Mushroom Ragout In A Savory Crust Recipes

MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat the oil. When almost smoking, add the onions and garlic over medium-low heat until the onions have wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Raise heat to high and saute until mushrooms are tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Remove pan from heat and pour in Marsala. Return pan to stove and allow wine to evaporate, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer for 1/2 hour until the sauce has reduced by half. Add heavy cream and mix well. Take the pan off the heat and add the fresh herbs and Parmesan and mix thoroughly.

MUSHROOM RAGOûT

Steps:

• Place the dried mushrooms in a pyrex measuring cup or a bowl and pour on 2 cups boiling water. Let soak 30 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain the mushrooms. Save the liquid. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer and rinse until they are free of sand. Chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet or a wide saucepan and add the shallots or onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, then add the fresh mushrooms, rosemary and thyme, and turn up the heat slightly. Cook until the mushrooms begin to sweat, then add a generous pinch of salt. Stir for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat as the mushrooms continue to soften and sweat. Add the flour and continue to cook the mushrooms, stirring, until they have softened a little more and you can no longer see the flour, about 2 minutes. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dried mushroom soaking liquid, bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth is thick, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground pepper and the parsley, taste and adjust salt.

MUSHROOM RAGOUT IN A SAVORY CRUST

Steps:

• For the ragout, melt the the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Add the leeks and shallots and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the white mushrooms, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add the shiitake and assorted wild mushrooms, the salt, pepper, sherry and cook, covered, for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, for the crust, slice the cold butter into a large bowl. Add the flour, salt and white pepper and, using a pastry cutter or two knives, work the flour into the butter. When the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, form a well in the center. Beat together the egg yolks and water and stir into the flour and butter mixture until smooth. Divide into two balls and cool for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly flour a board and roll out one batch of pastry. Gently press half the sage leaves into the dough. Line a deep dish pie pan with the dough and sprinkle it lightly with the 1 tablespoon of Parmesan for the crust. Stir the bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons Parmesan into the mushroom ragout and spoon into the pastry shell. Roll out the second batch of pastry, press the remaining sage leaves into the dough and top the pie, crimping the edges well. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve.

PARMESAN-CRUSTED POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE-MUSHROOM RAGOûT

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Broil polenta rounds on a lightly oiled large heavy baking sheet 3 to 4 inches from heat until lightly browned in spots, about 7 minutes. Turn rounds over and sprinkle with cheese, then broil until polenta is golden in spots and cheese is melted, about 7 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then cook sausage, breaking up lumps, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Stir in sausage and tomato sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Season with salt.
• Serve ragout spooned over polenta.

MUSHROOM RAGOUT

Steps:

• Soak porcini in 1 1/2 cups boiling water until softened, at least 20 minutes. Pick over fresh mushrooms, tearing or slicing bigger ones as needed.
• Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Stir in cumin and celery salt. Drain porcini, reserving liquid, and add to pan, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add fresh mushrooms and turn in pan until they begin to soften. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Stir in flour, followed by porcini soaking liquid and sherry. Cover and simmer until mushrooms are cooked through but retain a meaty bite, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a warmed platter, and sprinkle with a mixture of lemon zest and parsley. Serve with millet (as shown) or rice.

CREAMY WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until any liquid evaporates and mushrooms are light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter and shallots; cook, stirring, until mushrooms are caramelized and almost tender, about 10 minutes.
• Drizzle in Cognac and vinegar; cook until liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Stir in creme fraiche.
• Stir in chicken broth, marjoram, and salt and black pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook until slightly thickened and mushrooms are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

MUSHROOM RAGOUT 'GRAVY'

Steps:

• Place dried mushrooms in a bowl or tempered glass measuring cup, and pour on 2 cups boiling water. Let soak 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer to extract all the flavorful juices, and set aside the liquid in the bowl. Then rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid, until they are free of sand. Squeeze dry and set aside. If very large, chop coarsely.
• Heat oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat, and add onion or shallots. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, and then add in all the mushrooms except the reconstituted porcini mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms begin to soften and to sweat, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour and continue to cook mushrooms, stirring, until they have softened a little more and you can no longer see the flour, about 2 minutes. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and the wine, and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add rosemary and sage or thyme, stir together, and stir in mushroom soaking liquid and stock. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth is thick and gravy-like, about 20 minutes. If you want a thicker "gravy," remove a cup and blend until smooth in a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Stir back into the ragout.
• Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Set aside in the refrigerator overnight.

WILD MUSHROOM RAGOûT ON CRISPY POLENTA WITH COMTE CHEESE

Steps:

• For polenta:
• Generously butter 13x9x1- inch baking sheet. Bring milk, broth, and bay leaf to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove saucepan from heat; cover and let steep 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Discard bay leaf. Bring liquid to boil. Gradually add polenta, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until polenta is very thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in Comté cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer polenta to prepared 13x9x1-inch baking sheet. Using wet hands, press polenta evenly over sheet to edges. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Cut polenta into 20 squares. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• For mushroom ragout:
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and sauté until tender and browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and balsamic vinegar; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Rewarm mushrooms in large skillet over medium-high heat until heated through. Add broth and simmer 1 minute. Stir in crème fraîche and half of parsley. Season mushroom ragout to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add polenta squares to skillet and cook until browned, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven while cooking remaining polenta squares.
• Arrange 2 polenta squares on each plate. Top each with warm mushroom ragout; sprinkle with grated Comté cheese and remaining parsley and serve.
• MORE INFO:
• Comté is a semi-firm, Gruyère-style cow's-milk cheese made primarily in France's Franche-Comté region. It adds great flavor to this recipe and would also be delicious on a cheese platter. Comté is available at some supermarkets, cheese shops, and specialty foods stores.
• *Polenta can be found at some supermarkets, as well as at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If polenta is unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal and cook it about half as long.

MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Line a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with the dough. Using a fork, pierce at regular intervals to allow for even baking. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to prebake and fill.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the eggs in a medium bowl. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet to allow for easy handling. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom of the crust and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Whisk the milk into the eggs. Add salt and pepper, and stir in the mushrooms and cheeses. Mix together well and turn into the crust, scraping every last bit out of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Place in the oven and bake 30 to 45 minutes, until set and lightly browned.