Butter Braised Cardoons With Mushrooms Breadcrumbs Recipes

BUTTER-BRAISED CARDOONS WITH MUSHROOMS AND BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it moderately. Strip the cardoons of leaves and string as you would celery. Cut each stalk lengthwise into 2 or 3 long strips, then crosswise into 2-inch lengths. You'll have about 3 cups. Squeeze the lemon juice into the water and boil the cardoons until fairly tender, 10 to 12 minutes; drain and rinse.
• Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet wide enough to accommodate the cardoons comfortably. When the foam subsides, add the cardoons, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until they take on a bit of color, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms are mostly tender, 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and a pinch of salt and raise the heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread crumbs brown a bit and the cardoons are fully tender and sweet, 5 minutes longer.
• Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top, taste for salt, add pepper to taste and serve hot or warm.

SIMPLE BRAISED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallot and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to soften. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with another 1/2 teaspoon salt and the thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have let off some of their juices are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• Deglaze with the Marsala, if using, and add the broth and remaining salt. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about an additional 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs, stir in the butter and serve.

BAKED MUSHROOMS AND WHITE BEANS WITH BUTTERY BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the mushrooms: In a large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown and crisp around the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the butter, shallot, garlic and thyme, and stir until the shallot has softened slightly and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt.
• Turn off the heat and stir the white beans into the skillet. Toss until combined, then top evenly with feta. Add the stock and bake until the stock is slightly bubbling and the feta has slightly softened, 13 to 15 minutes.
• While the beans bake, make your bread crumbs: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Turn off the heat, add the crumbs and toss until evenly covered with butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the mushroom mixture from the oven and turn on the broil setting. Top the mushrooms and beans with the bread crumbs, then broil until the bread crumbs are golden and the feta is crisp on the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. (Don't walk away!) Scatter with parsley and serve directly from the pan.

BRAISED CARDOON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter a 1-quart baking dish. Cut cardoon crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in prepared dish. Add the cardoon to the boiling broth, top with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake, alongside chicken, 20 minutes, until tender.