Roasted Mushrooms With Braised Black Lentils And Parsley Croutons Recipes

ROASTED MUSHROOMS WITH BRAISED BLACK LENTILS AND PARSLEY CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• For mushrooms, trim any woody stems, and clean with a damp kitchen towel as needed. Place face down on a sheet tray lined with parchment. Season assertively with salt and pepper. Generously drizzle with olive oil, and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed wide sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over gentle heat. Add in the onion, fennel and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes, taking care not to brown the vegetables. Add the lentils, stirring to coat them with the olive oil and vegetable mix. (Add more olive oil if needed to get a glossy coating on the lentils.) Cover just barely with cold water, add the bay leaves and fennel stalk and reseason with salt and pepper. Simmer, partly covered, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, as you might for a risotto. (You want to end up with wet-juicy cooked seasoned lentils but not lentil soup.) Turn off heat, remove bay leaves and cooked-out fennel stems or fronds, and finish with a healthy drizzle of olive oil.
• For croutons, over medium heat, melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold the diced bread in a single layer. Add in the bread, stir to coat evenly with the butter and season with salt. Toast the croutons in the butter on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crispy. The butter will smell browned and toasted. Remove from the heat, season with salt and black pepper and allow to cool briefly before tossing with chopped parsley and lemon zest.
• Combine lentils with the roasted mushrooms and any accrued roasted mushroom juices, scatter croutons over top and serve.

WILD MUSHROOMS AND BEEF OVER LENTILS

Steps:

• Microwave lime in a small bowl to release essential oils and set aside until it is just cool enough to handle.
• Rinse beef to remove any blood residue and pat dry with paper toweling. Rub with salt and pepper and set aside briefly. Combine shallots, garlic, thyme, parsley, sage and olive oil to form a smooth paste. Rub into beef and let sit for a minimum of 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a large saute pan with an oven safe handle, and sear beef on all sides. Roast in oven until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees F, about 20 to 25 minutes, so when you pull it out it will reach 145 degrees F for medium doneness during the carryover cooking while it is resting. (You will be using the pan juices for the lentils, so do not discard them.)
• While the beef is roasting, rinse lentils in a colander and examine to make sure there are is no foreign material (such as pebbles). Transfer to a saucepot with just enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for about 20 minutes until lentils are re-hydrated and water is absorbed, then remove from heat.
• While lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute white onion until translucent. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the saute pan and when it melts, add shiitake, crimini, and portobello mushrooms to the onion pan along with sage and thyme. Cook mushrooms until they begin to soften and to give up their juices. Stir sauteed onion- mushroom-herb mixture into pot of lentils along with demi-glace. Lower heat and cook for a few minutes to integrate flavors, but do not allow lentils to get mushy. Remove from heat and keep in a warm place.
• Remove beef from oven and transfer to a utility platter to let rest. Strain pan juices from beef into lentil mixture and stir to combine. Keep covered and warm.
• Sliced rested beef into thin slices. Stir diced tomato into lentils. Spoon some lentil/mushroom mixture into the center of serving dish and top with beef. Garnish with chopped parsley.

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.

SALT-BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy and tripled in volume.
• Stir in kosher salt, and mix well with a stiff whisk until slightly clumpy.
• When too difficult to whisk, use your hands to blend the salt mixture until it becomes uniformly wet, heavy and slightly sticky. In other words, like the worst snow-shoveling day of your life.
• With a sharp knife, trim a sliver, as needed, from the bottom of each pear so they stand upright on their own.
• Pack the salt mixture around each whole pear, including the bottom, to create a thin and even encasement.
• Gently place the pears on a lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Use a cake tester to test for doneness, piercing through the very top of the pear at the stem. We like the pears a little al dente - cooked through but with some tooth. We don't want applesauce.
• Pears can be held warm in the oven at the lowest possible setting until ready to serve.
• To serve, crack the salt crust and discard. Take care to brush off any clinging salt with a clean dish towel, and serve the roasted pear with wet black walnuts (see recipe).

BRINED AND BRAISED PORK BELLY AND RIBS

Steps:

• In a large container combine the sugar, salt, black peppercorns, allspice berries and 2 gallons water. Add the belly and ribs. Refrigerate 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Remove the pork from the brine. Reserve spices. Cut the ribs from the pork belly and each rib from the rib rack. Remove sinew.
• Place ribs and spices in a large roasting pan. Set the belly, skin side up, on top. Pour enough broth to half cover the pork. Cover the pan with parchment and foil. Braise until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, about 2 hours. Let cool completely. Cut into 2- to 3-inch squares.
• When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put belly squares and ribs on a baking pan. In a small saucepan heat butter, brown sugar, 1 cup braising liquid and kosher salt. Pour the sauce over the pork and heat in the oven, basting regularly, until warmed through, 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a sauté pan bring 1 cups of the braising liquid to a boil. Add the turnips and kale and braise, uncovered, until just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Onto each of 8 plates, place a rib, pork belly and some vegetables and top with a few spoonfuls of the brown-sugar sauce.