Mushroom and Black Pepper Pasta ala ~DKBB~

Mushroom and Black Pepper Pasta ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.thepioneerwoman.com)

 

Photo from The Pioneer Woman

Kosher salt
8 oz. linguine (or similar type pasta)
3 Tbsp. salted butter
8 oz. each of two kinds of mushrooms (what’s available where you live will dictate this)
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, diced
1 Tbsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s ground fermented black garlic (optional)
¾ c. heavy cream
¼ c. ground parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for serving (or any other such cheese you may prefer)

Fresh parsley (optional)

• Bring pot of lightly salted (using kosher salt) water to a boil and add the pasta; cook for 2 minutes less than package directions.
• Using a glass measuring cup or heatproof pitcher, scoop 1½ cups of pasta water out, then drain the pasta and set aside.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; add mushrooms, garlic, and shallot and cook, stirring until the liquid cooks off and the mushrooms are golden (7 to 8 minutes).
• Add a pinch of kosher salt and the black pepper (it will look like too much pepper, but it’s not) and black garlic; stir and cook for another couple minutes.
• Pour in the cream, stir it in well, and let it boil gently and thicken (about 2 minutes).
• Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stirring it in well, then the drained pasta; make sure to coat the pasta well with the sauce.
• Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce gets too thick.
• Dish up the pasta with lots of mushrooms and sprinkle on more cheese and sprinkle on fresh parsley if desired.

Creamy Alfredo Lasagna Soup ala ~DKBB~

Creamy Alfredo Lasagna Soup ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.smalltownwoman.com)

 

½ lb. ground Italian sausage

photo from
www.smalltownwoman.com

1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups baby spinach, stems removed
5 cups chicken broth
5 lasagna noodles, broken into smallish pieces
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried basil
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour (I use Wondra)
1 cup milk
½ to 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 piece rind from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)

• Brown sausage in large cooking pot over medium heat.
• Add onions and mushrooms, cooking another 5-6 minutes over medium-low heat.
• Add spinach and garlic, cooking for 1 minute while stirring.
• Add chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add oregano and basil and broken lasagna noodles, stirring well, and bring to a low boil.
• Cook for 10-12 minutes or until noodles are tender.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat melt butter; whisk flour into melted butter and continue cooking for 1 minute, whisking constantly until mixture is bubbling.
• Slowly whisk in milk until mixture is smooth and thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and slowly whisk in cheese; when cheese is fully incorporated and mixture is creamy, slowly whisk into soup mixture.

Serve with garlic bread or a hearty artisan bread.

Curried Chicken, Veggies, and Pineapple ala ~DKBB~

Curried Chicken, Veggie, and Pineapple ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from The Wanderlust Kitchen)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 to 2 cups fresh pineapple, in chunks

Several small peppers, left whole but top/seeds removed (color, kind is all up to you)

Mushrooms (leave whole)

Onion, cut in big chunks

2 to 3 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 to 2 Tbsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. salt

This dish is to be grilled; it can be done with skewers or put into a veggie grill basket. If using wood skewers, place them in a water bath to soak for 30 minutes.

• Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in large bowl with the peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple (do not add the onion if you are using skewers); toss with coconut oil, curry, cayenne, and salt; let sit at least 30 minutes.
• Prepare the grill; if using skewers, thread chicken, veggies, and pineapple into skewers in an alternating pattern and cook on grill under chicken is cooked through (about 10 to 15 minutes); if using a veggie grill basket, toss all into grill pan over prepared grill; stir or toss often to allow even cooking until chicken is cooked through.
• Serve with rice.

Shepherd's Pie ala ~DKBB~

Shepherd’s Pie ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe in Dec. 2016 Cooking Light)

1½ cups beef stock

2 Tbsp. flour (I prefer Wondra)

1 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. white pepper

12 to 16 oz. ground beef (at least 90% lean)

1 onion, chopped

1½ tsp. ground thyme

1½ tsp. minced garlic

2 4oz. cans of mushroom pieces, drained

¼ cup cooking sherry

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

2 cups mashed potatoes                                                             

• Preheat oven to 450° F.
• Combine beef stock, flour, and peppers in a bowl and set aside.
• Cook ground beef and onion in cast iron skillet over medium high heat until browned, stirring to crumble; stir in thyme, garlic, and mushrooms and cook 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium; stir in sherry, Worcestershire sauce, and salt; cook 3 minutes.
• Add stock mixture and bring all to a boil; cook 4 minutes or until thickened; stir in peas.
• Spread mashed potatoes over the beef mixture; bake at 450° F for 15 minutes, then turn on broiler (do not remove pan from oven) and broil for 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Allow to cool just a bit before serving.

Spinach-Mushroom Scrambled Eggs ala ~DKBB~

Spinach-Mushroom Scrambled Eggs ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Rachelle McCalla in December 2014 Taste of Home)

4 eggs

4 egg whites

¼ cup half & half (or cream)

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped

2 to 4 Tbsp. shredded cheese (your choice…I used Italian blend)

• In a bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, half & half (or cream), salt, and pepper until well blended.
• In a nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat; add mushrooms; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes until tender; add spinach; cook and stir until spinach is wilted; reduce heat to medium.
• Add egg mixture; cook and stir just until eggs are thickened and no liquid egg remains.
• Sprinkle cheese over eggs, cover for 1 minute to melt.

Serves 4.

Slow Cooker Gems for Busy Summer Days

Here are a couple of slow cooker recipes for those too-busy days of summer:

Asian Pork Wraps ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Andrew Devito in the April/May 2014 Taste of Home)

1 boneless pork shoulder roast, 3 to 4 lbs.

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup water

1 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

¼ cup cooking sherry

¼ cup soy sauce (I use “lite” or “reduced sodium”)

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 Tbsp. minced fresh gingerroot

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pkg. Asian chopped salad or 1 small cabbage, shredded

Flour tortillas, 6-inch, warmed

1 small onion, chopped, for garnish if desired

• Place roast and medium chopped onion in slow cooker.
• In a small bowl, whisk water, sweet-and-sour sauce, sherry, soy sauce, soup mix, gingerroot, and garlic until blended; pour over pork roast.
• Cook, covered, on low 6 to 8 hours or until meat is very tender.
• When cool enough to handle, shred pork with two forks.
• Place the leftover sauce the pork cooked in into a serving bowl or decanter.
• To serve, spoon about 1/3 cup shredded pork into the center of a tortilla, top with about ¼ cup of the Asian chopped salad (or shredded cabbage); use the sauce and the chopped small onion as garnishments as desired.
• Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the filling; fold in both sides to close.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slow Cooker Mushroom Chicken & Peas ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Jenn Tidwell in the April/May 2014 Taste of Home)

4 boneless chicken breast halves

1 envelope onion mushroom soup mix

1 cup water

½ lb. sliced baby portabello mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ to 1 tsp. white pepper

2 cups fresh or frozen peas

• Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Sprinkle with soup mix, pressing into chicken to help seasonings adhere.
• Add water, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and white pepper.
• Cook, covered, on low 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is tender.
• Stir in peas and cook, covered, until peas are tender (about 10 minutes for frozen peas, longer for fresh).

Ratatouille with Polenta ala ~DKBB~

This is a really great way to use some of that abundance of veggies from your garden this time of year.

Ratatouille with Polenta ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe on tasteofhome.com)

1/2 pound small fresh mushrooms, halved

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 cups cubed peeled eggplant

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 small summer squash, chopped

3 to 4 roma tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon white pepper OR cracked pepper

1 tube (1 pound) polenta, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

• In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, pepper and onion in 2 teaspoons oil until almost tender. Add the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt.

• Saute for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

• In another skillet, cook polenta slices in remaining oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

• Serve with ratatouille; sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.