Turkey Meatloaf in Mushroom Gravy
- At April 6, 2010
- By megan
- In Mushrooms, turkey
0
OK- I know I’m not the best photographer, and I don’t have a great camera, so my turkey meatloaf might not look amazing to you, but it tastes great. Trust me.
I started by chopping a large yellow onion, 2 carrots, and one shallot. I added them to a hot pan with 2 TB olive oil- first the onions to let them soften, next the carrots to soften, and finally the shallot and some freshly cracked black pepper. I cooked this down a little while preparing a homemade veggie broth, which I needed for the onion mixture as well as the gravy. Please feel free to use canned or pre-made veggie broth. I make my own, which adds an hour or so to the cooking process, but I usually have extra to use during the week.
For the veggie broth:
Simmer in a large stock pot filled with water- an onion, a couple carrots, some celery, 5 cloves of garlic (I like to smash mine), 1 TB whole peppercorns, a few bay leaves, a green onion, and some red pepper flakes. This is what I used for this particular recipe, but making a stock isn’t rocket science. You can add more of this, less of that.. whatever you prefer. When it has cooked for an hour or so, I add a few tablespoons of soy sauce.
Back to the meatloaf…
When my onion and carrot mixture was nice and soft, I removed it from the heat to let it cool. When the broth had cooked for at least 30 minutes, I ladled a cup or so into the onion and carrot mixture and mixed it well. Set this aside to cool completely because it will be mixing with raw poultry.
When the onion mixture cools completely, mix it by hand with a cup of parmesan cheese, 2 TB olive oil, and two whole eggs into the ground turkey. Break up a cup or a cup and a half of French or Italian bread (bakery-fresh bread is best) and add it to the turkey mixture. Transfer this to an olive-oiled Pyrex baking dish, brush the top with a couple spoons full of tomato sauce, and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 375 and bake until it reaches 180 degrees in the center, approximately an hour.
I served mine with mushroom gravy.
To make the gravy, first saute 1/2 of a yellow onion in 1 TB unsalted butter. Let that start to caramelize on medium-high, then medium-low, for 15 minutes or so. You can go ahead and caramelize the onions completely, but I was getting hungry and wanted to get on with this meal, so I let mine soften into a nice golden brown.
Next, add 2 cups sliced and somewhat chopped cremini mushrooms and let these get nice and soft. You can turn the heat back up to medium-high as they cook down. When they have decreased half of their size, add 2 cups of veggie broth (I used my freshly made stock), and stir in 1/2 TB cornstarch as a thickener. When the gravy reaches a nice gravy-like consistency, pour it over you meatloaf and enjoy.
Grilled Veggie Skewers
- At August 30, 2009
- By megan
- In Grilled, Hazel Dell, Maple, Mushrooms, Peppers, tomatoes
- 0
Fresh from the farm to the table. Heirloom tomatoes, green pepper, and Hazel Dell mushrooms on bamboo skewers. Marinated in:
- 2 TB maple syrup
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 1 TB soy sauce
Grill for a few minutes, turning them at least once. Don’t let all of the tomatoes burst! A perfect summer meal.
Creamy Mushroom and Fennel Risotto
This meal is a masterpiece, so be prepared to spend more than an hour in the kitchen and at least 25 minutes almost constantly stirring the pot. If that sounds like a challenge you are willing to try, please consider making this delicious risotto.
I used shiitake, cremini, and oyster mushrooms from Hazel Dell. If you do not live in the Boulder area, please look into finding a local supplier of mushrooms near you. Once they reach a supermarket they just aren’t the same.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms
- 1 bulb fennel
- 1 medium sized yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 TB butter
- 4 TB olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 quart veggie broth (chicken broth will work if you are not a vegetarian)
- water- 3-4 cups (or more, depending on how long it takes to cook the rice)
- 5 TB heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
To make this whole process go more smoothly, prep the mushrooms and fennel first. This way, you will have them cooked and ready to go so they can be added to the risotto when it is almost done. This will make life a lot easier for a dish like this.
First, chop the onion. Cut off the fennel bulb from its stalks, peel apart the layers, wash, and chop into pieces roughly the size of your well-chopped onion.
Next, mince the garlic. Rinse the mushrooms and chop them into a size you like. I prefer smaller pieces, so I made mine small. However, if you are a real mushroom-lover, feel free to use larger pieces.
In a large pot (I used a 6 quart stock pot), add 1 TB butter. Melt the butter on medium-high and add the onion. When they are just getting tender, add the fennel and cook this on medium low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
While you’re working the fennel, start the mushrooms. In a saute pan, heat 1 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil on medium-high. Add the mushrooms and saute a few minutes before adding the white wine. Turn heat down to medium and cook 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
In a separate bowl, combine the fennel/onions and mushrooms/garlic to be added to the risotto later. Set this aside and take a breath.
Now, to start the risotto-
Pour the broth and 3 cups of water into a large pot. Not the one you may have used for the fennel- you will need two large pots for this major production. 1 for the risotto and 1 to keep boiling hot broth and water ready to be added, ladle-full by ladle-full, into the risotto. Bring the broth to a boil and keep it boiling.
Go back to your 6 quart pot that the fennel was in (but is no longer in because it has been mixed into the mushrooms). Add 2 TB butter and melt on medium high heat. When it melts, add 3 TB olive oil and mix well into the butter. Add the rice and coat with the oil/butter mixture. After a couple minutes, add 2-3 ladles of boiling broth. From now on you will need to stir almost constantly. Keep stirring and adding more broth as the liquid is absorbed. Continue this process for 25 minutes or so. If you need to add more water to the broth because you are running out of liquid, do so. But, be careful. Keep the broth boiling so you always add boiling water to the risotto.
Check the texture of the rice after 25 minutes. Add the mushrooms and fennel mixture and mix well. Keep adding broth and stirring until the rice is tender but just slightly al dente. At this point, turn the heat all the way down to low and add the cream. Stir it in well and then add the grated parmesan cheese. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, and enjoy.
Grilled Tempeh Burgers with Mushrooms and Swiss Cheese
- At July 30, 2009
- By megan
- In Burgers, Hazel Dell, Mushrooms, Swiss cheese, tempeh
- 0
Follow my recipe for Grilled Tempeh Burgers. I also grilled some local carrots and green pepper, which I drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper before grilling.
The star of this dish is, as always, the Hazel Dell mushrooms. I bought 1/2 pound of baby shiitake and crimini mushrooms and sautéed them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat for 15 minutes. I added a couple minced cloves of garlic after 10 minutes, then a splash of white wine for moisture, a little salt, and pepper. They don’t need much since they are so amazingly fresh.
I topped my grilled tempeh burgers with the mushrooms and some grated Swiss cheese. Delicious.
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