Timbale Of Grains With Wild Mushrooms Asparagus And A Sauce Of Goats Feta Food

WILD MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Steps:

• In an electric kettle or medium saucepan with a lid, combine chicken broth and white wine and heat just to simmering. Keep warm.
• In a large 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the grains are translucent around the edges. Be careful not to allow the grains or the onions to brown.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add enough of the wine and chicken stock just to cover the top of the rice. Stir or move the pan often, until the liquid is completely absorbed into rice. Once absorbed, add another amount of liquid just to cover the rice and continue stirring or moving as before. There should be just enough liquid left to repeat 1 more time. It should take approximately 35 to 40 minutes for all of the liquid to be absorbed. After the last addition of liquid has been mostly absorbed, add the mushrooms and asparagus and stir until risotto is creamy and asparagus is heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Taste and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• *Cook's Note: If fresh wild mushrooms are not available, reconstituted dried mushrooms can be used instead. Place 2 ounces of dried mushrooms into a bowl and cover with warm water. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes or until all the mushrooms are soft and pliable.

AUBERGINE TIMBALES WITH GOAT'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Put oil in a large frying pan to cover the base, and heat. Fry the aubergine until softened, 2-3 mins . Season, then drain on paper towel. You may have to do this in batches.
• For the filling, add 2-3 tbsp oil to the pan and fry the pepper, courgette, shallots and garlic over a high heat until they have a good colour, 3-5 mins. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook until evaporated. Add the tomatoes and season, then cook for 3 more mins stirring occasionally until the mixture is softened, but not too saucy. Remove from the heat, then mix in the olives, capers, half the shredded basil and the grated parmesan. Set aside to cool.
• Grease the moulds and line the bases with aubergine slices to fit. Top with veg mixture, more aubergine slices (cut to fit if needed) and a slices of cheese. Repeat the layers, finishing with aubergine. Press lightly to firm. Can be covered with cling film and chilled for up to 1 day.
• To cook and serve: heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Chilled cups will need to come to room temperature first. Place the cups on a tray, uncovered, and bake for 12-15 mins until bubbling. Allow to stand for 10 mins while you toss the spinach and remaining basil with vinaigrette and seasoning and divide between six dinner plates. Scatter over the nuts.
• Loosen the tops of the timbales with a table knife and up-end into the centre of the salad on the plates, shaking the cups to help demould. Top with the parmesan shavings and serve.

ASPARAGUS WITH MORELS AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• Put morels, porcinis or both in a bowl with very hot water to cover; soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain morels and reserve soaking liquid. Cut morels in half; if porcinis are large, chop them roughly.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when butter is hot and foam has subsided, add shallots and reconstituted and fresh mushrooms to pan. Cook until shallots soften and fresh mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked off, about 10 minutes.
• Add asparagus and 1/2 cup reserved liquid to pan. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, reduce heat so mixture simmers, and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add cream and tarragon or chervil and continue cooking, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly and asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

ASPARAGUS TIMBALE

Steps:

• Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces. In a small frying pan, melt the butter and saute the scallion and asparagus for a few minutes until both are fairly soft. Place the mixture in the bottom of a well-oiled 1 quart casserole.
• In a bowl, beat the cheese, milk, salt and tarragon into the egg. Pour this mixture over the asparagus mixture in the casserole.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

ASPARAGUS-WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes, until tender and releasing juice. Add thyme and cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Using a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of sauteed mushrooms and reserve for Wild Mushroom Turnovers with Romano Cheese.
• To the mushrooms in the pot, add rice and broth and asparagus and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, Stir in Parmesan and chopped parsley. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle risotto into bowls and serve hot.
• Serving suggestions: Toss cherry tomatoes with bottled Caesar dressing and serve alongside risotto.

WILD MUSHROOM CUSTARD WITH ASPARAGUS-TRUFFLE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a hot saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil and saute garlic. Add mushrooms and mix carefully. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with wine and reduce until nearly dry. Check for seasoning and lay mushrooms on a tray to cool completely. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Mix in cooled mushrooms and scallions. Spray 4 large ramekins with cooking spray and fill 4/5. Place in hot bain marie (boiling water up half way) and bake in oven at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until set.
• In a 1 quart casserole, add 1 tablespoon butter and sweat onions and garlic until soft. Add water and season well. Add the asparagus and cook for only 3 to 5 minutes until soft. Add the spinach and take the casserole off of the heat. (It is imperative that this water tastes salty so that when the asparagus and spinach are added, they maintain their green color.) Immediately buzz the sauce with a hand blender and add the butter. Check for seasoning. Add the truffle oil and keep warm in a water bath.
• PLATING
• In a large pasta bowl, ladle in the asparagus sauce. Place one custard in the middle and garnish with asparagus spears, truffle oil and fresh truffle slices.

VEGETABLE TIMBALES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare 1 batch of corn custard and set aside. Dry roast all the vegetable rounds until wrinkly, but not too brown. Let cool. Meanwhile, spray 8 souffle dishes with pan coating. Line the edges of the dishes with the leeks horizontally. Arrange 3 to 4 carrot rounds on the bottom of each dish making a "flower." Follow layers in this order: zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, yellow squash, and red peppers. Place the rounds in concentric circles fully covering the previous layer.
• Ladle the corn custard over the entire timbale. Once the custard is up to the lip, cover with spinach leaves. Press the leaves lightly into the custard to coat.
• Cover with foil and bake until the custards reach a temperature of 150 degrees F.
• Put corn in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, just enough to blend and add to the corn. Add the remaining ingredients and blend. Pour over timbales and bake.

WHOLE-GRAIN PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, ASPARAGUS AND FAVAS

Steps:

• Begin heating a large pot of water while you shell the favas. Fill a bowl with cold water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the asparagus. Blanch thin stalks for 3 minutes, thicker ones for 4 to 5. Transfer to the cold water, drain and cut into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Bring the water back to a boil and add the favas. Boil 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the beans. Drain and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then slip off their skins by pinching off the eye of the skin and squeezing gently.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes, and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have begun to soften and sweat, about 3 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, fragrant and juicy, another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and favas and remove from the heat but keep warm.
• Bring the water in the pot back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente, using the timing instructions on the package as a guide but checking the pasta a minute before the time indicated is up. When the pasta is ready, use a ladle to transfer 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the vegetables and another 1/2 cup to a bowl, in case you want more to moisten the mixture. Drain the pasta and toss at once with the vegetables and basil. Add more of the cooking water if desired. Serve hot, passing the Parmesan at the table.

BUTTERY PAN ROASTED MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• In a heavy frying pan (I like cast iron)cook onion and butter on med-high to high heat until onion is tender.
• Add mushrooms and cook until they start to brown, stirring often.
• Add asparagus, salt, and pepper to taste and cook until crisp-tender. This dish is best when the asparagus is still a bit crisp and bright green. Serve hot.

WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Tip the wine and mushrooms into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to soak until cool, about 20 mins. Strain through a sieve over a bowl to reserve the wine, pressing the mushrooms with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Set the rehydrated mushrooms aside. Return the wine to the pan and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and keep on a high heat until reduced by half, about 15 mins. Pour in the cream, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half again, about 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the mushrooms. Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms until just golden. Carefully add the brandy and sizzle briefly, then squeeze in the lemon juice, remove from the heat and set aside. Stir the mushroom mixture into the reduced cream sauce along with any juices from the frying pan, then season. Will keep chilled for up to three days.

WILD MUSHROOM TIMBALES WITH BACON AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Stir the salt, pepper, lemon zest, parsley, thyme and Parmesan into the mushrooms. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk and eggs. Stir in the mushroom mixture. Spray 8 6-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil. Fill each with the custard and set in a large roasting pan.
• Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until set, about 55 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside. Pour the fat from the skillet. Add the vinegar and demi-glace and simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes, scraping up any bacon bits stuck to the pan.
• Run the tip of a small knife around the edge of the ramekins to loosen the custards. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce onto the center of 8 plates. Mound 1 cup of arugula in the center of each plate. Unmold the timbales onto the center of the arugula. Scatter the bacon around the timbales and serve at once.

FETTUCCINE WITH MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons salt.
• 2. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and sauté quickly to keep the ingredients from scorching. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms darken slightly in color and are softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and asparagus and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, immediately reduce the heat to keep it from scorching, and cook for several minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan over low heat, shaking the pan, just until they are warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• 4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil (10 minutes if you are using pappardelle).
• 5. Add the basil, butter, pine nuts, and cheese to the pan with the mushrooms and toss well.
• 6. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta's cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the mushrooms, asparagus, and sauce. If the sauce seems too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and more pepper flakes if necessary.
• 7. Present the pasta in a bowl and serve family style from the center of the table, or divide among individual plates.
• Your Nightly Specials
• Mushrooms: Instead of using the cremini, use 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms.
• Dried Mushrooms: Dried mushrooms like porcini, morel, and chanterelle offer a quick way to add flavor to cooking and are especially useful in the off season or winter months. Always rinse dried mushrooms under cold running water to remove any lingering dirt and sand, then reconstitute them in hot water for 20 minutes, drain, and strain the liquid. Save the liquid for soups and sauces. Keeping a small packet of dried mushrooms, which costs just a few dollars, in your pantry will five earthy flavor on demand.
• Use a spice grinder to grind dried porcini to a powder. This seasoning powder will very economically make a full pot of risotto taste like a much more costly version, something many restaurants do to make flavors pop. Add 1 tablespoon to the finished mushrooms for a powerful and full flavor at an economical price.
• Porcini Mushrooms: Fresh porcini are among the most delicious of mushrooms. When they are available each fall, by all means use them, although they are expensive and need to be cooked as quickly as possible because they are highly perishable.
• Add 1/2 cup of blanched and shocked fresh or frozen peas, spincach, and/or broccoli buds.
• Toss some shredded, leftover roasted turkey or duck meat into the pan along with the cooked pasta.