Mushroom and Leek Grilled Cheese on Rosemary Bread

Last time I took on a grilled cheese was early on in this blog, when I made a Plum, Blue Cheese and Balsamic version that combined sweet, salty and tangy flavors into each bite. This recipe goes the opposite direction, creating a rustic, umami-focused dish.

This grilled cheese is delightful because of its simplicity, which allows each of the delicate ingredients to shine through. Gouda has great flavor but can often be overwhelmed by more prominent flavors. Leeks, less aggressive than their onion relatives, actually have a more nuanced and balanced taste.

Too often these daintier flavors get lost, but by pairing them together they combine into a gooey, cheesy mass of goodness. The mushrooms in the middle wind up lightly cooked with a little raw crunch in the center, providing pleasant textural contrast. Everything is tied together, aesthetically and physically, by the rosemary bread.

This is a great dish for brunch or lunch dish for a lazy Sunday. Serve with tomato soup if it’s hot outside – gazpacho if it’s cold – and enjoy!

Mushroom and Leek Grilled Cheese on Rosemary Bread

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 slices of rosemary bread
• 1 crimini mushroom, thinly sliced
• 4-5 ounces gouda cheese
• 1/4 cup leeks, finely chopped

 

1. Using a tablespoon of butter for each slide, butter the outsides of the bread. Assemble the sandwich by layering the mushrooms, cheese and leeks. Heat a skillet to medium and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter.
2. Place the sandwich in the skillet. Place a smaller skillet on top of the sandwich and weigh it down using a moderately heavy object. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the bread is golden brown, then flip and repeat for the other side.
3. To serve, cut in half and accompany with a bowl soup

Seared Mushroom and Green Onion Spread

I generally try to create dishes that balance a variety of different flavors together – I’m fairly certain that my average use of the word “balance” is more than once per post – but this spread is really about one thing: Mushrooms.

The other ingredients do their part of course. The sour cream is largely responsible for the texture of the dish, the Parmesan cheese brings important nutty, salty notes and the onions provide a little kick and visual appeal.

Ultimately though, the spotlight never strays far from the star of the show. The sear intensifies the flavors and creates an excellent crispy texture, and roughly chopping them afterwards makes each little piece melt in your mouth. This spread is a distillation of the essential nature of mushrooms: rustic, earthy, and hearty without being overly rich.

The best part of this dish is that it’s the perfect appetizer no matter what the occasion. It’s upscale enough for a nice cocktail party, but fits in just fine in front of the TV on game day. If there are going to be more than three people at your house or apartment, you have a reason to make this dish.

(As though you really need a reason)

Seared Mushroom and Green Onion Spread

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 10 medium-sized mushrooms, cut into 1/8 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 bundle of green onions, white and green sections diced and separated with stems reserved
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Crackers, to serve

 

1. Heat a skillet to high heat. Add the butter and allow it to cook until it just begins to brown. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and garlic powder over the mushrooms and add them to the skillet, tossing until evenly coated with butter. Cook until one side of the mushrooms are seared, approximately 3 minutes, then toss and repeat for the other side.
2. Add the diced white section of the green onion and continue to sear for another 2-3 minutes, tossing intermittently. Mushrooms should be golden brown on both sides when done.
3. Remove the mushrooms to a cutting board and dice. In a large bowl, combine the diced mushroom, onion mixture with the sour cream and grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until evenly mixed.
4. To serve, empty the spread into a large bowl and garnish with chopped and whole green onion stems.

Deconstructed Margherita Pizza with Mushrooms

Patrick and I are still working on our full write up of SliderPalooza. But I would never leave you, my dear readers, hanging.

So to keep your mind, eyes and stomach amused while we furiously try to fabricate recipes (which we never wrote down) and craft clever prose to bring them to life (we’re cooks, not poets!) I bring you a brief intermezzo: Deconstructed Margherita Pizza with Mushrooms.

This recipe is the perfect example of the right reason to deconstruction something. Although the technique always make for a phenomenal presentation, the real benefit of deconstructing a dish is allowing each component of the dish to shine individually.

Margherita pizza is composed of a handful of bold ingredients. And though I could have made this with simply those ingredients, I decided to bring mushrooms into the dish as well to add another dimension to both the flavor and texture. When baked together in a pizza the ingredients create a classic, flavorful dish. Separate, each component becomes the star of its own act in a play.

First, the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes bursts forth as the roasted exterior gives way. Then you get the crunchy, rustic flavor of the toasted foccacia. After that come the buttery, meaty seared mushrooms followed by the salty, creamy goat cheese mozzarella. Finally everything comes to a close with a hit of basil that lingers on your tongue.

These deconstructed bites make wonderful appetizers, and can also serve as the perfect amuse-bouche for an full course Italian meal. No matter how you’re serving them, they’re bound to impress!

Deconstructed Margherita Pizza with Mushrooms

• 1 carton cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 loaf focaccia bread
• 5 medium-sized mushrooms, cut into 1/8 inch slices
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into 1 inch x 1 inch squares
• 1/4 cup of goat cheese mozzarella, crumbled into pieces approximately 1/2 inch in diameter
• toothpicks

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking tray with aluminum foil and empty the cherry tomatoes onto it. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss until the tomatoes are evenly coated. Add the fresh ground pepper and place in the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the skins of the tomatoes just begin to crack. Remove from the oven.
2. Switch the oven to broil on high. Place the focaccia loaf in the oven and toast for four minutes, or until golden brown on top. Flip the loaf and toast for another 2 minutes, then remove.
3. Heat a skillet to high heat. Add the butter and allow it to cook until it just begins to brown. Add the mushrooms and toss until evenly coated. Cook until one side of the mushrooms are seared, approximately 4 minutes, then toss and repeat for the other side. Mushrooms should be golden brown on both sides when done.
4. Cut the focaccia into 1 inch x 1 inch squares. Place a mushroom (or two) on each square.
5. To assemble, use a toothpick to skewer a piece of basil, a tomato and a chunk of mozzarella. Carefully push the skewer into a focaccia and mushroom square. To serve, assemble the skewers on a platter of your choosing.

Mushroom, Leek and Spinach Risotto

There’s nothing quite like the beginning of fall.

All those dishes that were too hearty, too heavy, too rich for summer are finally back on the market. My first autumnal foray? One of the most delicious dishes around – Risotto.

Risotto is a rice dish that originated from northern Italy. What differentiates it from more traditional styles is the method of cooking. Instead of steaming in a pot, stock is added in small amounts and cooked uncovered. The result is a more flavorful, creamier, richer dish that is filling – and a perfect fit for the chilly evenings that have arrived in Seattle.

Pairing risotto with well-seared, earthy mushrooms, rustic leeks and hearty spinach, this recipe epitomizes the spirit of fall. The addition of a bit of white wine in place of chicken stock towards the end provides a little bite – a nice counterpoint – to the richness of the other ingredients.

This dish pairs perfectly with a wide variety of entrees, a nice white wine, and nearly any fall/winter seasonal beer. Serve it and fall into the bliss of autumn!

Mushroom, Leek and Spinach Risotto

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 mushrooms, cut into 1/8 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 leek, diced
• 1 cup rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 packed cup of spinach, lightly chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

 

1. Heat a pan to medium-high. Be sure to allow the pan to heat fully before proceeding. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and melt evenly in the pan. Just as the butter begins to brown, add the mushrooms to the pan. Toss every minute for two minutes, add the remaining butter, and continue to toss every minute until the mushrooms are seared on either side, approximately 5 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside.
2. Heat the olive oil to medium in a large pan or pot. Add the leeks and garlic and saute until partially cooked, between three to five minutes.
3. Add the rice, toss until evenly coated and allow to toast for five minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Add 1/3 cup of the chicken stock to the pot/pan and stir quickly to ensure the risotto does not burn. As the chicken stock nears complete evaporation, add another 1/3 cup. Continue this process of adding liquid 1/3 cup at a time – switching to white wine when the chicken stock is exhausted – until all the liquid is used up. Remove the pan from heat.
5. Add the mushrooms and spinach and mix evenly into the risotto. Allow to sit for a few minutes to lightly cook the spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. To serve, pack the risotto into a small bowl or cup and overturn onto the plate. To garnish, roll a spinach leaf and slice into thin ribbons; place the ribbons on top of the risotto with a slice of mushroom.