Ingredient: onions, diced

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I’m sure the appeal of mushrooms isn’t for everyone. For Brion & I, we love that earthy taste. There is hardly anything you can’t use mushrooms in from appetizers to main course.

I find the versatility of the portobello mushroom is endless. They have a rich, meaty texture and flavor which is retained even after cooking. You can use them in soups, stews, baked pasta, rice dishes or as a meat substitute in salads. Portobellos are excellent paired with fresh herbs, cheese, tomato or cream based sauces, leafy greens, garlic and onions.

Although rich, meaty portobello mushrooms are delicious all by themselves, filling them to overflowing with a delicious shrimp stuffing puts them over the top.

This is a great main course entrée served with steak, pork chops or chicken. If you are having a party you can make them with baby bellas and serve them as an appetizer.

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 Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
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Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Keyword shrimp stuffed portobello mushrooms
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Keyword shrimp stuffed portobello mushrooms
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Prepare the mushrooms. Remove the stems, clean, chop & set aside. With a damp paper towel, clean the mushrooms. If you prefer, use a spoon to gently scrape the gills from the mushrooms. Place the mushroom cap on a large baking sheet with the gill side facing up. This will form the "bowl" for your filling.
  2. Peel & devein shrimp. Reserve 8-12 whole shrimp to sauté & serve on top of the stuffed Portobello mushrooms. Chop the remaining shrimp & set aside.
  3. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped mushroom stems, onions, & garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes until they become tender.
  4. Add the chopped shrimp, breadcrumbs, egg, basil, lemon juice & red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it has absorbed the butter & the shrimp begin to turn opaque.
  5. Evenly divide the mushroom mixture over the tops of the mushroom caps forming a small mound. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
  6. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.
  8. Lightly sauté the remaining whole shrimp in a pan just until they are pink & cooked. Do not overcook. Place 2 sautéed shrimp on each mushroom cap to serve.

Beef Stroganoff French Bread

The original recipe of beef stroganoff did not include paprika or mushrooms, but both are a popular variation on the theme, as is the practice of serving beef stroganoff over egg noodles.

In the 50s and 60s, the famous stroganoff saw quite a bit of popularity in North America, but with the passage of time the image was marred by the availability of canned cream of mushroom soup and poor cuts or pieces of meat that were ‘slopped’ over cooked noodles or rice and is served in school cafeterias.

This dish saw so much popularity, it actually became an iconic food and cuisine. But unfortunately, it was this cafeteria version of this delicious dish that everyone in North America came to associate with the name.

As with so many dishes as time passes, every variation adds a different twist on the classic. In Australia and the UK, the recipe of beef stroganoff is quite similar to that of North America and is simply eaten with rice.

In the British restaurants, beef stroganoff is cooked to a creamy consistency and then served with a white wine while the authentic or original stroganoffs, which are similar to red stews, are generally served with scoops of sour cream.

In Portugal & Brazil, beef stroganoff is better known as ‘estrogonofe,’ and is cooked with tomato paste, beef strips or dices, with mushrooms, onions and with heavy whipped cream.

Chicken Stroganoff, made with the strips of chicken breast is also famous in Brazil, which is known as ‘fricassee,’ and it is served with crispy straws of potatoes & white rice. In Sweden, sausage stroganoff is more common.

Some other variations of beef stroganoff are also made with canned sweet corn, with ketchup and wine. This dish is also served creatively in crepe fillings or as toppings for all kinds of pizzas and with baked potatoes.

I’m making our beef stroganoff with ground beef as well as some of the classic ingredients. Instead of serving it with French bread, we are having it inside the French bread.

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 Beef Stroganoff French Bread
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword beef stroganoff French bread
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Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword beef stroganoff French bread
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms with 1 tsp salt & pepper; add thyme. Cook until mushrooms are golden, approximately 4 minutes. Remove from pan & set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  3. To the saucepan, add butter, onions & garlic & sauté 2 minutes. Add ground beef & cook until browned, approximately 4 minutes. Add flour, paprika & remaining 1 tsp salt. Add beef broth, sour cream & mustard; mix thoroughly & add reserved mushrooms.
  4. Fill hollowed French loaf with stroganoff & top with shredded cheese. Place on a foil lined baking sheet & bake for 20 minutes until cheese is golden & melted.
  5. Sprinkle with sliced green onions & serve immediately.

Chicken Pancakes w/ Mushroom Sauce

ENJOYING SHROVE TUESDAY!

Shrove Tuesday is a ‘holiday’ with a movable date, due to its relationship to Easter. The final day before Lent, it has many meanings, both spiritual and practical. The spiritual purpose of Shrove Tuesday is to take stock of the year and determine what things one must bear in mind during repentance.

Practically speaking, Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the great ‘fast’ of Lent. As a result, many would take it as an opportunity to have a final feast and party. Because this holiday marked the last day to use up one’s stocks of fats and eggs, a British tradition was born: Pancake Tuesday. Pancakes make use of ingredients that were banned during Lent and would spoil before its end.

Although many traditions of the past have gone by the wayside, whether you know its history or not, Pancake Tuesday seems to still be a ‘thing’. Brion & I don’t eat pancakes a lot but certainly enjoy them when we do. As always, I can’t resist a new idea, so today we are having some chicken pancakes w/ mushroom sauce. Yum!

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 Chicken Pancakes w/ Mushroom Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken pancakes w/ mushroom sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Mushroom Sauce
Pancakes / Chicken
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken pancakes w/ mushroom sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Mushroom Sauce
Pancakes / Chicken
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Mushroom Sauce
  1. In a skillet, heat oil & add mushrooms & onions. Sauté for about 5-8 minutes until moisture releases & evaporates. Whish in flour & allow to cook for about 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, thyme, salt & pepper; cook an additional 30 seconds. Add milk, whisking constantly until cooked & thickened. Remove from heat & set aside.
Pancakes / Chicken
  1. In a skillet, heat oil & add ground chicken, herbs & spices. Scramble-fry until chicken is no longer pink. Remove to a dish & set aside.
  2. In a bowl, combine flours & baking powder; add cooked chicken & grated cheese.
  3. In a small container, whisk together eggs, milk & oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry & mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Be careful to not over mix the batter. Let mixture stand for about 3 minutes before cooking.
  4. Heat griddle to about 250 -300 F. Place a small amount of butter on the griddle to coat the surface.
  5. Cook pancakes on one side until golden brown then flip to the other side & cook until golden as well. I made 4 large pancakes with this amount of batter.
To Serve
  1. Place one large pancake on each serving plate, top with 1/4 of the mushroom sauce, another pancake & another 1/4 of the sauce. We found this to be a very filling meal!

Roast Turkey Breast w/ Fig & Sausage Stuffing

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!

The second Monday of October has been the day Canada has celebrated Thanksgiving since 1957. You might say it is synonymous with autumn & the harvest season. For us, its a time to be thankful for having the privilege of being Canadian and able to live in such a wonderful country.

Autumn is not to be taken lightly, its a magical season that is often overlooked. The green around us gets replaced by flaming oranges, bright reds and golden yellows. Much like the leaves swirling in the crisp autumn breeze, we are reminded that Mother Nature has an incredible influence on our lives.

This year has been like no other in most of our lives. Without a doubt the world is experiencing a health crises of a huge magnitude. I doubt whether many aspects of the life we once new, will ever be the same again. Some time ago I read an article that was posted on Facebook. When things are verbalized it seems to make them unmistakably clear. I’ve always believed there is a reason for everything even if we don’t know what it is at the time. I want to re-post this article as I thought it is certainly worth reading and giving some thought to.

We fell asleep in one world and woke up in another * Suddenly Disney is out of magic * Paris is no longer romantic * New York doesn’t stand up anymore * The Chinese wall is no longer a fortress and Mecca is empty * Hugs & kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love * Suddenly you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can’t get you the oxygen you’re fighting for * The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think its sending us a message * ‘You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters’.

For our Thanksgiving meal today, I am making a turkey breast roast. The turkey breast is deboned, butterflied and pounded to an even thickness, then filled with stuffing. Usually it is tied with kitchen twine and roasted in a low and slow oven.

This particular stuffing contains figs, apples and some Italian sausage. I think it should make for a good Thanksgiving meal.

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 Roast Turkey Breast w/ Fig & Sausage Stuffing
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Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword roast turkey breast w/ fig & sausage stuffing
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Ingredients
Herb Butter
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword roast turkey breast w/ fig & sausage stuffing
Servings
Ingredients
Herb Butter
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, simmer figs in orange juice about 4 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, melt butter & add apple, celery, onions, herbs & sausage, breaking up the sausage into small pieces. Sauté for about 10 minutes until fruit/vegetables are soft & sausage is browned.
  3. Add the nuts & figs with any liquid remaining & cook for another 2 minutes.
  4. In a large bowl, add the sausage mixture to the bread cubes & grated parmesan. Toss until quite moist & well combined; season to taste with salt & pepper
  5. Lay plastic wrap on your work surface. Butterfly turkey breasts & carefully pound until you acquire an even thickness. Even though you are using a boneless turkey breast there is that piece of hard grizzle still holding the breast halves together. I like to remove it but still keep the skin in one piece. When you fold the breast to cover the stuffing everything stays together nicely. It makes it real easy when its cooked & you are ready to slice.
  6. Preheat oven to 325 F.
  7. Spoon stuffing on one side & press down slightly. Using the plastic wrap, flip the other half of the turkey breast over stuffing. Tuck in any stuffing that falls out. Tie roast with KITCHEN TWINE or leave as is. Place the turkey breast, on a foil lined baking pan (not glass).
  8. Brush with HERB BUTTER. Roast 2-2 1/2 hours. Each oven roasts different so test in a few places with a meat thermometer to be sure.
  9. Cover breasts loosely with foil for 20 minutes before slicing. remove twine & carve 1-inch slices & serve with extra stuffing if you wish.
Recipe Notes
  • This recipe will be enough for Thanksgiving dinner as well as leftovers for a few more meals depending on the amount of dinner guests you have.
  • I'm a stuffing lover, so you will notice there is ample stuffing in this recipe.

Mexican Lasagna

Having just returned from Merida, Mexico and holiday memories are still fresh in our minds, we wanted to share a few of the city’s highlights.

Merida is the cultural heart and soul of the Yucatan with multiple museums, art galleries, restaurants, theaters and stores. Brion and I have made a point of staying in hotels which are a close walk to Paseo de Montejo. This main avenue of the city was named after the founder of Merida, Francisco de Montejo. Built at the end of the 19th century and inspired by the boulevards of France, Paseo de Montejo used to be the site of mega mansions belonging to the well-to-do families in the city. While many of them now are the headquarters of national and international banks and companies, they still retain the heritage of the city.

Music and dancing play an important role in the day to day life of Merida’s residents. Outdoor, live performances can be seen frequently around the city. Cultural activities are plentiful on Saturday and Sunday evenings. The main road is closed off to traffic on Sundays for ‘Family Bike Day’, a day when families are encouraged to get out and ride their bikes along Montejo avenue. This historic city offers a wonderful insight into its rich culture, incredible cuisine and friendly people.

If you care to read about some of the tours we took last year while we were in Merida, check out my blog articles on this site from February 2019.

Today’s blog recipe is called Mexican ‘lasagna’ due to the layering of tortillas in place of lasagna pasta noodles.

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 Mexican Lasagna
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Mexican, Spanish
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Mexican, Spanish
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, scramble-fry ground beef with celery, onion & green pepper. Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce, olives salt & pepper; simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in skillet. Cut 2 tortillas into quarters; cook remaining 6 tortillas & the quarters in oil till crisp & golden. Drain on paper towels. Set aside quartered tortillas & break up remaining six. In a bowl, combine cheddar, cottage cheese & slightly beaten egg.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 9 X 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of meat mixture. Top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture then 1/2 of the BROKEN tortillas. Repeat layers, ending with meat mixture. Top with quartered tortillas.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes then allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.