Preppy Party Nosh

  
Like many children of the '80s, The Official Preppy Handbook was my Bible when it was released 30 years ago. I was not nearly cute enough to reflect the gentile WASPY spunk illustrated on its pages, but I tried to dress the part of a Prep (this was a good thing in those days). The fact that lime green, motif-embroidered pants and hot pink head bands did not complement my 12 year old brace face was not something I was willing to concede and I continued calling attention to myself with aforementioned brash colour choices well into my twenties.

So it is in honor of the anniversary of the book’s publication that I created this recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms; they are a classic throwback to 1980’s cocktail parties. Regardless of their retro nature, I think these mushrooms are swell… or, as my friend Muffy used to say, OOC!

Stuffed Mushrooms...They are so choice
8 rashers smoked, streaky bacon

1 small shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, pressed or mashed

24 medium size button mushrooms (white or brown) stems trimmed, removed and chopped fine—caps wiped clean

One good glug of dry white wine

¼ teaspoon dry thyme

2 tablespoons (dessert spoons) extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons (dessert spoons) melted butter

1 cup (85 grams) shredded, mature cheddar cheese

½ cup (40 grams) good quality bread crumbs (Panko if you can get them)

Sea salt/black pepper to taste

2 heaping tablespoons (dessert spoons) low fat crème fraiche

1) Cook the bacon, crumble and set aside. Discard any rendered fat from the pan, spray with non-stick spray and sauté the chopped mushroom stems, shallots and garlic until the mushrooms pieces have released their juice and all vegetables have gone soft. Deglaze the pan with a good glug of white wine and season with thyme—allow the wine to just evaporate, then remove from the heat.

2) Pre-heat the oven to 375F (190C). Toss the mushroom caps with the olive oil and melted butter—set aside. Let the mushroom/shallot/garlic cool, then mix with half the cheddar cheese and bread crumbs, stir in the crème fraiche and season with salt and pepper. Now stuff the caps evenly. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray, stuff the mushroom caps and place into the dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and bake uncovered, until melted and bubbly (25-45 minutes depending on oven).

Serve hot or warm.

Beef and Mushroom Pie

It's May. It's sunny. It looks as if it would be warm outside. It's not. It's a cold, windy English day. Eh, at least we will eat well.

2 pounds lean, stewing (casserole) beef
500 grams (2 cups) beef stock
1/2 bottle dry, red wine
1 bay leaf
Fat pinch of dry thyme
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled, left whole
1 tablespoon tomato paste (puree in the UK)

1 leek, (white and tender green part only), chopped
150 grams (4 ounces) button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 large potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon Marmite (if you've got it)

1/2 cup (250 mls) cold water
2 tablespoons plain flour

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 sheet puff pastry

1) Load the beef, beef stock, wine, bay leaf, thyme, onion, garlic and tomato paste (puree) into a large, heavy pot, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook gently simmering, covered for 1 hour. After an hour, remove everything but the beef chunks from the broth (discard) and add in the leek, mushrooms, potato cubes and marmite into the stock with the beef. Bring back to a simmer and cook gently, covered for 30 minutes more.

2) Place a colander over a pot and drain the beef and vegetables into the colander catching all of the stock in the pot below. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Shake the water and flour together in a jar and pour into the beef stock. Whisk until it comes to a strong simmer, then allow it to bubble away for a few minutes. Taste, add in salt and/or pepper and remove from the heat. Stir in the beef and vegetables and the frozen peas (still frozen-- this will help cool down the stew). Stir and allow to cool almost to room temperature before placing into the refrigerator to cool off completely. This is important! If you try and place the puff pastry over hot stew it will melt  
: {o}  sacre bleu!

3) Pre-heat the oven to 185C (375F). Pour the cooled stew into a large casserole dish and cover the top with the puff pastry sheet. Slice a pretty vent in the top and fix the extra bits of dough all around for decoration. You can brush with a beaten egg to make it shiny if you like. Bake until golden.

Can be made several hours ahead, stashed in the refrigerator and baked just before serving. 
Serves 6

Wild Mushroom Soup

This is a basic mushroom soup that uses the addition of dried porcini mushrooms to impart a more robust flavor. It is delicious and easy-- great served with a thick piece of toasted country bread with melted Stilton or any other blue cheese.

30 grams dried porcini mushrooms

1-2 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellew onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup peeled and roughly chopped celeriac (celery root)-- if this is not available use 1/2 cup chopped celery
750 grams (about a pound and a half) fresh button mushrooms (brown or white), stems removed, cleaned and roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups beef, chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup heavy cream, half and half or whole milk
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1) Put the dried porcini mushrooms into a bowl and pour 1 cup boiling water over them. Make sure that all of the porcinis are submerged. Allow to rehydrate while you are sauteing the fresh mushrooms.

2) Set a large pot over medium heat and put the butter in. Allow it to become frothy then add in the onion, garlic and celeriac or celery. Saute until just soft, then add in the wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes then add in the mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the mushrooms slowly, allowing them to release their liquid.

3) 20 minutes after you began rehydrating the porcinis, they will be ready. Pull them out of the water and set aside. Place a paper towel over a large-ish bowl and carefully but quickly pour the porcini liquid into the paper towel-lined bowl (do this over the sink). The paper towel will strain the grit from the soaking liquid (throw it away). Now, roughly chop the porcinis and add them along with the soaking liquid to the cooking mushrooms. Pour in the stock and stir in the thyme. Cook at just barely a simmer, covered by cracked, for 20-30 minutes.

4) Using an immersion blender, blitz the soup until it is relatively smooth. Add in the cream or milk and taste-- add in sea salt and black pepper to taste. If you like, add a splash or dry sherry.

Makes about 10 cups.

Swiss Lasagna

We are moving from Switzerland to England a week from now. In light of this, I thought it best to open up and sift through the few still sealed boxes left from our last move here-- five years ago...

I am glad that I did because I found a wealth of memorabilia; old press clippings, stacks of magazines featuring food articles I had forgotten that I had written and tons of artwork treasures from the kids.

I also found a pile of recipe cards. Each one had a handwritten recipe from friends of mine. They were given to me at a wedding shower fifteen years ago. It was lovely to see everyone's handwriting. A recipe for Minnesota Wild Rice Soup was given to me by my high school friend, Katja. Katja died of a brain tumor several years ago. As I looked at the recipe card, I ran my fingers across her words, wondering if any of the ink that she used would come off onto my skin-- sort of a last link to my friend.

I miss her.

I also found a recipe for 'Chicken a la Roma' from Jennifer-- another dear friend I have known since 7th grade. It looked really good. I reworked it just a little-- it is delicious. And great to make for company, which makes sense because Jennifer's parents (and providers of the recipe) are fantastic entertainers; gracious, attentive, witty.

So, here is my version of Chicken a la Roma, renamed, Swiss Lasagna because I added porcini mushrooms and Gruyere cheese, both of which are readily found in Switzerland.

1 tablespoon butter
2 large shallots, minced
2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
125 grams (about 4 oz) fresh procini mushrooms, chopped small or 1 handful dried porcini
1/2 cup white wine
2 tins diced tomatoes (plain) with juice
1 big pinch dried tarragon
1 small pinch dried basil
salt to taste

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (or good quality 'Swiss' cheese)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
10 oz non cook lasagna noodles (or traditional kind cooked to package directions)

1) If you are using dried porcini mushrooms, stick them into a deep bowl and pour boiling water over them. Weight them down with another small plate or bowl (so that the mushrooms don't float) and allow them to rehydrate for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the water by pulling the mushrooms our of the water, rather than dumping them out all together, as a lot of grit will have collected at the bottom of the bowl. Chop the porcini.

2) Melt 1 tablepoon butter in a large non-stick pan. When it becomes frothy, add in the shallots. Saute until just translucent, then add in the chicken and saute until most of the pink is gone. Now add the mushrooms and saute for a few minutes more, until they are soft.

3) Once the mushrooms are softened, add in the wine and allow to simmer for a minute or two, then add in the tomatoes, tarragon and basil. Stir and add salt to taste (do not fear salt!). Allow this whole mess to simmer contentedly for 10 minutes.

4) While the sauce is simmering, make the bechamel (cream) sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small pan, over medium heat. Once it is frothy, add in the flour and stir to combine completely. Allow to cook for one minute, but do not allow to brown. Now add in the half and half and milk. Stir well, to make sure there are no lumps, then allow to just barely simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt.

5) Add the bechamel sauce to the tomato sauce and stir well to incorporate everything. Pour 1/4 of the sauce into the bottom of a rectangular pan, then lay down a few lasagna noodles. Next add more sauce, then 1/4 of the grated cheeses, continue this until all the ingredients are used up-- try to end with sauce topped with cheese. Cover with foil.

6) Bake at a 375F preheated oven for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more until bubbly and golden. If you make the lasagna ahead it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two days before baking-- adjust the baking time to be longer of it is being cooked from a cold state.

Serves 6-8

Chicken, Mushroom and Smoked Gouda Calzone

This isn’t haute cuisine, it is simple, comfort food. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I often make this for myself when my tomato-sauce-loving-husband is out of town (he would not appreciate the non-sauce factor of this recipe).

1 tablespoon butter or Pam
6 brown or white button mushrooms, sliced
½ small yellow onion, diced
Raw pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
Slices of smoked Gouda cheese
2 handfuls of mozzarella
¾ cup cooked chicken breast


1) Sauté the onion and sliced mushrooms in butter or Pam until just softened. Season with a bit of salt. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely (can be done up to a day ahead).

2) Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Roll out the dough to approximately 12” by 10” rectangle, or a 12” round. On one half of the dough, layer sliced smoked Gouda, then cooked chicken, cooked mushrooms/onion and finally mozzarella, but make sure to leave a 1” edge all around. Fold the dough over the filled side and crimp the edges shut. Cut a few slits in the top of the calzone and brush with an egg wash if you like (this will make the calzone shiny and pretty, but is not necessary).

3) Bake on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven until golden-- roughly 20 minutes.

4) Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 2 for a light lunch or dinner or 1 big, hungry diner.

Shiitake Sesame Noodles

These are a hit with adults and kids alike. They are simple, straightforward and so good! Serve these with miso marinated salmon and a salad with wasabi/ginger dressing.

1 brick Ramen noodles per person
3-4 large shiitake mushrooms per person, sliced into thin strips
Vegetable oil
Sesame oil
Low sodium soy sauce
Toasted sesame seeds

1) Boil the Ramen noodles a minute less than package directions indicate-- you want the noodles to be al dente, not at all mushy, as they will be cooked again. Drain them and toss with vegetable oil so that they don’t stick together (this can be done a couple of hours beforehand and just held at room temp).

2) Lightly coat the bottom of a large non-stick sauté pan with vegetable oil and then add in half as much sesame oil. Allow it to get hot and quivering over medium-high heat. Add in the shiitakes and sauté for a few minutes, then cover and allow to steam a bit in their own juices. Make sure that they pan doesn’t get too dry, if it does, add just a bit of hot water. When the mushrooms are soft and there is no more liquid in the pan, remove the cover and add a splash of soy sauce. Finish with toasted sesame seeds and keep warm on a covered plate.

3) In the same pan, add in a bit more of both oils than was used for the shiitakes. When it is hot, add in the cooked noodles and allow to sit with a lid on but cracked to allow steam to escape. This will crisp up the noodles. After a few minutes, toss the noodles to crisp up the other sides, continue this until the noodles are to your liking (you may need to add more oil)-- some crispy, some soft. Add a splash of soy sauce, toss with sesame seeds and add in the mushrooms. Toss to combine everything and serve hot.

Philly Cheese Steak

Why would one make Philly Cheese Steaks at home? Either because, A) you can, B) there is not a decent sub shop in your area or C) as in my case, both of the above. This is haute Homer Simpson cuisine.

1 ¾ pound (800 grams) very lean roast of beef, cheap is fine, but get one without any sinew (the stringy bits that don’t break down in cooking)
Vegetable oil for sautéing
1 medium/large yellow onion, peeled, halved, sliced very thin
1 green bell pepper, trimmed, seeded and sliced into thin strips
8 white or brown mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and sliced
Lawry’s season salt (if you have it) or sea salt
6 slices processed cheese, Velveeta, 2% Singles, or Cheez Whiz
4, 8” ‘par baked’ or ‘bake and serve’ hoagie rolls or baguettes

1) Place the roast in the freezer for 2 hours. You want it to really firm up without freezing into a hard block. Once it is good and stiff, ‘shave’ off very thin pieces of beef with a super sharp knife. Place shaved beef in a plastic bag, back in the refrigerator until ready to use (can be done up to a day before). Alternatively, very sweetly ask your butcher to do this for you.

2) When you are ready to eat: Set a large non-stick sauté pan, or cast iron skillet, over medium high heat and allow to get very hot. Drizzle in about 2 tablespoons veg oil and sauté all the vegetables, seasoning with salt, until they just start to go limp. Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm.

3) Put another 2 tablespoons veg oil in the pan and layer in the shaved meat (you may have to do this in batches-- keeping the cooked meat held warm, covered on a plate). Cook for just a few minutes per side and season with season or sea salt. At the same time, bake the rolls according to package directions.

4) Add all the meat back into the pan and layer slices of cheese on top, then the cooked vegetables on top of the cheese. Cover and take off the heat. Allow the cheese to melt and ooze into the meat slices (insert Homer Simpson groaning here).

5) Slice cooked, crunchy rolls so that they are not fully cut through, rather they cradle the cheese steak lovingly. Scoop ¼ of the beef/veg/cheese mass into each roll and serve immediately. A dab of Hellmann’s on each roll is recommended (by me and Homer)

Warning: After consumption, do not initiate intimate conversation (as your breath will reek of onions), or ant sort of love-making (as your gut will be bloated)-- just sit back in your elastic-waist pants and digest.