Stuffed Brown Mushrooms

I couldn’t resist a pack of 4 giant brown mushrooms the other day, I had no idea what I was going to do with them – they usually get put on the braai but sadly Pete was away so it was me, the mushrooms and the oven.

The first couple of mushrooms I stuffed with a mixture of crumbled feta cheese, chopped chives, fresh sliced peppadews and crushed garlic with the chopped stems from the mushrooms, which I then drizzled with olive oil and baked at 200°C for approximately 18 minutes.

I also did a few with sliced garlic, sea salt, black pepper and a good drizzling of olive oil.

Both variations were fabulous, couldn’t be easier to prep and cook and would be perfect as a starter for a dinner party.

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Garlic, Wine & Thyme Mushroom Pasta

This is one of those meals you can have ready in 20 minutes, you know, for those evenings when you have sat behind the computer for too long AGAIN…

Ingredients

Pasta of choice
250g button mushrooms sliced
Vegetable spice
2.5ml dry thyme
250ml cream
60ml dry white wine
15ml maizena (cornstarch)
2 garlic cloves crushed
Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Cook the pasta as per the package instructions.
2. Fry the mushrooms in a little butter sprinkled with the vegetable spice and thyme until tender.
3. Pour the cream and wine into the pan and bring to a boil.
4. Mix the maizena with a little water and stir through the cream mixture to thicken.
5. Add the garlic and season with salt and black pepper.
6. Serve over the pasta.

 

Brown Bread Pizza Dough, Sauce and my very boring toppings

As I have mentioned before, I don’t make pizza very often but when the craving hits, I am obliged to satisfy it.  On this occasion, to keep with my theme of brown bread, I thought it apt to make a brown bread base – result: equally as scrumity and just a teensy bit healthier – bargain. 🙂

Brown Bread Pizza Dough, Sauce and Toppings

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup brown bread flour
1tsp instant yeast
½ tsp salt
1tsp sugar
5ml olive oil
½ cup warm water

Tomato Sauce

30ml tomato paste
10ml olive oil
2.5ml dried oregano
2.5ml sugar

Toppings

1½ cups cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese grated
2 garlic cloves crushed
4 big white button mushrooms thinly sliced
4 rashers bacon diced
3 pieces spring onion chopped
Dried oregano

Method 

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add the oil and water and mix to combine.  The mixture will still be quite sticky.
3. Place the dough on a floured surface and gently knead for 5 minutes.  You may need to add a little more flour over the top of the dough to prevent it sticking to your fingers.
4. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm spot until the dough is double in size.
5. Lightly punch down the dough and roll it out as thinly as desired directly onto a piece of tin foil which has been sprayed with non stick spray and transfer to a baking tray.
6. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
7. Spread the tomato sauce over the base followed by the cheese, garlic, mushrooms, bacon and spring onion.
8. Sprinkle over the oregano and bake for 10 -12 minutes.

Pizza – Dough, Sauce and Toppings

Pizza is not something I make very often but on occasion the craving will kick in and being the obedient person that I am, I satisfy it.  Below is the recipe I use every time I make pizza, even the toppings – quite boring I guess but delicious all the same.  Here is a reminder for you.  Think I will branch out next time and add sliced avocado when it comes out of the oven.

Ingredients

Dough

10g sachet instant yeast
10ml brown sugar
1ml salt
125ml luke warm water
160-210g all purpose flour *

Tomato Sauce

30ml tomato paste
10ml olive oil
1.2ml dried oregano
1.2 dried sweet basil
2.5ml sugar

Toppings

1½ cups white cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese grated
1 garlic cloves crushed
4 big white button mushrooms thinly sliced
4 rashers bacon diced
Dried oregano

Method

1. Mix the yeast, sugar, salt and water in a bowl.
2. Add half of the flour so that when you stir it in, the dough comes together.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, gradually adding more flour until the dough feels smooth and elastic.
4. Roll the dough into a ball and lightly oil the surface, place in a bowl and cover with cling film and place it in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
6. Lightly punch down the dough and roll it out as thinly as desired directly onto a piece of tin foil which has been sprayed with non stick spray and transfer to a baking tray.
7. Spread the tomato sauce over the base followed by the cheese, garlic, mushrooms and bacon.
8. Sprinkle over the oregano and bake for 10 -12 minutes.

* I weighed out 210g flour and used from it to flour the counter.

Un-Recipe – Bacon and Mushroom Omelet

For some peculiar reason, I had just two rashers of bacon left over in the fridge.  Stranger things have been known to happen though.  I could not live with myself if I let them go to waste so very quickly whipped them out of the fridge along with 2 mushrooms, and egg (which had 2 yolks :-))  and some cheddar cheese and turned it all into a lovely little omelet.  This was the ideal super quick, tasty and easy lunch.  Think I may have to always keep 2 spare rashers of bacon going forward.

Ingredients

2 rashers bacon chopped
2 mushrooms sliced
Vegetable spice
1 egg lightly beaten
2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

Method

1. Fry the bacon and mushrooms until browned and sprinkle on vegetable spice.
2. Add the egg and grated cheese.
3. Fold sides into the middle and turn.

Beef Pasta

Last nights supper was sort of a glorified beef stroganoff which I served over pasta.  The combination of flavours married so well together which resulted in a super tasty meal that I will definitely be making again.  I should probably think of a more appropriate and appealing title though.

 

Ingredients

125g mushrooms sliced
Vegetable spice
400g fillet thinly sliced
250ml cream
10ml prepared hot English mustard
20ml port or sherry (I used port)
7.5ml maizena (cornstarch)
Salt and black pepper
Fettuccini pasta cooked according to package instructions

Method

1. Fry the mushrooms in a little butter sprinkled with the vegetable spice until tender and set aside.
2. Fry the steak in a little olive oil over a high heat for 1 minute and set aside with any pan juices.
3. Pour the cream into the pan you cooked the mushrooms and steak in and heat.
4. Whisk in the mustard and add the sherry.
5. Mix the maizena with a little water and stir through the cream mixture to thicken.
6. Add the mushrooms and steak to the cream and heat through.
7. Add salt and grind black pepper to taste and stir through.

Serve over the pasta.