Portobello Mushroom Soup

 

We all have our own ideas as to what constitutes comfort food. Generally speaking, outside of a cheeseburger, comfort food is always something served in a bowl. It can be pasta, it can be stew, but more often than not, it’s a creamy bowl of mushroom soup. Last week I made portobello mushroom broth that, while delicious on its own, provided a wonderful base for this creamy, beefy, tremendously delicious soup. This is one that is hard to stop eating.Portobello Mushroom Soup

4 T. unsalted butter

1 6-oz.pkg. Melissa’s cleaned and sliced leeks

2 large Melissa’s shallots, chopped

3 large Melissa’s portobello mushrooms, gills removed, chopped

3 T. flour

¼ t. dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

4 c. portobello mushroom broth

1 t. kosher salt

1⁄4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1½ c. heavy cream

2 T. dry sherry

 Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and shallots, and sauté, stirring constantly, until tender, 2-3 minutes.
Lower heat, add the mushrooms, and cook, covered, 10 minutes longer.

Raise heat to medium, stir in the flour, and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the thyme, bay leaf, stock, salt, and pepper.Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.

Cool slightly, discard the bay leaf, and, using an immersion blender, puree the soup until creamy. Stir in cream and sherry. Heat through, and serve. 

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Sunflower Summer Tablescape

 

There is a little doubt that the star of this table is the wine bottle salad bowl. Designed to hold succulents, these food-safe glass, half wine bottles are perfect for serving a fresh starter salad with a side of dressing. It’s fun, and guaranteed to be a conversation starter. You can find the wine bottles  here and the salad dressing cups here.

 

The rest of the table is so wonderfully summery, with hot colors of yellow and orange against a forest green backdrop. (Honest to goodness, that tablecloth is hunter green. Why it photographed blue is beyond me, but I digress.)

Placemats are water hyacinth, chargers are metallic gold, and the plates with the rippled edges and bursting with sunflowers are by Maxcera in their “Sunset Sunflower” pattern. These are some of my favorites of all of the plates that I own, and trust me when I tell you, that’s saying something.

 

 The sweet coffee/tea cups are by Boston international in their “honeycomb” pattern. You can find them here.

The yellow stemware is by Lennox, I do not know the name of the pattern. The gold flatware can be found here.

 

The green napkins are from Amazon and can be found here. The pitcher is a Blenko double spouted glass pitcher in “Tangerine.”

  Summer will be gone before you know it, so get out that colorful dinnerware and set yourself a fabulous table.

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This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

Potato Salad Perfection

 

The late Mr. O-P was a big fan of potato salad. As he did all of the grocery shopping, every week he would invariably come home with a container. He preferred to enjoy potato salad with his sandwich at lunch rather than any type of chip, potato or otherwise, and, after a while, I tended to agree with him.

 Today, because I’m having ribs for dinner, I decided to make a big batch of potato salad to enjoy not just this evening, but for the coming week. I wanted to try something new, so this is a riff on Ina Garten’s potato salad that always gets rave reviews, not only for taste, but for her unique way of cooking the potatoes. I was not able to get fresh dill (it’s obviously being held hostage somewhere, and that place is a place I cannot find), so I had to make do with dried. I also like more crunch in my potato salad, so I doubled up on the vegetables, and threw in some hard boiled eggs. The end result was, in my opinion, potato salad perfection.

Potato Salad Perfection

Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten

 2 1.5-oz. bags Melissa’s baby red potatoes

Kosher salt

1 c. Duke’s mayonnaise

¼ c. buttermilk

  2 T. Dijon mustard

 2 T. whole-grain mustard

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. dried dill weed

1 t. kosher salt

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped red onion

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, vinegar, dill, salt, and pepper; set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in quarters or in half, depending upon their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour dressing over them to moisten. Add the celery, red onion, and eggs. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Season to taste, if necessary.*  Serve cold or at room temperature.

 *At this point in her recipe, Ina called for an additional 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. I didn’t think it needed either. Gee, Ina, can you say hypertension?

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Rainier Cherry Turnovers

  

I love cherries. I particularly love Rainier cherries. Truth be told, I could eat my weight in them. Besides, just eating them as is, this season I decided that I was going to do something different. I decided that I was going to cook them down and turn them into a filling for a cherry turnover. This worked spectacularly. I made enough filling to make eight turnovers (two sheets of puff pastry), but instead just decided to make four and save the rest of the filling to warm and pour over vanilla ice cream. I am in cherry heaven!

Rainier Cherry Turnovers

Turnovers:

1 lb. Melissa’s Rainier cherries, rinsed and pitted

¼ c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

1 pkg. puff pastry (2 sheets)

  Egg Wash:

 1 large egg

1 T. water

Glaze:

¾ c. powdered sugar

1-2 T. milk

 Place cherries, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, mashing down cherries as they begin to soften. (I used an avocado masher.) Stir in cornstarch, and cook over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter; set aside.

Place a Silpat or parchment paper onto a large baking sheet. Lay the puff pastry sheet(s) on top of the Silpat or parchment paper and, using a pizza cutter, cut each sheet pastry into 4 squares.  Place approximately 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each square (I used a cookie scoop for this).

Whisk together egg and water to make egg wash, and brush each edge so that it will form a nice seal. Fold the pastries over, corner to corner, to form a triangle, and use a fork to press the edges closed.

 Brush the remaining egg wash on top of the turnovers.

Bake 375°F for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden. Leave on the baking sheet for about five minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool.

 Make glaze by combining powdered sugar and milk, whisking until smooth. Drizzle glaze over turnovers. Serve immediately.

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Pink Lemonade Martini

 

A couple of months ago, I bought a bottle of citrus vodka. I am not a vodka drinker, per se, but I have really warmed up to that citrus vodka. In my opinion, it makes everything taste pretty wonderful, and this martini is one of those things. I sipped on it while I watched an episode of ”Detective #24.” It was a lovely evening.

Photo: Melissa’s Produce

Pink Lemonade Martini

2 oz. citrus vodka

½ oz. triple sec

1 oz. fresh Melissa’s pink lemon juice

 ½ oz. simple syrup

Splash of grenadine

If desired, after you have squeezed your lemon, run it around the rim of a martini glass and dip the glass in sugar.

 In a cocktail shaker combine all of the ingredients with ice, shake it until the shaker feels cold, and pour it into a glass. Because I used a large martini glass, I poured mine over ice. This makes one cocktail, but you’re going to want a double.

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Portobello Mushroom Broth

 

I like a good sipping broth, and mushroom is one of my favorites. When I’m in the mood for something savory by way of a snack, nothing beats it. Soothing and warm, it is packed with both flavor and nutrition. This past week I spent a good bit of time working with portobello mushrooms, and was wondering how mushroom stock made strictly with portobello mushrooms, both fresh and dried, would taste. It surpassed my expectations! The beauty of portobello mushroom stock is that it has a very beefy taste, as a consequence it can be used as a satisfying replacement for beef stock in any recipe that you have calling for same, making the conversion of some beefy tasting recipes to vegetarian far easier.Portobello Mushroom Broth

 2 large onions, peeled

1 t. extra virgin olive oil

3 extra large Melissa’s shallots

3 Melissa’s portobello mushrooms

6 celery stalks, scraped and coarsely chopped

6 large carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped

4 0.5-oz. pkgs. Melissa's dried portobello mushrooms

5 bay leaves

1 T. dried thyme leaves

1 t. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 T. black peppercorns

Fine sea salt

 Cut the onions in half crosswise. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil ripples and the pan begins to smoke, place onions, cut side down. Reduce the heat to medium-high and brown the onions for 4 to 5 minutes undisturbed.

 Place the browned onions and remaining ingredients, except the salt, in a 16-quart stockpot. Add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 40 minutes, skimming off any foamy impurities.

 Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

 Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with two layers of cheesecloth. Season with salt to taste and allow to cool.

 Makes approximately 9 quarts. Recipe may be halved.

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Herbed Garlic Cream Cheese

 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t do the entertaining that I used to. When the late Mr. O-P was still with us, we entertained every week. We didn’t always have big parties every week, but we did at least once a month. He was an avid cook, and did as much, if not more, of the cooking than I did, so it made entertaining a lot easier than it is for me today.

 

  Because I now host just one or two people at a time, I like to keep things on hand to serve with cocktails, or as a little evening snack. This includes crudités, fresh fruit, cornichons, a wide variety of olives (I have quite the collection), a wide variety of condiments (ask me about my mustard collection), crackers (they freeze beautifully, in case you were not aware), and this cream cheese spread.

Not only is this good with crudités and crackers, but it is also creamy enough to spread on a morning bagel, or use in a wrap-type sandwich. I often enjoy it on its own, using my made-for-one charcuterie board, a recent acquisition, and one that I absolutely love.

Herbed Garlic Cream Cheese

 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

½ c. sour cream

3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

½ - 1 t. fresh lemon zest

1½ t. dried oregano

1 t. dried parsley

¼ t. dried thyme

¼ t. dried dill weed

¼ t. dried basil

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

1/8 - ¼ t. Johnny’s Seasoning Salt

Place all ingredients into a medium bowl, and beat until creamy and well combined. Chill in refrigerator at least eight hours, preferably overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Keeps refrigerated for one week.

 

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Peanutty M&M Cookies

 

I am quite a zealous shopper. When I get excited about something I want to buy the jumbo size. There are perfectly acceptable reasons to do so: larger sizes tend to be cheaper, I don’t have to worry about quickly running out, and if ever I need that product, I always have it on hand. Therein lies the problem. I always have it on hand. It is always going to be in my pantry, it is always going to be taking up space. It is often going to get knocked to the floor because there’s no room for so many jumbo size products in my not so jumbo pantry.

 You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. I’ll tell you. I bought the jumbo size package of peanut M&Ms because I love them. I love the combination of salty and sweet. The thing is, after a couple of days I got pretty tired of them, after a week, I was sick to death of them, and after two weeks, I stuffed them into the back of my pantry, physically removing them from my sight. It was that bad. No way was I going to waste the money that I spent by getting rid of them, so I decided that I needed to use them in a way that I don’t normally do, so I took out a little of my frustration with a meat mallet, and shattered quite a lot of them. I then decided to use them in a cookie along with semi-sweet chocolate chips and cocktail peanuts, to see if I could come up with something different. These are good! As someone who loves nuts and a cookie, my opinion is that you can never have too many. Next time I make these, I think I’m going to add more.

Peanutty M&M Cookies

1 c. butter (2 sticks)

¾ c. dark brown sugar

¾ c. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

2½ c. flour

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. cocktail peanuts

1 c. crushed peanut M&Ms*

 Cream the butter with the brown and granulated sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

 In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanuts, and crushed M&Ms. Refrigerate for one hour.

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a baking sheet with PAM or top with parchment or a Silpat.

Using a cookie scoop, drop mounds of dough, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies until they're golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

Makes approximately 48 cookies.

*If you like, you can set some of these aside to sprinkle on top of the cookies before baking.

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