There are 23 more days until Easter. We are still looking for new or different foods to make and include in our choices of Lenten foods. Today, we looked in the fridge and found that we had some beautiful sliced portabella mushrooms ("baby bella" from Costco), and this dish came to mind. There are so many foods that one could cook in a tomato sauce, so why not mushrooms?
Actually, we discuss making mushrooms in a variety of ways. On Husband's side of the family, we often are served button mushrooms with onions and oil, which area great topping for pasta, rice, or any food, as long as you like mushrooms. On Wife's side of the family, stuffed mushroom caps are a traditional holiday food, used as an appetizer for a fancy meal or when there is company. With a variety of mushrooms available, all of which have different flavours, it is obvious that there would be a variety of dishes to make from just one ingredient. Today, with the tomato sauce, we are making mushrooms as a side dish that will go with anything else we cook. This dish serves four and we plan to make this when we bake fish Palm Sunday, but here is the entry so you can perfect it before then!
For this recipe, you will need the following:
18 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and cut into large pieces
2-3 medium onions, sliced or chopped
1 cup white wine (unresinated -- NOT retsina)
1/2 cup olive oil
a little rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
Start with the tomato paste. In a sauce pan, dissolve the tomato paste in a little water. You need to add enough water for the tomato paste to become spreadable. Then, add the wine and olive oil.
Simmer this for about 10 minutes, mixing it occasionally. You need a low- medium heat so that the tomato does not burn, and the amount of wine remains, without cooking away just yet.
After 10 minutes of a low simmer, then it is time to add everything else to the pot. Add the mushroom, onions, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir this so all the ingredients are covered with the tomato, wine, oil mixture. It looks like there is not enough liquid in the pan for the amount of mushrooms, but we have to remember that mushrooms will cook down to about half, in size. Mushrooms are airy, and as they cook, they shrink. This is the other reason that we stir once in a while is because the mushrooms that are completely covered by the liquid will cook down faster than any above the liquid line. By mixing occasionally, you will keep the mushrooms cooking at an even pace.
Allow this combination to cook on medium to medium low heat for the next 20 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and tender. Make sure the mushrooms are soft all the way through. You may notice that they have turned a darker colour, but this is not true for all types of mushrooms. Regardless of what variety of mushroom, make sure that the centre is soft, and there is no raw bite to the stem. Now, remove the bay leaf from the pot and serve. This is best when it is warm. Since the heat was not raised above medium, this dish should not boil. It should be cooked at a slow simmer to allow all of the flavours to melt together gently.
As we said, this could be a main dish served over rice or pasta -- especially using larger portabella mushrooms. If you are using button mushrooms, cremini, or any other whole mushroom, it may be a side dish or a topping for another food. You can serve this as is with a nice piece of bread, and have a simple lunch. Adjust the salt and pepper for the individual, or offer a little hot sauce on the side. You will really add something special when you make this special, easy and tasty meal.
St. John of Climacus (From the Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 23, Section 32)
Source of quote:
"Darkness is foreign to light; and a proud person is foreign to every virtue."
St. John of Climacus (From the Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 23, Section 32)
Source of quote:
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