Scallion Sesame Crepes

Despite the fact that the kids (and dog) have been cooped up for much of this long weekend, there is one great thing about rain (well there are many...my garden looks great, the drought may ease up a bit), it means that baseball is cancelled and we can have a leisurely dinner at home, which until recently, I have taken quite for granted. We will all get to sit around the table at the same time and enjoy a meal together, with nowhere to rush off to, and plenty of time to prepare it. My kids will hate this meal, not the togetherness of it, but the taste of it, but hopefully they won't make too much of a fuss and I'll make sure that there is something they like on the table.

When I was looking for recipes for sorrel, I came across a great one for savory crepes, by Deborah Madison in her cookbook, Local Flavors, which has become my farmers market bible of sorts. The crepes, scented with sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds and scallions, are then stuffed with stir fried baby green. I had to go out and buy a non-stick skillet just so I could make the crepes....obviously it is something that I have never tried. But the recipe looked easy enough, and quite tasty too.

It is true what they say about the first two pancakes being something of a mess. I didn't have to go so far as to throw mine out, but the rest of the crepes came out much better, once I got the hang of how to flip them. The filling was so easy to prepare, just a simple saute of mixed veggies. Anything you have on hand would stand in easily for the bok choy and mushrooms, and if you need some extra protein, adding some tofu, shrimp or chicken would make a nice addition.



Scallion Sesame Crepes
makes about 10

1 C water

3/4 C milk

1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1/2 t salt

1 C flour

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling

Put first 6 ingredients into a blender and blend well until completely combined. Add flour and blend for 10 seconds more. Set aside to rest for about 15 minutes.

Heat a 9 inch, non-stick skillet over medium heat with a touch of vegetable oil, wiping out the excess. When pan is hot, pour in 1/3 C of batter, swirling pan to distribute evenly. Sprinkle with some of the scallions and the sesame seeds. After top begins to look set (after about one minute), gently loosen the edges with a spatula and carefully flip over. At this point the crepe should move around in the pan easily. Cook for one minute more and then slide out onto a plate. Wrap with foil and keep warm (in a 200 degree oven, if necessary).

Sauteed Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms

This isn't so much a recipe, but rather a simple method for cooking any tender green or vegetable (like sugar snap peas). Simply heat about 1 t of toasted sesame oil and 1 t of vegetable oil in a skillet. Add 1/2 pound of cleaned and sliced shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have released their juice and are becoming tender, about 4 minutes. Add 3 bunches of chopped baby bok choy and continue to saute until bok choy wilts slightly, about 1 minute more. Sprinkle with soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds and serve with scallion sesame crepes.

At Market...Oyster Mushrooms

I have never, ever seen mushrooms at our farmers market. And when I finally did on Sunday, I just about kissed the bewildered farmer who I'm sure was surprised to see such an elated girl at his stand. His table was loaded with both frilly, off white oyster mushrooms, and large, earth-hued shiitake ones. I took a brown paper sack filled with $10 worth of oysters (which wasn't all that much really...they are kind of a delicacy), and hurried home to show off my find.

Oyster mushrooms are slightly anise scented, velvety on the top side and lined with soft gills underneath. They are frequently used in stir-fries and their tender flesh assumes the flavor of whatever is cooked alongside. Tonight I sauted them with shallots and garlic in a cream and wine reduction sauce, that was both rich in flavor and silky in texture. Spooned over fresh egg pasta and finished with some Piave cheese (a mild Parmesan), a glass of wine and a green salad was all we needed to complete the meal. If you cannot find oyster mushrooms at your farmers market, you can use brown button or shiitake mushrooms from the super market.

Pasta with Oyster Mushroom Sauce

12 oz. fresh egg linguine or fettucchine (make your own or buy some from your favorite Italian or gourmet market)
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 C sliced oyster mushrooms (discard woody stems or save to make broth)
1 C mushroom or chicken stock (use Better than Bouillon mushroom base if you can find it)
1/2 C half and half or heavy cream
1/4 C dry white wine
freshly grated Piave cheese

Heat butter and oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute shallot, garlic and mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms have given off their moisture and it has been evaporated. Add mushroom or chicken stock and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Add cream and white wine and simmer 5 minutes more. Meanwhile cook pasta for about 3 minutes (or according to package directions) until al dente. Toss with sauce in the skillet. If pasta seems too dry, add a ladle-full of the pasta cooking water to loosen up a bit. Top with freshly grated Piave cheese (or the Parmesan style cheese of your choice).

Sausage and Wild Mushroom Pizza

I know that I have expressed my absolute adoration for sausage before. But I hope you'll forgive me, because this true and abiding love has provided us with so many delicious and memorable meals. And the weather outside is so very cold and dreary, that I thought it might be nice to heat up our taste buds with a spicy Italian sausage, wild mushroom and red onion pizza for dinner.

I found the recipe on the Bon Appetite website. I've made so many different kinds of pizzas lately, that I needed a bit of inspiration. The recipe calls for pressing finely grated cheese, along with fresh rosemary and red pepper flakes, right into the dough for extra flavor. The cheese is called Piave, and it is a slightly sweet, aged hard cow's milk cheese, much like a young Parmesan. If you are lucky enough to have a place in town where you can find specialty cheeses try this delicious one, but if you do not, regular Parmesan would be a fine substitute. Topped with browned sausage, sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions, the end result is earthy and spicy, hearty and satisfying; a flavor-rich meal to enjoy with a glass of red wine by the fire.





Sausage and Wild Mushroom Pizza
adapted from Bon Appetite

1 recipe pizza dough
2 links spicy Italian sausage (I prefer turkey)
7 oz. wild mushrooms, scrubbed and thickly sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced into quarter inch thick rings
2 T olive oil
1/3 C grated Piave cheese (or Parmesan)
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 t chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 C mozzarella cheese
2 T chopped parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone on the lowest rack. Prepare dough according to directions (or buy pizza dough from the store...Trader Joe's makes an excellent one). Let dough rest for at least 20 minutes at room temperature. Flatten into a disk with your hand, then sprinkle on Piave cheese, red pepper flakes and 1/2 t chopped fresh rosemary. Roll out into about a 10 inch circle. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Meanwhile, remove sausage from casing and brown in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat, breaking up with a spatula into large chunks. Remove from skillet and set aside. Reduce heat to medium low. In remaining rendered fat (or if there is none add a splash of olive oil), saute onions for about 15-20 minutes, until soft and quite caramelized. Remove to bowl and set aside. In remaining fat (or you might need to add another splash of olive oil) saute mushrooms with a pinch of salt until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

Place pizza dough on a well floured pizza peel (from which you can slide it into the oven), parchment paper, or a floured pizza pan or baking sheet. Layer with 3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese, onions, sausage, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 t chopped rosemary. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is as crisp as you like (I like it really crisp). Sprinkle with chopped parsley, slice into wedges and serve.

B.A.M. Pizza

It's Friday, and I am really trying to stick with our "Pizza Friday" tradition. One of my favorite pizzas to both make and eat is like the B.L.T. pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. But since tomatoes are hard to come by these days, I have come up with a version that is perfect for fall using bacon (really pancetta), arugula, and mushrooms. It was a really delicious way to end the week.

B.A.M. Pizza

1 pound of crimini mushrooms, sliced

4 oz pancetta, diced (I buy a pre-diced package from Trader Joe's)

2 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

2 large handfuls of baby arugula, rinsed very well

2 handfuls mozzarella cheese

1 handful Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500° for 1 hour.

Brown pancetta over medium heat until almost crisp. Drain onto paper towels and saute mushrooms in remaining fat. Salt and pepper mushrooms to taste and saute until moisture is evaporated.

Onto prepared and stretched crust (click here for recipe), drizzle olive oil liberally. Sprinkle garlic and mozzarella cheese. Spoon over pancetta and mushrooms and place 2 large handfuls of baby arugula over that. Drizzle more olive oil on arugula leaves and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Slide onto heated pizza stone and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is a crisp as you like. Remove from oven and drizzle on more olive oil.

A Little Composure

Composed salads often seem like they are much too complicated to attempt on a weeknight. I think of them as the beautiful French Salade Niçiose or the Italian antipasto platters; a very big production and a very big expense. But it doesn't have to be so. Tonight I prepared an easy fall composed salad using spinach, mushrooms and one of my favorite grains of late, Quinoa.

Although it is certainly NOT local (it is imported from South America, but is organic and free-trade certified) Quinoa, pronounced Keen-wah, is delicious and chock full of nutrients including protein. It does require rinsing to remove some bitterness, but it is as simple to prepare as rice, and kind of has a couscous-like texture. Its small, nutty grains can take on a variety of flavors, and I usually prepare it using some kind of stock, be it vegetable, chicken or beef.

While I have a fantasy of traipsing through the forest, foraging for wild mushrooms (which are "in season" in many parts of the country), I think I will have to let it go for now because I don't have a nearby forest to traipse in and I am pretty sure that I would be too afraid to try any mushrooms that I found in the wild. But if you are lucky enough to still have an open farmers market, perhaps you can find some mushrooms there, gathered or grown by professionals. I have never seen them at ours, unfortunately, and I had to settle for ones from Trader Joes.

The dish is simple; a bed of wilted baby spinach topped with some Mushroom Asiago Chicken Sausage (from TJ's), surrounded by lovely grains of quinoa and sautéed mushrooms, with a sprinkle of asiago cheese. It was a yummy and perfect dish for our Indian Summer; yes, it is STILL 90 degrees here!

Warm Spinach, Quinoa, Sausage, and Mushroom Salad

serves 2

1 bag of baby spinach

1 pound of assorted mushrooms, sliced

1 shallot, sliced into rings

1 T butter

olive oil

2 links of Chicken Mushroom Asiago sausage

1 C quinoa

2 C chicken broth

Asiago cheese (a small handful)

Rinse quinoa in a sieve under warm, running water. Boil 2 C chicken broth (or use 2 C of water and 2 t of Better than Bouillon). Add quinoa and return to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, saute mushrooms and shallot in butter over medium low heat until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. When quinoa is finished, toss with mushrooms and shallot mixture. Wipe out the mushroom pan and add about 1 T olive oil. Sauté sausages, halved lengthwise, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes a side. Remove sausages and set aside.

Add about 1 T more of olive oil to pan and put in baby spinach. Using tongs stir spinach around until it wilts slightly. This will take less than a minute. To plate salad, place spinach in the middle and top with sausage. Spoon quinoa and mushroom mixture around the spinach. Sprinkle with asiago cheese and serve.