Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon and Chevre
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Cooking time: 70
cooking time for menu Cooking schedule: see below for "menu" instructions |
Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon and Chevre Time: 20 minutes
8 large button or cremini mushrooms, 1 1/5 - 2" (3.75 - 5cm) in diameter 12 medium, 16 small...
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs soy sauce
3 shallots
3 slices bacon
3 - 4 oz chevre - in the little carton, Chevraux in Europe, Chavrie in U.S. save the rest for Sunday
paprika for sprinkling
Tomato Bread
Clean mushrooms, removing stems. Reserve stems, trimming if needed. Finely chop the shallots and stems. Heat oil and soy sauce in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushroom caps and sauté until light brown, 5 minutes, turning once. Remove and place on a baking sheet - with a lip so they don't slide off. Add shallots and chopped mushroom stems to pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and put in a small bowl. Add bacon to pan and sauté until crisp. Remove and crumble. Add to the bowl. Add goat cheese to shallots and bacon and mix well. Use enough of the goat cheese to be able to fill all the caps, mounding slightly. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 12 - 15 minutes, until they are light brown. Remove and serve with quartered Pa amb Tomàquet.
Tomato Bread Pa amb Tomàquet this is a Catalan specialty, from the northern part of Spain around Barcelona. There are special tomatoes grown for this and one normally cuts the tomato then very firmly rubs it over the bread, extracting the juice and some pulp in the process.
2 slices bread, multi-grain peasant bread is best
3 tbs tomato juice (if this were summer we would use fresh tomatoes. But the ones in the
supermarkets now aren't juicy or flavorful enough so we cheat.)
get the juice from the can of whole tomatoes being used for the pasta tomorrow night. Just
open it, steal the 3 tbs and refrigerate the rest until tomorrow
1 garlic clove
2 tsp olive oil, the good stuff if you have it
salt - sea salt if you have it
Toast bread and let it cool. Peel the garlic clove and cut in half. Rub the cut half firmly over each slice of bread. With a pastry brush spread the tomato juice evenly over each slice. Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Cut the toast into halves or quarters (depending on shape) and serve.
Cornish Game Hens with White Wine and Herb Sauce Time: 70 minutes
2 Cornish Game Hens, poussin or little, individual chickens
2 tbs soft butter
2 tbs dried tarragon
2 tbs dried summer savory
2 tbs dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
Wash hens and pat dry with paper towels. Mix 1 tbs butter with 1 tbs each of tarragon, thyme and savory. Divide herb mixture and put half into each of the hens. Tie legs close and bend wings around and under the back - so it looks like they are lying there with their arms akimbo. It keeps them from flapping and gives the hen something to rest on. Lay them on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Rub the remaining 1 tbs butter over the hens and sprinkle the remaining 1 tbs of each herb and the salt over the top. Put into 400F (200C) oven and bake for 30 minutes. Pour 1/2 tbs oil over each hen and bake 20 - 30 minutes longer or until done. See I recommend the thermometer... Remove and serve with:
White Wine and Herb Sauce
2 tbs butter
1 shallot
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried savory
2 tbs flour
1 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream or milk
Finely chop shallot. In medium saucepan sauté shallot and herbs in butter until shallot is tender. Add flour and stir constantly for 1 minute with a whisk. Slowly add wine stirring constantly to thicken. Add stock and milk and heat, stirring, just to boiling. Save all leftovers for Monday. Pick the meat of the hen carcasses and refrigerate. - I wrapped the whole birds in foil and stuck them in the fridge overnight, then took the meat off Sunday morning.
Note: We had between half and a third of each bird left. I made extra rice and carrots and used it all in a casserole on Monday.
Wild Rice It's called 'rice' but it is really a grass Time: 50 - 60 minutes
1 cup wild rice
3 cups chicken stock
1 small onion
1 stalk celery
1 tbs butter
1 tbs sherry
Rinse rice and put into a medium saucepan. Add stock and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 50 - 60 minutes. Check your package for proper directions and proportions - it may vary. Cooking time will vary according to freshness of rice, altitude, whatever. I have cooked it as long as 75 minutes! Simmer until done. We prefer to have most of the kernels "popped". When rice is close to being done finely chop onion and celery. Heat butter in small skillet. Sauté onion and celery until tender, 5 - 8 minutes. When rice is done remove half of it and add it to the celery and onions. (Refrigerate the other half, un-drained.) Add sherry, stir and serve. Add whatever is left to the leftovers for Monday.
Buttered Carrots Time: 25 minutes
4 medium - large carrots
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
Salt
Pepper
Peel carrots, cut in half the short way so you have 2 - 3 inch lengths. Cut in half the long way then cut each half again so you have carrot sticks. Melt butter and oil in frying pan big enough to hold carrots. Add carrots and sauté 10 minutes, turning occasionally until they develop a golden color. Add a tbs of water, cover and continue cooking over low heat until done, another 10 - 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Uncover, cook off pan juices, add salt, pepper and serve. Refrigerate leftovers for Monday.
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Cooking Schedule: 70 minutes |
Start to sauté carrots |
Cooking for Two? Or more?
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