Wild About You Salad Wild Mushroom Salad With Thyme And Heart Of Romaine Food

WILD MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• The stems and caps of the mushrooms are used for different parts of the recipe, so separating them is the first step. Take a knife and cut the stems from the caps of all the different mushroom varieties, put the caps in one bowl, and the stems in another. Next we make a stock by placing all the mushroom stems into a pot, along with the bay leaves, white peppercorns, teaspoon of salt and water. Bring that to a heavy boil, and let reduce. All of this needs to reduce to 1/4 of a cup of finished stock, so patience is needed. After about 15 to 20 minutes on high heat, take the stock and pour through a fine strainer, if 1/4 cup of liquid is left, discard the pulp and save the liquid off to one side. Take the mushroom caps, and slice them. Add the sliced mushroom caps and saute in butter until tender. Then add in the shallots and garlic, and only saute for about another minute, or until the shallots and garlic are translucent. Pull the saute pan off the stove, and add the curry powder, fresh herbs, red bell peppers, oils, rice vinegar, pinch of salt and pepper, and mushroom stock. Pour this mixture into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour, to allow all the flavors and aromas of the stock to infuse into the mushrooms. Strain this salad, and serve the mushrooms on one plate, and save the stock as a dressing.

WILD MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Put the mushrooms in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, stirring a few times, until soft and golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup oil, the vinegar, thyme, and chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette in a small bowl.
• Add the warm mushrooms to the remaining vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to marinate.
• Put the quinoa grains into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water for 1 minute. Drain well. Transfer the quinoa to a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups cold water and 1 tablespoon salt, cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the quinoa is tender and the water has evaporated, about 18 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes without lifting the cover. Spoon the quinoa into the marinated mushrooms and stir to combine.
• Put the greens in a large bowl, toss with the reserved balsamic vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper. Divide the greens among 4 large plates and top the greens with some of the quinoa-mushroom salad. Drizzle the quinoa salad with the truffle oil, if using, season with additional pepper, and garnish with parsley leaves.
• Spread some of the caramelized shallots over the toasted bread and top with a slice of cheese. Place 3 croutons around the perimeter of each plate.
• Melt the butter with the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Add the sugar and vinegar and cook until the mixture thickens and becomes jamlike, about 15 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick to spread, stir in a tablespoon or so of water.
• Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Remove and let cool to room temperature. The marmalade will keep for 2 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

WARM WILD MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar and thyme in small bowl to blend.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots; sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Cover skillet; cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Uncover; simmer until any juices evaporate. Mix 2 tablespoons dressing and chives into mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss greens with remaining dressing in large bowl. Top with mushrooms.