Pumpkin And Porcini Mushrooms Food

PORCINI MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine dried porcini mushrooms and boiling water; let stand 15-20 minutes or until mushrooms are softened. Remove with a slotted spoon; rinse and finely chop. Discard liquid. Set aside mushrooms. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add portobello mushrooms and shallot; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in milk and beer. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in cheeses, salt and reserved porcini mushrooms., Drain pasta; add to mushroom mixture and toss to combine. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

PUMPKIN AND PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Soak the porcini mushrooms in warm water to cover for about 25 to 30 minutes until soft. Remove any grit and fibrous pieces and squeeze gently to remove water.
• Combine the flour with about a teaspoon of salt and lightly dredge the pumpkin cubes. Heat one-quarter cup of the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough cubes to cover the bottom of the pan comfortably without crowding. Saute until lightly colored, turning to color all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Continue until all the cubes are cooked and set aside.
• Clean the skillet. Pour in the remaining oil, heat and add the bacon. Saute for two to three minutes until the bacon is separated and translucent. Add the onions and continue to cook slowly for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the Marsala, stir and then add the juniper berries, mushrooms and salt and pepper. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, cooking until the liquid is reduced by half.
• Add the vinegar and pumpkin and cook for a few minutes more to warm the pumpkin through.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS AND PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Remove scales from stalks with a vegetable peeler, if desired. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
• Cook broth in a saucepan over medium heat until hot; add mushrooms. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Cook onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until tender. Add rice and wine and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium . Gradually pour hot broth from mushrooms into rice mixture in skillet, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow rice mixture to absorb broth before adding more. Stir in asparagus and mushrooms; cover and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese , salt and pepper and serve immediately.

CREAMY CHICKEN & PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Soak porcini in 300ml/1⁄2 pt hot water for 30 mins. Skin chicken and rub the cut side of the lemon over them. Heat oil in a pan large enough to hold chicken in one layer. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Transfer to a casserole.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Melt the butter in a medium pan. When it stops foaming, add onion and 1 tsp salt, then sauté until pale gold.
• Meanwhile, remove the porcini from the water and rinse well. Pat dry and chop small. Strain the water through a sieve, stopping before the last spoonful.
• Add porcini and pumpkin pieces to onion and sauté for 5 mins. Add fresh mushrooms and cook for 5 mins more, stirring frequently. Stir in the cream, 4-5 tbsp of the porcini water and seasoning if you wish. Simmer uncovered for 10-12 mins until reduced slightly, then pour over the chicken.
• Cover and cook in the oven for 30-40 mins, turning the chicken once or twice and adding a few spoonfuls of water if the sauce becomes a little dry.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make filling:
• In a small saucepan bring water to a boil and remove pan from heat. Stir in porcini. Soak porcini 20 minutes. Lift out porcini, squeezing out excess liquid, and reserve soaking liquid. In a sieve rinse porcini to remove any grit and pat dry. Chop porcini and transfer to a large bowl. Simmer reserved soaking liquid until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Pour liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into bowl with porcini.
• Quarter white mushrooms and in a food processor pulse in 3 batches until finely chopped. Cut zucchini into 1/4-inch dice. Chop onion and mince garlic. In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook one third white mushrooms with 2 tablespoons Sherry, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown. Add mushroom mixture to porcini. Cook remaining mushrooms in 2 batches in butter with remaining Sherry in same manner and add to porcini mixture. In skillet cook zucchini in 1 tablespoon butter until tender and stir into porcini mixture. In skillet cook onion in remaining tablespoon butter, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir onion into mushroom mixture until combined. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Make sauce:
• In a 3-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes and whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, mustard, and salt. Remove pan from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before proceeding.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a 13 x 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish.
• Assemble lasagne:
• Spread 1 1/4 cups sauce in baking dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets, making sure they don't touch each other. Spread one third filling over pasta sheets in dish and top with 3 more pasta sheets, gently pressing down layers to remove air pockets. Top pasta sheets with one third mozzarella. Continue layering in same manner with sauce, pasta sheets, filling, and mozzarella, ending with mozzarella (dish will be filled to rim). Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan. On a foil-lined large baking sheet bake lasagne in middle of oven until bubbling and golden, about 45 minutes. Let lasagne stand 20 minutes. Lasagne may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring lasagne to room temperature and reheat before serving.

PUMPKIN GNOCCHI WITH CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS/PORCINI

Steps:

• Clean pumpkin, discard seeds and chop.
• Meanwhile preheat oven to 200°C.
• Butter a pan/casserole dish, add pumpkin chunks and let bake for about 50-60 minute (you could also roast them in a pan, for about 15 minute until soft, tastes a bit different, but saves quite some time).
• Cook potatoes until soft (for about 20 min).
• Take pumpkin chunks out of the oven and let cool.
• Rinse cooked potatoes under cold water and peel.
• Put pumpkin chunks through a (potatoe) ricer into a bowl.
• Do the same with the potatoes (cut in chunks first).
• Add flour, nutmeg, parmesan, salt and pepper, about 20g of butter and the egg.
• Knead to a medium to firm dough (add flour if necessary).
• Form small rolls out of Gnocchi dough and cut in about half inch size pieces (use some flour in case the dough tends to stick to your working place's surface. If you like your Gnocchi to soak up the sauce better, make slight indentations with fork rakes -- does look pretty as well).
• Heat water in a large pot.
• Meanwhiles melt the rest of the butter in a pan.
• Add chopped shallots and garlic. Fry until soft and fragrant.
• Add chopped chanterelles (or porcini or any other mushroom you like to use).
• Let fry until they loose water and turn soft.
• Let mushroom fry dry a bit and then add the white wine and cream. Let cook until sauce thickens and gets a very creamy texture.
• Meanwhile add Pumpkin Gnocchi to boiling water and let simmer until they come to the surface. (about 2-3 minutes).
• Strain gnocchi (or use a slotted spoon) and add to mushroom sauce.
• Toss carefully and add chopped parsley or sage.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer to deep dish plates and garnish with parmesan (shaves).