Mushroom Paprikás (Paprikash)

Well hello!  Long time no see!

It has been a long time since I posted any recipes, and I do have a good reason for it.  I was ill in May and upon recovering, I was promoted to department head of Arts and Sciences at my college, which was quite a change for me.  I have been busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest!  Now that things have calmed down a bit, I thought it might be time to pick up the pen and start blogging again. 

So... it is autumn and time when I crave hearty, simple and earthy foods like this dish.  Hungarian Paprikás (pronounced paprikash) is usually made with chicken, but I much prefer this vegetarian version.  I think the mushrooms have so much more flavor when slowly caramelized with onions, deglazed with brandy and are enrobed in a silky paprika sauce.

As you might imagine from the name, paprikás is all about paprika.  I like to use three kinds in this dish: Plain paprika is sweet and mildly peppery; smoked paprika is earthy and smoky; and hot paprika is spicy... really seriously spicy, so go easy with it, a little goes a long way.

3 kinds of paprika, thyme and brandy... just part of what makes this dish amazing!

I like to finish the dish with a few drops of black truffle oil, which seems really fancy, expensive and exotic, but really is not that bad.  A small bottle of white truffle oil will cost about $15.00, but since you only use about 3 drops in a dish (it is very very powerful) a small bottle lasts a very long time.  Try it, you will be amazed what it adds to a dish!

This little beauty was a stocking-stuffer from Doug.

  Excellent gift idea for the cooks on your list!

Mushroom Paprikás (Paprikash)
serves 6-8

1 /2 cup butter (or olive oil)
3 medium onions, diced
1- 1.5 lb fresh mushrooms thickly sliced
2 red bell peppers, seeded, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 cup brandy
2 cups water
1 cup sour cream
2 - 3 drops black truffle oil (optional)

1 lb wide egg noodles, prepared according to package directions
1/4 cup minced parsley

In a large deep skillet melt butter (or olive oil) over medium high heat.  once hot, Add onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes.

Add mushrooms and saute, until they have released their water and water has evaporated, about 20 minutes.

You'll need a deep skillet to hold all the mushrooms until they cook down...

Once the mushrooms have released their water and it has almost completely evaporated, 

the mushrooms will begin to caramelize...yum!

Add red bell peppers and garlic and cook until peppers are just tender.

Add all 3 paprikas, thyme, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes.  Add brandy, and carefully burn off alcohol with a lit match.

Add 2 cups water and let mixture cook over medium high heat until a thick, stew like sauce is created (about 20 minutes).  Stir in sour cream and truffle oil.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately over buttered egg noodles with parsley.

Strawberry Pavlova

This is what we served for dessert for Mother's Day.  Light and airy, melt-in-your-mouth pavlova with organic strawberries in balsamic vinegar and honey.  The perfect ending to any meal.

Pavlova was created in the 1920's by an Australian chef in honor of a visit by famed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.  It is a meringue-based confection topped with freshly whipped cream and fresh fruit.  The meringue is made with a small amount of vinegar which keeps the meringue soft like a marshmallow.

The combination of soft meringue fruit and cream is incredible.  It is incredibly light and incredibly delicious.  Best of all Pavlova has a very short shelf life and needs to be entirely consumed shortly after it is assembled or it will begin to disintegrate.  I have never had a problem with asking my guests to help finish the Pavlova, they are always happy to oblige!

Strawberry Pavlova
serves 8

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 Tsp corn starch
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp powdered sugar

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 175F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer whip the egg whites until frothy.  With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar.  Continue to whip until a very stiff and glossy meringue is formed.

Sift cornstarch over meringue and fold in until well mixed.  Add vinegar and vanilla and fold until combined.

Trace an 8-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Spread meringue into a disc on the parchment paper.

Bake for 2 hours, then turn off oven and let meringue set in oven for an additional hour.

Place meringue in an airtight container until ready to serve.

In a cold bowl combine heavy cream and powdered sugar and whip until fluffy and stiff.  Spread cream over meringue.

In a separate bowl combine berries, vinegar and honey and toss to combine.  Spoon berries over the cream.

Serve immediately.

Lemon and Artichoke Arancini

This year for mother's day we decided to make a light menu featuring some mediterranean favorites.  We served oven roasted red snapper with caponata on a bed of pancetta-flavored home-grown swiss chard , strawberry belinis and for an appetizer these beautiful little arancini.

I have to say that Italian food is probably my very favorite cuisine.  It can be rustic and yet sophisticated, light, yet hearty and always loaded with flavor.  This appetizer is the perfect example.

Arancini (little oranges) are balls of risotto that are stuffed with meat or cheese, rolled in bread crumbs and quickly fried.  They are the perfect way to use up left over risotto, though I find more times than not I end up making risotto only for the purpose of making arancini.  They are time-consuming to make and are truly a labor of love so I only make them about once a year for special occasions so I don't need to worry about the fact that they are deep fried!

You can make arancini with any kind of risotto you like, but I must admit this recipe is one of my all time favorites.  A delicate and fragrant artichoke and lemon risotto stuffed with marinated mozarella cheese.  The result is a crunchy ball of delicious risotto oozing with melted cheese.  YUM.  This is an indulgence so go ahead and enjoy in moderation!

Lemon and Artichoke Arancini
makes 12

For the Risotto:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock, brought to a simmer
2 - 15 oz. cans artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
finely grated zest of one large lemon

In a large non-stick skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add rice and toss over medium high heat to coat with oil until grains begin to turn opaque.  Add garlic and wine and stir until liquid is almost completely absorbed.

Add simmering vergetable stock, a ladle at a time to the rice, stirring constantly until mixture is almost dry before adding more stock.  Continue this process until all the stock is used and the rice is creamy and al dente.

Remove from heat.

Add artichokes, salt , pepper, butter, parmesan and lemon zest to rice and stir until mixed.  Transfer to a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and cool completely.  Can be prepared 2 days in advance and kept refrigerated.

For the Arancini :
12 small chunks of mozzarella cheese

1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 - 3 cups panko bread crumbs

Oil for deep frying

Scoop about 1/4 cup of cold risotto into the palm of your hand and flatten to a disc.

Place a piece of mozzarella cheese in the center of the rice and bring rice up around cheese, squeezing and rolling gently to encase cheese inside a ball of risotto.

Roll the ball in flour, then cover in beaten egg and lastly roll in panko bread crumbs.  Keep in an airtight container until ready to fry (can be prepared 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated).

Preheat oil to 375 F.  Fry arancini, a few at a time, until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes).  Drain on paper towels.  Serve hot.

Easter Menu 2013

What are you having for Easter this year?  Today is Palm Sunday, so you only have a week to prepare!  Mama Ozzy is making tried and true Easter favorites and I thought I would share a couple of them with you, perhaps as inspiration.

And as quid pro quo, please let me know if you make any of these recipes.  Did you like them?  Did you alter them? What cool things did you do in your kitchen?  I love to hear from you!

Easter Menu 2013

Pineapple Mango Jalapeno Margaritas

Shrimp Cocktail

Spiral-sliced Honey Ham

Potato Gratin

Grilled Asparagus Spears with Lemon-Garlic Aioli

Italian Easter Meat Pie (Pizza Rustica)

Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Mama Ozzy's Colcannon

Today I am making Irish comfort food.  And for me that means Colcannon.

Colcannon is very simple to make.  It's basically mashed potatoes, sauteed cabbage and bacon.  Stick to your ribs comfort food happy goodness.

How can you go wrong when a dish starts out by doing this?!

 Beautiful blanched Savoy cabbage...

 Have a bowl and be prepared to take a nap!  Which is exactly what I am doing this afternoon while Doug is watching the Carolina Tarheels [hopefully] win the 2013 ACC tournament.

Happy St. Patty's y'all!

Mama Ozzy's Colcannon
8-10

2.5 lbs russet potatoes
2.5 lbs Savoy cabbage, cored and cut into quarters
1 lb bacon
1 large onion, chopped
4 green onions
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk, hot
salt and pepper

Place unpeeled whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife (about 30 minutes).

Remove potatoes from water and add cabbage to boiling water.  Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes.  Drain cabbage into a colander.

Fry bacon in a large skillet, and drain on paper towels, reserving bacon fat.

Add onion to bacon fat and saute until translucent.  Coarsely chop cabbage and add to skillet, cover and cook until cabbage is very tender.  Season with salt and pepper.

Peel potatoes and run them through a ricer into a large bowl. Add butter and hot milk and mix until smooth, adding more milk if necessary.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fold cabbage and reserved crumbled bacon into potatoes until well mixed.  Serve hot.

Black Pepper,Rosemary and Walnut Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  This morning I decided to throw together this quick soda bread for breakfast.  A soda bread doesn't use yeast for leavening, so it is one of those things you can decide to make at the last minute.  This savory bread is excellent slathered with butter and a good jam.  It is also a great accompaniment for Colcannon or any hearty Irish fare.

Black Pepper,Rosemary and Walnut Soda Bread
makes two small loaves

3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 egg white beaten (for glaze)

Pre heat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients and mix well. In a small bowl combine melted butter, milk and vinegar.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.  DO NOT OVER MIX.

Turn sticky dough out onto lightly floured work surface, sprinkle with flour and knead 7 times.

Divide dough into two round loaves, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush with beaten egg white.  Slash top of loaves to make an "X".

Bake 45 minutes.

Blarney Stones

When I was a little kid, my mother would always make these little cake/cookies for St. Patrick's day.  I highly doubt that there is anything Irish about them, but for me they became forever associated with the holiday.

These are not quite a cookie and not quite a cake.  I think they are closest to a petit four. They are cubes of spongecake frosted with butter cream, then rolled in chopped salted peanuts.  They are salty and sweet and crunchy and tender and unbelievably delicious and incredibly addictive. I don't care if they are Irish or not, they are one of my all time favorite childhood memories.

The technique of making them is a bit unusual, but trust me, it results in a really delicious end result.  Frosting the frozen cake cubes is a bit tedious, but if you can find a helper or two who is detail-oriented (like my partner Doug) then frosting them is a snap! While one person is frosting the squares, the other rolls them in chopped peanuts.

I have no earthly idea how long these beauties keep before spoiling because they never last more than a few hours before they are completely devoured! I have heard they can be kept in an airtight container in the freezer for several weeks.  Sounds true enough to me, I have no intention of finding out.

Blarney Stones
makes 2 dozen

Cake
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla

Pre heat oven to 350F.

Line the bottom of a jelly roll pan (10 x 15) with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder and cream of tartar in a bowl and mix well.

In the work bowl of a standing mixer combine eggs and sugar and beat with the whisk attachment until very light and fluffy, about 7 minutes.

With mixer running, pour the boiling water into the eggs in a slow steady stream.

Add half of the dry ingredients and slowly mix in.  Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until a batter forms. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Let cake cool completely before cutting into 24 squares.  Place cakes in an airtight container and freeze for at least one hour (this makes frosting much easier).

Let the sheet cake cool before cutting into squares and freezing

Icing
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
24 oz salted peanuts, finely chopped

Combine butter and powdered sugar in the work bowl of a standing mixer and cream until well blended.  Add milk, vinegar and vanilla and cream until a light and smooth icing is formed.

place chopped peanuts in a shallow plate or pie pan.

Frost all sides of each square (except the bottom) with a thin coat of icing.  Gently roll frosted squares in peanuts and place on a rack to allow icing to set for 30 minutes.