary. Place each mushroom, stem side up, on a serving plate. Scoop the barley on top and spoon some of the mushroom cooking juices over. Garnish with the basil sprouts and drizzle over the olive oil.