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Oyster Mushrooms Chips

12 Nov

I have always been curious about oyster mushrooms, but I have never made them before myself because the ones we get usually here in Puerto Rico always look old and wet… not fresh and beautiful like the ones you see on TV or when you visit markets in the US when traveling.  So staying a few weeks with my sister in Southern Florida gave me the chance to use a few ingredients I have very limited access to in my homeland. 

Anne Burrell made these oyster mushroom chips in one of her shows and I was completely inspired by the simplicity but also because she mentioned these mushrooms, after roasting in the oven, tasted like bacon.  SAY WHAT?!?!??!  That immediately caught my attention…

These are so easy to make… my 10-year old “nephew” David helped me out making these.  He and his twin sister Marietta were wary because they both claimed they were not mushroom eaters.  Boy, were they in for a surprise…

 

OYSTER MUSHROOM CHIPS

½ pound of fresh oyster mushrooms
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Sea Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425F
  2. Peel off each piece of mushroom from the stalk and separate them into individual “petals”.  Place them in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
  3. Arrange gill-side up in 2 baking sheets side by side to allow the mushrooms to cook well and for the edges to crisp up.
  5. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes.  They will shrink up considerably.
  6. Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool of a bit for about 2 minutes and scrape them off the baking sheet using a spatula.

If you’re not eating the right away… you can certainly place them again on a baking sheet and reheat them at 400F for about 5-8 minutes more.

 

We had to make this recipe TWICE because the first time we did them everyone was so excited that I did not get a chance to take any photographs.  David liked them raw and cooked alike.  Marietta was afraid of tasting them because “she doesn’t eat mushrooms” but was shocked and told me these did not taste like mushrooms at all.  Her parents were in awe…

Even the skeptics were impressed and mentioned unaided these mushrooms tasted like bacon.  I thought the crispy edges tasted more like “chicharrón” than bacon… so I can see more applications of these mushrooms in my future besides sprinkling them over a lettuce, sprout and cucumber salad.

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Broccoli Salad

3 Sep

The other day my friend Angie asked for my help in the Yoga Center kitchen… she was down a cook and needed my help.  I’ve been a little detached from cooking at the Yoga Center lately.  Having no important plans for the afternoon, I immediately said yes.

She told me she had broccoli and did not know what to do with it.  So I went thru my mental rolodex and retrieved an idea I’ve been meaning to share with you.   Blanching was the operative cooking technique of the day…

We made this recipe for 20 people so I will try to replicate for a party of 4.

BROCCOLI SALAD

1 head of broccoli florets (save the stems for some other day)
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1 head of garlic, roasted
2 tbs horseradish
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of that same lemon
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. To roast the garlic head, just cut the top off the garlic bulb and place inside a piece of aluminum foil.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil over it and season with salt and pepper.  Add a small piece of ice with the garlic and wrap the aluminum foil so that the steam does not escape.  Bake in oven at 350F for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Set aside.
  2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil.  Salt the water liberally.  Add the broccoli florets to the water and cook for about 1 minute. 
  3. Remove the broccoli florets from the boiling water with a large sieve and transfer to a large bowl with ice water to stop the cooking immediately and seal the beautiful green color.
  4. Place the onion slices inside the large sieve and submerge the onion slices ever so slightly into the same boiling water as you blanched the broccoli florets.  Just submerge them for about 30 seconds.  Pour some filtered tap water over the onion slices to cool them off.  Set aside.
  5. In a measuring cup mix together the lemon juice, lemon zest, horseradish, olive oil, salt and pepper. 
  6. Now, in a large salad bowl mix together the blanched broccoli that you’ve drained of as much water as possible, the blanched onion slices, the roasted garlic cloves that you’ve removed from the bulb skins, and the lemon/horseradish dressing.  Mix all well together to let the broccoli florets absorb as much dressing as possible.

 

Serve as a side dish… but we also incorporated the leftovers in a pasta salad.  Delicious!!!

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Panzanella Salad

9 Aug

This is another recipe that combines this Basic Italian Tomato Salad with several other ingredients so you can enjoy its delicious flavors in another format…

 

PANZANELLA SALAD

1 recipe of Basic Italian Tomato Salad
1 whole-wheat ciabatta roll
2 cups of baby spinach, washed and dried well
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Freshly cracked Black Pepper

 

  1. Make Basic Italian Tomato Salad.  Set aside.
  2. Cut ciabatta roll in half.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toast in oven at 350F for about 5 minutes.  Take the bread pieces out and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Set aside.
  3. In a large salad bowl, add the baby spinach, Tomato/Mozzarella salad and bread pieces.  Toss everything to combine and allow the juices from the Basic Italian Tomato Salad dress the salad.

 

That’s it!!!  Easy, no?

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Basic Italian Tomato Salad

19 Jul

I love tomatoes…  I just do.  To me, cutting up a few tomatoes on the side constitutes a complete salad in my book.   I can go through a whole pack of Costco tomatoes in a week… all by myself.

I also love taking a simple, delicious recipe and using it in various ways – exciting flavors enjoyed in various formats.  And that’s what this Basic Italian Tomato Salad is… 

What makes it Italian??  Well, the Italian ingredients – white balsamic vinegar, mini fresh mozzarella pieces and Italian Seasonings.

 

BASIC ITALIAN TOMATO SALAD

4 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped into large pieces – if you have heirloom tomatoes, all the better
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp of white balsamic vinegar – regular balsamic will also work here
A pinch of fresh basil – I also use the freeze-dried kind
½ tsp of Italian Seasonings
1 tsp of salt
Freshly cracked Black Pepper
1 clove of garlic, grated – optional
About 16 pieces of mini fresh mozzarella pieces

 

  1. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Toss to combine.  Allow for the mixture to marinate and create a juice/sauce in the bottom of the bowl.
  2. Combine with mozzarella pieces in a plate.  Drizzle some extra olive oil on top when plating.

 

Sometimes I add the cheese pieces in with the rest of the ingredients to marinate too…  it’s up to you.  This is a very delicious and versatile combination that you will use over and over again.

Then you can take this Salad and use it in:  an Italian sandwich with ciabatta bread, an Italian panzanella salad, a delicious Italian tomato/mozzarella pasta…   

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Green Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

10 Jul

A great feast for me is never complete without a fresh salad.   Maybe I will not feel as guilty to eat all the fried Spanish foods we were having the other night if there is a little greenery on the side.

GREEN SALAD WITH SHERRY VINAIGRETTE

Little less than ¼ cup of sherry vinegar
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
About ½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
A bag of salad greens – we used baby romaine lettuce
½ a pear, sliced thin
½ cup of toasted walnuts

 

  1. Toast walnuts in a skillet over medium heat or in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes, until the nuts start to smell a bit.  Cool off and set aside.
  2. In a medium container mix together the sherry vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and olive oil.  Whisk well to combine and emulsify.
  3. In a large salad bowl place the lettuces and arrange pear slices and walnuts on top.  Drizzle with about ½ the vinaigrette and toss to combine.  Serve more dressing on the side for whoever wants some more…

 

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