Recipes--A Permanent Cuisine

[smurff]

Okay, I started the thread.

Now where's  that recipe for grilled Portobello mushroom burgers?

[rocketdog]

Okay, I've never written up this recipe before so I hope I didn't miss any steps.  If anything doesn't make sense let me know.  This recipe may take some practice to get just right.  Mushrooms vary greatly in size, thickness, and density.  Use this recipe as your starting point and modify as needed to fit the circumstances.

Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large, intact portabello mushroom caps (the bigger the better)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar (with pump spray top if you can find it).
• Adolph's meat tenderizer (or another similar brand)
• Hickory smoked salt (can substitute liquid smoke instead)
• Garlic powder
• Spike -or- Lawry's Seasoning Salt
• Cayenne powder (optional)
• Crumbly blue cheese (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Clean the mushroom caps by wiping them gently with a damp paper towel (be careful not to damage the gills.)
2. Carefully remove the stem by cutting it off level with the gills.
3. Generously brush olive oil all over the top and outside edges of the cap (it will soak in rapidly so work quickly).  DO NOT brush olive oil on the underside (gills)!
4. Arrange mushrooms in a shallow pan, gills-side up.
5. Spray 4-5 squirts of balsamic vinegar evenly over the gills of each mushroom.  If you do not have a spray top bottle, then sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar around the gills then distribute it evenly by gently brushing it into the gills.  (This is one of the hardest steps to get right, because too much vinegar will overwhelm the flavor!)
6. Sprinkle the Hickory smoked salt over the gills, about as much as you use to salt your French fries.  If using Liquid Smoke instead, sprinkle a few drops over the gills then distribute it evenly by gently brushing it into the gills.
7. Sprinkle the meat tenderizer over the gills, about as much as you use to salt your French fries.
8. Sprinkle the garlic powder evenly over the gills, using your own discretion according to your tastes.
9. Sprinkle the Spike (or Lawry's Seasoning Salt) evenly over the gills, using your own discretion according to your tastes.
10. Optional: Lightly dust the gills with a faint amount of cayenne powder (go easy here - better to go too light than too heavy).
11. Cover and allow mushroom caps to marinate for 20-30 minutes.

COOKING

1. Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  If no thermometer is available, use same heat as you would to cook hamburgers.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the gills of each mushroom and gently dab it around to coat the gills.
3. Lay mushroom caps gills-side up on the grill and close the lid.  Monitor the temperature, keeping it at 400 degrees.
4. After 5 minutes, open grill and brush the juices around inside the gills, then rotate the mushroom caps onto a different part of the grill, keeping gills-side up.  Close grill and repeat this step once more at the 10 minute mark.
5. At the 15 minute mark, pick up mushroom caps with tongs and tilt them to drain the liquid that has accumulated.  Return mushroom caps to the grill, this time with gills-side down.  Close grill and cook another 5 minutes.  (If mushroom caps are somewhat thick, you can turn the heat up to 450-500 degrees for this step if you like).
6. At the 20 minute mark, flip mushroom caps over again gills-side up, rearrange them on the grill, and turn down the heat to low (or else move mushroom caps onto the warming rack, or otherwise away from the hottest part of the grill).
7. Optional: Sprinkle crumbly blue cheese on the gills and close the grill until the cheese has melted (about 2-3 minutes).  If skipping the cheese, then just leave the mushroom caps on the grill, gills-side down for another few minutes.
8. Remove mushroom caps from grill and serve.

TIP: Slice thinly (1/4"), then dab the slice into a touch of A-1 steak sauce, and enjoy the tender grilled perfection! 

[smurff]

I tried Melveyr's recipe for pork bellies a couple of weeks ago, so as soon as I find some nice, firm Portobellos. I'll try this.

[rocketdog]

Good luck smurff!  Let us know how they turned out.  And don't be discouraged if they fall below your expectations -- they can be tricky to get just right, but when you do they're pretty awesome I must say. 

[ngcpa]

My favorite - from an authentic Chinese cook book - was translated for me by a Chinese friend:

                      BEEF AND BROCCOLI

2 clumps fresh broccoli cut into small clumps
1 ½ LBS. Sirloin steak (1/10 inch thick, 1 ½ inch sq)
3 scallions (cut in 2 inch long pieces)
piece of fresh ginger root (about the size of your thumb)
1 clove garlic
soy sauce
sugar
red wine
corn starch
oil

mix – peel & chop ½ of ginger root, 4 tbsp soy sauce,
4 tbsp sugar, 4 tsp of corn starch, 4 tbsp oil, squeeze
garlic

Sauce – other half of chopped ginger root, 2 tbsp red wine, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp water

Heat 2 tbsp oil.  Fry broccoli 2 minutes, pour in sauce
and cover for 1 minute.  Remove to a plate.  Heat 1 ½
tbsp oil.  Fry mix and meat gently for 5 minutes.  Add
scallions and broccoli and cook for 1 minute.

I don't even use a wok, but I double the amount of mix and sauce!
Norm

[rocketdog]

I'll have to try that sauce (albeit with seitan or other beef substitute).  I'm always looking for good stir-fry sauces.  You can work miracles with a good sauce.

[smurff]

Whoa, beef and broccoli! Soon we'll know the secret sauces of all the great cuisines.

[Ad Orientem]

Ok here's my contribution. How to make the perfect martini (inspired by Craig's recent blog post on the martini Nazi).

6 oz. of gin

5 drops of dry vermouth (The dryer the better.)

2 small twists of lemon rind

2 olives

And with apologies to James Bond a true martini is never shaken. It is stirred.

A friend's mother believes I am something of a fanatic with respect to the vermouth. In her world it is sufficient have a bottle of vermouth in the immediate vicinity. If one wishes to go all out she opines that one may wave a teaspoon of vermouth over the gin a few times.

[ngcpa]

I made the B&B for dinner last night, substituting ground turkey for the steak as I [gasp!] don't eat red meat. I also used reduced sodium soy sauce. It was delicious served over brown rice, however I found it to be extremely salty. I can not imagine if I had used regular soy sauce. Norm, are you sure 4 Tablespoons is the correct amount?

Yes it is.  I have always used plain soy sauce, never turkey and always over Basmati rice.  It never has tasted that salty to me  or to the many I have served it to.
Norm

[rocketdog]

Ok here's my contribution. How to make the perfect martini (inspired by Craig's recent blog post on the martini Nazi).

6 oz. of gin

5 drops of dry vermouth (The dryer the better.)

2 small twists of lemon rind

2 olives

And with apologies to James Bond a true martini is never shaken. It is stirred.

A friend's mother believes I am something of a fanatic with respect to the vermouth. In her world it is sufficient have a bottle of vermouth in the immediate vicinity. If one wishes to go all out she opines that one may wave a teaspoon of vermouth over the gin a few times.

6 oz. of gin?!  Holy smokes, that's 4 shots! I'd be wasted after one of your martinis!

And wasn't it Winston Churchill who said the proper way to make a dry martini was to pour the gin, glance at the vermouth bottle from across the room, and then garnish with an olive? 

[Ad Orientem]

Ok here's my contribution. How to make the perfect martini (inspired by Craig's recent blog post on the martini Nazi).

6 oz. of gin

5 drops of dry vermouth (The dryer the better.)

2 small twists of lemon rind

2 olives

And with apologies to James Bond a true martini is never shaken. It is stirred.

A friend's mother believes I am something of a fanatic with respect to the vermouth. In her world it is sufficient have a bottle of vermouth in the immediate vicinity. If one wishes to go all out she opines that one may wave a teaspoon of vermouth over the gin a few times.

6 oz. of gin?!  Holy smokes, that's 4 shots! I'd be wasted after one of your martinis!

And wasn't it Winston Churchill who said the proper way to make a dry martini was to pour the gin, glance at the vermouth bottle from across the room, and then garnish with an olive? 

Anyone here remember the three martini lunch?

[smurff]

I'll have to try that sauce (albeit with seitan or other beef substitute).  I'm always looking for good stir-fry sauces.  You can work miracles with a good sauce.

I made the B&B for dinner last night, substituting ground turkey for the steak as I [gasp!] don't eat red meat. I also used reduced sodium soy sauce. It was delicious served over brown rice, however I found it to be extremely salty. I can not imagine if I had used regular soy sauce. Norm, are you sure 4 Tablespoons is the correct amount?

You can dilute the soy sauce 1:1 by adding water (2 tablespoons water to 2 tablespoons soy sauce).

It helps to use real, brewed soy sauce in Asian cuisines, not the plain common stuff that's basically caramel coloring in water with gobs of table salt added.  Often it's called tamari sauce or shoyu sauce instead of soy sauce.  The real stuff is less salty.

Good brands:  San-J (wheat- free, low sodium, and organic versions available), Asian Gourmet, both in good supermarkets and Whole Foods. You can also try Asian grocery stores.  Be sure to read the labels as it will say "fermented" or "brewed" on the label.

Real soy sauce is fermented, which helps alter the profile of soy so it becomes less harmful. There are also wheat-free and low sodium versions of brewed soy sauce. Try to use organic soy, since there's a good chance the other stuff contains GMOs.

[smurff]

If you dilute it, along with the sodium you lose the flavor. I always use Kikkoman Lite, which is indeed brewed, not the garbage Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein that the junky brands use.

Yes, I forgot to include HVP as a junk ingredient in junk soy sauce. It's made from soy-based ingredients, so that's probably what allows them to call it soy sauce.

In recipe-books, they often use a term, "to taste" when describing how much salt, pepper, or other seasonings to add to a recipe.  That's because what's salty (or spicy) to one person may be barely salty (or barely seasoned) to another.  Some people like salty foods, others do not. 

Someone on this forum even liked eating celtic sea salt straight from the package!  Now that's a salt lover!

[FarmerD]

This isn't exactly a low carb, Paleo or Weston Price approved recipe but it is guaranteed to impress any woman. This is kinda like Bananas Foster.

Peel and dice up a banana into quarter inch thick wagon wheels.  Add a pat of butter to a small frypan.  Heat the butter til it begins to sizzle then add the bananas.  Flip the banana slices over when they begin to brown in about a minute. When the other side is about done, add an ounce or two of Frangelico (hazelnut) liqueur.  Immediately the entire room will have that amazing hazelnut aroma.  When the liqueur has completely boiled off, pour the bananas over vanilla ice cream and serve immediately.

By popular demand I will make this tonight for five of my wives friends. 

[smurff]

Good luck smurff!  Let us know how they turned out.  And don't be discouraged if they fall below your expectations -- they can be tricky to get just right, but when you do they're pretty awesome I must say. 

I made the Portobello for Tuesday dinner.  It was great!  I did not realize that Portobello mushrooms had such a meaty texture, and that at $8 per pound they were more expensive than steak.  The liquid smoke and balsamic vinegar contributed a lot to the make the flavor combine with the texture for a good simulation of meat, although that's not what the recipe was about.  A mushroom tastes good on its own without being compared to another food, but still...

Anyway,  I used hot paprika simply because I ran out of cayenne pepper, but it was tasty nevertheless.

Thanks, rocketdog!

[rocketdog]

Good luck smurff!  Let us know how they turned out.  And don't be discouraged if they fall below your expectations -- they can be tricky to get just right, but when you do they're pretty awesome I must say. 

I made the Portobello for Tuesday dinner.  It was great!  I did not realize that Portobello mushrooms had such a meaty texture, and that at $8 per pound they were more expensive than steak.  The liquid smoke and balsamic vinegar contributed a lot to the make the flavor combine with the texture for a good simulation of meat, although that's not what the recipe was about.  A mushroom tastes good on its own without being compared to another food, but still...

Anyway,  I used hot paprika simply because I ran out of cayenne pepper, but it was tasty nevertheless.

Thanks, rocketdog!

Glad you liked them!  And sorry to hear portabello caps are so expensive where you are; they're never more than $5/lb where I live. 

(Hmmm... a portabello farm... now there's an idea for a start-up company...)