Ox Heart with Wild Mushroom

Ingredients

1/2 ox heart (Bos primigenius taurus)
1-1/4 cups wild mushrooms (Boletus edulis)
rosemary, (Rosmarinus officinalis), ground + 1 sprig
olive oil
pepper
salt

Method

1. Slice the ox heart (or buy it ready sliced). Season with salt and pepper.
2. Before slicing them, wash the mushrooms to remove any soil.
3. Heat some oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms, and saute them.
4. Brush the ox-heart slices with a little oil. Heat a griddle over high heat and cook them for 3-5 minutes (according to taste), along with the sprig of rosemary (to allow its flavor to impregnate the meat).
5. Serve the ox heart with the mushrooms and dust with a little ground rosemary to taste.

Makes 1 serving.

Source: Paleo

Stuffed Squash with Wild Rice

Ingredients

6 delicata squash, halved lengthwise, insides scooped out and reserved
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

filling

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought
5 sprigs thyme, plus 1 tablespoon chopped
1 cup wild rice
1 cup organic brown rice
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
4 Portobello mushroom caps, dark gills scraped away and discarded, mushrooms coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) bag frozen pearl onions, thawed and dried well
1 pound Brussels sprouts, sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons lemon juice, from half a lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Drizzle a rimmed a baking sheet with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place the squash on the tray and roll it around in the oil. Season with squash with 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and roast, cut side down for 30 minutes or until just tender and beginning to brown.
3. Separate the seeds from the flesh of the squash until you have 1/2 cup of seeds. Rinse and drain well. Place on a small baking sheet and toss with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon paprika. Roast for the last 10 minutes with the squash or until toasted. Drain the seeds on a paper towel lined plate.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine the broth and the thyme and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the wild rice and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add the brown rice and 1/4 cup olive oil and bring to boil. Return the heat to medium low; cover and simmer until all the rice is tender (but still slightly chewy), about 30 minutes longer.
6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the mushrooms. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook stirring often for about 10 minutes or until the water has evaporated the mushrooms are brown.
7. Add the pearl onions and sauté until golden, another 7 to 8 minutes.
8. Stir the Brussels sprouts into the skillet with the mushrooms and sauté until tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes.
9. Season with the remaining salt and paprika. Pour the vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Add the rice mixture with any remaining liquid and the chopped thyme and toss gently to blend.
10. Spoon the rice stuffing into the roasted squash halves, dividing evenly. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, just to heat through.
11. Squeeze the lemon juice over the hot stuffing and sprinkle with the toasted seeds. Serve hot.

Makes 6 to 12 servings.

Source: Chef Giada De Laurentiis

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tart

Ingredients

1 cup of ground oats
3/4 cup of ground almond
1/3 cup of wheat or spelt flour
3 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp of runny tahini
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of dried thyme
3 tbsp or more of cold water

Filling

130 g of chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 block (280 g) firm tofu
2 tbsp of nutritional yeast
1 tsp of chopped sage
few sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
2 cups of butternut squash, peeled and chopped into small cubes
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of unsweetened plant milk
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 180ºC. Spread the butternut squash cubes into a baking tray. Drizzle with some salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until soft. Then remove and set aside.
2. Make the crust: Add the oat flour, ground almond, salt, dried thyme, and wheat flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add in the coconut oil, tahini, and water. Start mixing with a spoon and then carry on with your hands. Mix everything together until you have a fairly sticky dough when pressed between your fingers. Add a dash more of water if needed.
3. With some extra coconut oil grease a quiche/tart pan. Spread the dough around the tin and with your hands pack the dough all the way around the edges. Use a fork to pierce the base of the tart (to prevent from puffing up while baking) and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Add 1 tbsp of oil to a large frying-pan. Once hot add the chopped onion, cook for 5-8 minutes until it starts to brown and caramelize.
5. Mix in the garlic, thyme leaves, sage, and ground nutmeg and cook for another minute.
6. Remove the onion mixture from the pan and add it to a food processor together with the tofu. Add the plant milk and blitz until you have a ‘ricotta’ cheese kind of texture.
7. Heat the pan and add the mushrooms and soy sauce. Cook on medium heat until all the water from the mushrooms has evaporated and they are soft but not soggy.
8. Pour the tofu mixture into a bowl and fold in the cooked mushrooms and roasted butternut squash cubes. Mix to combine.
9. Spread the filling mixture onto the tart base. Spread evenly until the tart pan is full. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the tofu is set and slightly browned.
10. Remove from the oven and let it cool down slightly for 5 minutes. The tart is delicious as it is or you can decorate it with some extra cooked mushrooms, roasted baby carrots, and pomegranate seeds.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Source: Plant-based News

Beef Steak with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

2 (1-pound) boneless New York strip steaks
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory, plus sprigs for garnish, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 large cloves garlic
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef stock

Method

1. Rub both sides of the steaks with salt, pepper, and savory.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the garlic cloves and steaks. Lower heat to medium and cook the steaks 4 to 6 minutes on each side for medium rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board.
3. Add the mushrooms to the pan, raise heat to high, and saute for 2 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer mushrooms to a small bowl.
5. Discard the garlic and fat from the pan. Add the red wine and stock to the pan. Reduce over high heat, scraping bottom with a wooden spoon, until 1/2 cup of sauce remains. Combine with the mushrooms.
6. Cut the beef crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve with the mushroom sauce on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: What to have for dinner

Empress Chicken Wings

Ingredients

600 g chicken wingettes
160 g bamboo shoots, sliced
2 slices ginger, chopped
1/2 piece slab sugar, crushed
12 soaked black mushrooms
1/4 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp sugar

Marinade

1-1/4 tbsp light soy sauce
1-1/4 tbsp dark soy sauce
1-1/4 tbsp ginger juice
1-1/4 tbsp wine
dash of sesame oil

Sauce

2-1/4 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp chicken broth mix
1/3 tsp salt
160 ml water
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Method

1. Clean and dry chicken wingettes, marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Marinate black mushrooms with sugar for 10 minutes.
3. Add 2 tbsp oil to a wok, saute bamboo shoot till fragrant. Remove and set aside.
4. Add wingettes and stir-fry till golden brown. Add slab sugar. After sugar dissolved, add chopped ginger, mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
5. Stir well and add sauce. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove to serving plate and serve hot.

Source: Chinese Cooking