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Tag: mushroom

Chicken and Mushroom Ragu on Herb Polenta

Delicious chicken stew over polenta…

  • 1 pound chicken thighs, skinned
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Heat a saucepan with the olive oil on high. Add the pancetta and sauté for a minute. Brown the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes of each side. Sprinkle salt while browning. Take the chicken pieces out and keep aside.

  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • Salt

Add the herbs in the pancetta mixture with the mushrooms. Saute on high heat till the mushrooms have cooked down including the excess liquid. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute for a minute and add the flour. Cook the flour for a minute and add the red wine. Scrape all the brown bits off the bottom and add the chicken broth. Add the chicken pieces and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes with the lid on. Take the lid off and make sure the chicken is tender and juicy. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil and cook till the dish reaches desired consistency.

Herb Polenta with Gruyere

  • 1 cup fine polenta
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup aged Gruyere cheese, grated

Bring the milk and broth. Add the herbs and salt. Slowly add the polenta whisking at the same time, stirring till it thickens. Turn the heat off and add the cheese. Mix well and check for seasonings. Serve with the chicken and mushroom ragu.

Lugano, Switzerland- Day One

When we decided to come to Switzerland, I wasn’t too excited.. why, you ask? Well, nothing against the beautiful country but I just didn’t think it would offer very delicious food except yummy chocolate and yummy cheese! Well, I guess there is nothing wrong with the two things but it wasn’t what I had in mind. I decided to change my mindset and told myself not every trip has to be filled with delicious food… it is supposed to be a gorgeous country and that is what I should be paying attention to. As I was convincing myself, I realized we had an option of going to Lugano which is very close to the Italian border- yay!! I knew the food would be delicious down there.. and here we are- first day in Lugano and so far so good. Well, it has been a tiring day after landing in Zurich at 8 AM, stopping for a delicious cappuccino and pretzel, catching three trains and arriving in Lugano at 1 PM! The journey to Lugano was absolutely breathtaking with the most amazing vistas.. too bad we were half asleep. All I could think was, what a gorgeous country!

Lugano Day One Arugula Salad

Arugula and Parmigiano Salad

We arrived at our hotel and dropped the luggage off as our room was not ready as yet. A very short walk later, we found ourselves enjoying the gorgeous Lake Lugano. We walked around and found  cafe/restaurant over looking the water. We ordered a delicious, local rose from the Ticino region- it was yummy… we washed it down with a delicious arugula and Parmigiano salad and a mushroom and spicy salami pizza. The food was yummy and so was the gelato that my daughter had three times!!

Spicy Salami and Mushroom Pizza

Spicy Salami and Mushroom Pizza

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadilla

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadilla This is a great way to transform your left overs and create a wonderful, quick lunch. I made this for myself with the leftover mushroom mixture from the enchilada dinner.

Smoked salmon is always in my fridge. I try to eat it as much as possible especially since the other two people in my family don’t care for the fish at all.

I wanted to make a substantial yet healthy lunch for myself. I took out the mushroom filling and the salmon. I decided to add some spicy low fat cheese- just a few, very thin slices to add some creaminess to the dish. I also always have whole-wheat tortillas in the fridge- and that was it- a quesadilla was born. I added the mushroom filling, salmon, cheese and baby spinach- also, always in my fridge. It was a well-balanced, quick and delicious lunch. Best of all, I ate it with some delicious homemade salsa.

Try the quesadilla next time you run out of ideas for a healthy lunch…
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Mushroom and Fontina Pasta Bake with Chicken Cutlets

Pasta Bake with Chicken Cutlets 2 This is my take on macaroni and cheese with chicken nuggets. I love coming up with healthier versions of these classic dishes that kids love so much. The problem is that most of the things our kids love to eat are not so healthy. I am always thinking of ways to come up with things they will eat happily which are healthy.

So in this version the chicken cutlets are breaded and sauteed in a non-stick pan. They are delicious with parmesan cheese in the breading. I could just eat the cutlets on their own. They are crispy and healthy and most importantly the kids love them.

I decided to pair the cutlets with pasta I made with sauteed mushrooms, a bit of homemade tomato sauce and fontina cheese. I love fontina cheese since it melts so well and has a great nutty flavor. It is mild enough for the kids to enjoy.

I gave this dinner to my daughter and her friend. They loved it! There was silence for a few minutes as they ate- now when does that happen when you get two girls are together?? It was fabulous!

My husband and I ate it with a nice green salad and red wine. It was delicious evening…

  • 10 ounces cremini mushroom, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ pound elbow pasta, cooked al dente
  • ½ cup grated fontina
  • 1 cup marinara sauce

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil on high heat. Add the mushroom and sauté for 4-5 minutes on high heat, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and salt and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep aside.
In an ovenproof pan, add the cooked pasta, sautéed mushrooms, grated fontina cheese and the marinara sauce. Mix well and bake in a 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with the chicken cutlets on top.

  • 1 pound chicken breast, pieces pounded thin
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour mixed with one teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup bread crumbs mixed with one teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 eggs, beaten mixed with one teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

In 3 large wide bowls add each of the three ingredients to set up a breading station.
Take a piece of thin chicken cutlet and dip into the flour bowl patting the excess flour off. Dip into the egg mixture and then cover with the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded chicken into a large non-stick frying pan with heated olive oil. Bread all the chicken pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side on medium heat till the chicken is cooked (time may vary depending on the thickness of the pieces).
Serve on top of the baked pasta.

Pasta Bake with Chicken Cutlets 1

Homemade Mushroom Pizza

mushroom-pizzaMy daughter was sick at home from school on Friday. We stayed in and took it easy since I was recovering from a virus as well. My plan was not to cook that evening and order in. Her favorite ‘ordering in’ dish is mushroom pizza. We had some errands to run and were walking past one of the pizzerias in our town. It occurred to me that maybe we should buy a serving of pizza dough and make our own! I remembered I have homemade marinara sauce in the fridge-I had made it for the chicken parm a few days ago- and I also had the shredded mozzarella cheese I bought for the same dish! So, the only thing we had to buy was mushrooms- it ended up being a very economical dish. In these times, it is smart to be able to save money, re-use leftovers and still eat healthy!
It took lots of tries before I came up with the perfect way to make homemade pizza. It involves your local pizzerias pizza dough and your outdoor grill. Pizza dough is one of those things that seems quite easy to make but is very hard to master. I have decided to make my life easier and buy it. It took a while to find the right pizzeria to buy the dough. We have three pizzerias in our town- we frequent one regularly- but I don’t buy the dough from there. Somehow their dough doesn’t work very well at home.
The next thing I realized is that home ovens are just not hot enough to cook the top and bottom of the pizza well enough. Usually the bottom is left almost raw and very doughy. I decided to use my out door grill to cook the bottom and then bring it inside to cook the toppings under the broiler. This method works really well and results in a pizza that looks just like you get at a pizzeria with a great crispy crust. Most importantly you control everything that goes on the pizza. My daughter gave it two thumbs up! My husband and I had a yummy green salad and a delicious Cabernet with the fabulous pizza!

  • 1 serving pizza dough from your local pizzeria
  • 1 cup marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese
  • 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Salt to taste

Preheat grill. Preheat oven on broil.

In a non-stick pan, heat one teaspoon olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook on a high flame for 4-5 minutes. Once all the moisture is gone, add the garlic and salt to taste. Keep aside. Spread pizza dough on a round perforated pizza pan. Spread one teaspoon olive oil. Pierce holes in the dough with a fork and place the pan on the grill. Cook the pizza for 5-7 minutes (depending on your grill). The bottom should be golden brown. Take out and add the marinara sauce, cheese and the mushrooms. Now place the pizza under the broiler in the oven. Cook for 7-9 minutes (again depending on the intensity of the broiler), making sure the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown. Slice and serve.

Three-Mushroom Pasta with a Fillet of Cod

three-mushroom-pasta

I love all sorts of mushrooms! I try to eat them in every possible way I can but, my favorite is in pasta. I was thinking about the New Year and eating well and healthy. My plan was to make pounded chicken cutlets with the pasta to add some healthy protein. I went shopping for my ingredients and made my way into the fish section and noticed that cod was on sale! So I decided to make cod fillets with the pasta. Luckily my daughter enjoys both mushrooms and most fishes. I also bought fresh whole-wheat pasta- again it’s the whole staying healthy theme. I have to say fresh whole-wheat pasta is a completely different specie than the dry! It has great texture and tastes yum!
I decided to step out in my back yard and gather some fresh rosemary and thyme (they are still doing quite well despite the weather) before I came back inside to unload my groceries.
I remembered to use my favorite Christmas gift this year, my 14 inches all clad frying pan! It is awesome! I love cooking in it. It is so big and pretty, it makes me happy every time I look at it. Decided to open a bottle of left over Beaujolais-Villages from Thanksgiving and started cooking! I know I am supposed to drink white wine with fish but somehow mushrooms always remind me of red so I think the Beaujolais is a good compromise.

  • 5 ounces sliced shitake mushrooms
  • 2 large sliced portabella mushrooms
  • 10 ounces sliced white button mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup pecorino romano grated
  • 3/4 pound cooked whole-wheat papperdelle pasta
  • 3-4 fillets of Cod
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of chopped thyme and rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Extra salt for the fillets
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a wide frying pan heat the extra virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté till golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Then sprinkle the mushroom mixture with the flour. Cook the flour for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and whisk until a smooth gravy is formed. In the meantime cook the pasta till al dente. Once the pasta is done, add it to the mushroom mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Top with the pecorino romano.

Sprinkle salt on the fillets and set aside. Mix the thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper with the flour. Dredge the fillets with the flour mixture. Heat a non-stick skillet with the olive oil and cook the fillets for about 5 minutes on each side or till done.
Serve on top of the mushroom pasta!