Wild Mushroom Ragout Over Creamy Polenta w/ Beet greens, and Black Radish Salad

The beautiful thing about mushrooms is that they are extremely flavorful and "meaty". They give that umami flavor burst and they can often take center stage in a dish replacing meat. I love meat very much but in this tasty vegetarian dish, the meat isnt missed in the least. Mushrooms are also extremely good for you as they absorb and eliminate toxins from the body. The mushrooms pictured below were bought from a farmers market from a lady who specializes in cultivating and wild foraging mushrooms. The varieties below are Beech, Pearl and Yellow Oyster, Crimini, and Wood Ear, but feel free to use any three or more kinds of mushrooms of your liking for this recipe.

Mushroom Ragout Recipe

   2 T extra virgin olive oil

   1 small onion fine dice

   2 cloves garlic minced

   1 small shallot minced

   1 lb mushrooms cut into chunks (@ least 3 different varieties) washed and dried thoroughly

   few sprigs thyme and rosemary

   2 T tomato paste

   1 cup chicken stock

   1/4 cup white wine

   2 T balsamic vinegar

   2 T cold butter

   1 T chopped parsley

Heat half the olive oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan and sear the mushrooms in the pan taking care not to crowd them. Toss in the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Saute the mushrooms until they release their juices and then reabsorb most of them. Remove to a plate and saute the onion, shallot, and garlic in the rest of the olive oil, then add the mushrooms back in the pan along with the herbs. Next deglaze with the wine and then add the tomato paste and chicken stock. Simmer for 15 min until mushrooms are tender and sauce thickens. Finish with the balsamic, mount in the cold butter, and add the parsley. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Ladle over polenta.

   

Beet Greens Recipe
   1/2 lb beet greens
   1 small onion julienned
   1 T extra virgin olive oil
   splash soy sauce, white wine, and chicken stock
   Sea salt and pepper to taste
Sweat out the onions in the oil over medium heat, and add the beet greens, saute until wilted then add the liquids and lower the heat. Simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer to a plate to cool. Once cooled squeeze out most of the liquid in the greens and transfer to a cutting board to chop finely. This will give the greens a different texture and make them more incorporated into the dish. To serve, spoon a wad on each side of the plate.

Creamy Polenta Recipe
   1 qt chicken stock
   1 cup polenta
   a few dried mushrooms (I used porcini)
   1/4 cup cream (preferably raw and organic)
   2 T butter (preferably raw and organic)
   2 tsp hot sauce
   sea salt and pepper to taste
Simmer the chicken stock with the dried mushrooms for 10-15 min to flavor the broth for the polenta. Discard the dried mushrooms and bring the liquid up to a rolling boil. Pour in the polenta while whisking constantly. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 20 min stirring frequently and adding a touch of hot water if it gets too thick and starts sticking to the bottom. Next add the cream, butter, hot sauce, and season.

Lay a few scoops of polenta down on the plate and pour the Ragout over top. Serve the beet greens on the side and the finishing touch it Black Radish matchsticks tossed in a bit of lemon juice and walnut oil. Grate some parmesan cheese over top and serve. Carnivores and Herbivores alike will thank you.

Best Potato Latkes (with apple sauce and creme fraiche)

    Great breakfast dish, great appetizer, great snack, great any-time treat. Again, a lot of cultures have their own version of this traditional staple. Lithuanian bulviniai blynai, German kartoffelpuffer, Jewish latkes. This recipe yields a crisp flavorful "pancake" that holds together well and reheats well. My favorite way is to serve them with apple sauce and creme fraiche (very traditional...for a reason) but they are of course good with a poached egg on top, and/or homemade hot sauce or katsup (recipes in a later post). I've found that the best way to cook them is to shallow fry them in lard or bacon grease. If you dont have either, use extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.
    Let me pause here and talk about the importance and relevance of fats and oils in cooking. The beauty of having different fats and oils on hand is that you can use the appropriate one (or more) to lend a helping hand to the dish you are creating via flavor and lubrication. In addition, a variety of quality fats and oils in your diet is vital for nutrient uptake, protecting and enriching your organs, keeping your cholesterol in check, and providing you with omega 3s and omega 6s as well as other nutrients. Obviously the fats in quality meats, eggs, and other proteins are valuable, but, they dont offer the full spectrum of nutrients that you can get from many other fats and oils (such as nut, seed, and fish oils)
   In regard to cooking, saturated fats (clarified butter, beef fat, chicken fat, bacon fat, lard, coconut oil) are going to have a higher smoking point than unsaturated so you would want to use them for higher heat (you never want to heat oil until smoking at which point it becomes denatured and carcinogenic). Some unsaturated fats you can use to medium heat such as extra virgin olive oil, unrefined sesame oil, unrefined peanut oil, unrefined palm kernel oil. Many polyunsaturated fats are delicate and cannot withstand any heat such as walnut oil, flax seed oil, avocado oil, cod liver oil. Use them for salad dressings or for finishing oils. Dont be afraid of the fat! Yes, use in moderation but as long as you are using fat from a healthy free range animal or other unrefined organic source, AND you get a variety of saturated, and mono and polyunsaturated fats, then it will greatly enhance you life and your health. I encourage you to read more about fats and oils in "The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia" by Rebecca Wood, and "Fat - an appreciation of a misunderstood ingredient" by Jennifer Mclagan.
ON TO THE RECIPE!!
   2.5 lbs of raw potatoes (preferably kenebecs, or russets)
   3 T creme fraiche (recipe follows)
   3 T spelt flour
   2 eggs
   starch from potatoes
   sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
   few grated of fresh nutmeg
Shred the potatoes on a box grater or food processor with a shredder attachment. Place the shredded potatoes in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as humanly possible into a bowl. Let the liquid sit for about 5 minutes, then pour off all the liquid and you should have a layer of white starch left in the bowl.. In another small bowl combine the eggs, creme fraiche, flour and potato starch and whisk together to form a batter. Pour over the shredded potatoes mix until thoroughly coated. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a generous amount of lard or bacon fat in a large skillet over high heat (the fat should be about 1/4-1/2 in deep). Form patties with the mixture about the size of the palm of your hand and 1/4 - 1/3 of an inch thick. Once the fat ripples when you tilt the pan place the patties in the oil and fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides. You may need to add a bit more fat between batches. remove to a paper towel or a wrack on a sheet tray to dry and cool.

I slopped some homemade creme fraiche and homemade apple sauce on em, garnished with pea tendrils, and had at it.

Homemade Creme Fraiche Recipe
   2 cups heavy cream (preferably raw and organic)
   2 T of cultured buttermilk (preferably raw and organic)
Combine in a sauce pan and heat ever so slightly over low heat to get it to about 80F. Careful not to heat too much and kill the bacteria cultures. Pour into a jar and cover it with cheese cloth and a rubber band. Leave it out on the counter at room temp for 24-48 hrs or until it thickens and sours to your liking.

Homemade Apple Sauce Recipe
   3 lbs of apples (preferably organic and of multiple varieties)
   3 cloves
   5 allspice berries
   1/2 cinnamon stick
   1 tsp sea salt
   1/2 cup cider
   1/2 cup dry white wine
Slice the apples, make a sachet of the spices (wrap in cheese cloth and tie), and combine all ingredients in a sauce pot. Boil over medium heat for 30 min until the apples are tender. Remove the sachet and pass the remaining apple mixture through a food mill. Return to the pot with the sachet and simmer to reduce to your desired thickness. If you are canning, sterilze the jars and pour the apple sauce in while very hot. Place the lid on top and tighten the ring slightly. Once the lid seals, tighten the rest of the way.