Get Cooking_ 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen - Mollie Katzen [53]
5. When the mushrooms are ready, transfer them to a plate or bowl and set aside. Thoroughly wash and dry the pan, and return it to the stove. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, turn on the heat to low, and heat just until the butter melts and begins to foam. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and swirl until the melted butter completely coats the bottom and sides of the pan. Add the mushrooms, spreading them out in a fairly even layer, and then pour in the batter.
6. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the mixture has become puffed and golden, the top feels solid when touched lightly with a fingertip, and the edges have shrunk from the sides of the pan and become quite brown. Remove the pan from the oven. Serve hot or warm, cut into wedges.
MUSHROOM PREP TIPS
It’s best to store mushrooms in the refrigerator in a brown paper bag, not in the plastic bag you might have brought them home in. This helps them stay dry and fresh. To clean them, wipe the caps with a lightly damp cloth or paper towel. (Don’t immerse them in water, or they will soak it up and get soggy.) With domestic mushrooms, if the stem is tight, leave it on and simply trim and discard its tough, brown, dry tip. If the stem is loose or in any way funky, just pull it out and throw it away. With shiitakes, always trim off the entire stem using scissors or a sharp paring knife.
GET CREATIVE
Sprinkle some snipped chives or minced flat-leaf parsley over the top as a garnish.
Pass some grated Parmesan cheese at the table for sprinkling on top.
This recipe, minus the entire mushroom part, works wonderfully as a giant sweet pancake you can serve for brunch or dessert. Just make the batter, heat 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, and bake as directed. As soon as the pancake comes out of the oven, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the top and sprinkle on some powdered sugar (using a kitchen strainer to sift the sugar). Serve with warm maple syrup.
baked stuffed potatoes
Makes 1 or 2 servings
Bar munchie becomes dinner entrée with just a few deft strokes of your increasingly skilled hands! You simply bake a potato, scoop out the insides, mix them with a few choice ingredients, stuff this back in, and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. Throw together a salad while the potato bakes, and you’ve got dinner. This compact little recipe works really well in a toaster oven, and can easily be multiplied to serve more people (in which case, use a regular oven).
1 medium-large russet potato (¾ pound)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup minced red or yellow onion
¼ teaspoon minced garlic (half a small clove)
1 ounce (about 1 cup, lightly packed) fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced scallion (green tops only)
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the potato under running water and pat it dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
2. Place the potato directly on the oven rack. Let it bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the outside becomes crisp and the inside is tender when you pierce it with a sharp knife. (For this recipe it’s better to overcook it a bit than to have it be underdone.)
3. While the potato is baking, place a small (6-inch or so) skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion, turn the heat down, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the onion becomes deep golden brown and very soft. Stir in the garlic, remove the pan from the heat, and set it aside until the potato is ready.
4. Remove the potato from the oven and when it’s just cool enough to handle, slit it in half lengthwise. Use a soup spoon to scoop the flesh into a medium bowl, being careful to leave the potato skin intact and boat-like.