Wild Mushroom And Pasta Gratin Recipes

SAUTEED WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Brush the caps of each mushroom with a clean sponge. Remove and discard the stems. Slice the small mushrooms thickly and cut the large ones in a large dice.
• Heat the olive oil in a large (11 - inch) Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the butter, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until they are tender and begin to release their juices, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Toss in the parsley, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.

BAKED CHEESY PASTA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim the mushrooms and cut into 1-inch pieces. Toss with the olive oil, the salt, a few grinds of pepper and the rosemary. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast, tossing once or twice, until golden brown and crisped around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Discard rosemary.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for at least a few minutes less than the package directs. (You want the pasta very al dente; it will finish softening in the sauce.) Drain well.
• Turn oven up to 500 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the cream, ricotta, fontina, Parmesan, sage, pepper, garlic and a pinch of salt. Stir in the pasta and mushrooms. Arrange in a shallow 2-quart gratin dish or 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly and browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes.

PASTA WITH WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, bring salted water to a boil.
• In a large saute pan, over high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute, just until beginning to turn translucent. Add the marjoram and saute 1 more minute. Add the mushrooms and saute until they begin to brown and release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the Mushroom Stock and reduce 5 minutes. Add the cream and reduce about 5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and quickly toss with mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Divide onto serving plates and serve immediately garnished with marjoram sprigs.
• Combine the chicken stock and mushrooms in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Strain.

WILD MUSHROOM POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 400°F.
• Cook chanterelles or shiitakes with salt and pepper to taste in 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Cook cremini in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in skillet, stirring, until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes, then transfer to bowl with wild mushrooms. Toss mushrooms with 1 teaspoon garlic.
• Peel potatoes and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices (preferably with an adjustable-blade slicer). Bring potatoes, cream, milk, salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic to a boil in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot, stirring once or twice, then remove from heat.
• Transfer half of potatoes to buttered gratin dish with a slotted spoon, spreading evenly. Spread mushrooms evenly over potatoes, then top with remaining potatoes. Pour cooking liquid over potatoes and sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake gratin until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

WILD MUSHROOM, POTATO & PANCETTA GRATIN

Steps:

• Put the garlic cloves, onion, bay leaves, thyme, double cream and milk in a pan. Bring slowly to the boil over a low heat, partially cover with a lid and cook for 20-30 mins until the onion is tender and the cream mixture slightly thickened. Turn off and leave everything to infuse for 1 hr.
• Strain the cream mixture into a jug (or bowl) and discard the herbs. Put the garlic cloves and onion in a food processor or blender and whizz until smooth - add a drop of the cream if it helps. Stir the paste back into the rest of the cream and season with 2 tsp salt.
• Put the pancetta in a cold frying pan and cook gently, over a low-medium heat so the fat melts into the pan, until the pancetta is really crispy. Lift out with a slotted spoon, add the butter and mushrooms and turn up the heat, frying the mushrooms, until golden and dry.
• Leave the skins on the potatoes and slice as thinly as possible. Grease a large baking dish with a little more butter. Layer up the potato slices, scattering over some of the cooked pancetta, the mushrooms and a little freshly grated nutmeg and pepper as you go. Finish by slowly pouring over the cream so that it settles among all the layers, then scatter over a few more thyme leaves. Cover with foil.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the gratin for 1 hr, then remove the foil and bake for 35-45 mins more until golden and crispy on top. Poke a knife in to check the potatoes are tender, then leave for 10-15 mins to settle, before serving with a salad, if you like.

BUTTER-ROASTED SUPREME OF CHICKEN WITH WILD MUSHROOM & POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• To make the gratin, peel and slice the potatoes no thicker than a 50p piece using a mandolin, if you have one. Bring the milk, cream, garlic, herbs and some seasoning to the boil in a large saucepan, then turn down the heat and simmer for a few mins.
• Slip the potatoes into the hot milk mixture and simmer for 10 mins until just cooked. Drain the potatoes in a colander over a bowl to catch the liquid - reserve the milk. While the potatoes are simmering, heat half the butter in a frying pan until foaming. Fry the mushrooms for 2 mins until just wilted, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Rub 2 small gratin dishes (or 1 medium) with the remaining butter, sprinkle over the thyme leaves and grate over some of the cheese. Fill the dishes halfway with potato slices, moisten with a little milk and grate over more cheese. Fill up the dishes with potato slices, add enough milk to cover, then top with the mushrooms and the rest of the cheese.
• For the chicken, mix about two-thirds of the butter with the lemon zest and half the juice, the parsley, paprika and some salt and pepper. Lift the skin slightly away from each breast, spread or pipe the flavoured butter under the skin, then stretch the skin back over. Chill up to a day in advance, if you like.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat the remaining butter in an ovenproof frying pan until foaming. Pan-fry the chicken, basting constantly with the butter until starting to brown. Add the shallot, garlic, thyme and stock. Place the chicken, skin-side up in its pan, on the higher shelf of the oven, and the gratins on the lower shelf. Roast both for 25-30 mins, then remove the chicken and rest for 15 mins, while the gratins continue to cook.
• To finish, remove the chicken from the pan. Place the pan back on the heat, squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and bring everything to a hard boil. Pass the sauce through a sieve, pressing down firmly on all the soft shallot and garlic. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in another frying pan and reheat the leeks until they start to colour. With the gratins cooked, you are now ready to plate up.
• Line six leeks up in a row in the middle of each plate. Carve the chicken on a slant into five thick slices. Neatly fan out each chicken breast over the leeks. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and around the leeks, and serve with the potato gratin.

PASTA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Finely chop whole onion and saute in hot oil in nonstick pan for 15 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir occasionally.
• Bring water to boil for pasta.
• Wash, trim and coarsely chop mushrooms. When onions have softened, stir in mushrooms, and cook until they release their juices and begin to dry out.
• Add Marsala and beef stock, and cook over medium-high heat until mushrooms and onions are very soft.
• Cook pasta.
• Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Grate cheese. When pasta is cooked, drain. Mix it with sauce, and then sprinkle with cheese.

WILD MUSHROOM AND POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Place the dried porcinis in a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and pour on 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Drain mushrooms, then squeeze in cheesecloth to extract juices. Rinse several times and chop medium-fine. Measure out 1 cup of broth.
• Meanwhile heat oven to 375 degrees. Rub inside of a 3-quart gratin dish or baking dish all over with the cut half garlic clove and lightly oil with olive oil. Heat oil in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion or shallots and cook gently until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn up heat to high and add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to sweat, 2-3 minutes, reduce heat to medium, and add minced garlic, thyme, rosemary or sage and dried porcinis. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and continue to cook over medium heat until soft, about 5 more minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until it is no longer visible in the pan. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• In a large bowl combine potatoes, mushrooms, half the cheese, and salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer in gratin dish.
• Combine milk and mushroom broth. Season generously with salt and pour over the potatoes and mushrooms. Press the vegetables down into the liquid. Bake 1 hour. Every 20 minutes remove gratin dish and press potatoes and mushrooms down into the liquid with the back of a large spoon. After 1 hour, sprinkle on remaining cheese and bake for another 30 minutes, until top is golden and the sides crusty. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot or warm.

WILD-MUSHROOM PASTA

Steps:

• Soak dried mushrooms in boiling-hot water in a bowl until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain in a paper-towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and reserve soaking liquid, then rinse soaked mushrooms. Pat dry and finely chop.
• Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté fresh mushrooms with garlic, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chopped soaked mushrooms and reserved mushroom-soaking liquid and simmer 1 minute, then remove from heat.
• Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Ladle out and reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander, then add it to mushrooms in skillet. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over moderately high heat, tossing and adding some pasta-cooking liquid if necessary to lightly coat, 1 minute. Add chives, parsley, lemon zest, and juice, then toss well. Serve immediately with cheese and pepper to taste.