Funghi Imbottite

I love mushrooms, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make these funghi imbottite.  Although this was in the stack of family recipes Aunt Joan gave me, I do not remember ever eating these.  It's too bad, too, because they are delicious!

This recipe is very simple to prepare and the stuffing comes together very quickly.  I used freshly greated Parmesan for the cheese, and dried parsley because I didn't have any fresh on hand.  I had some stuffing left over, but I guess the amount needed depends on how big the mushrooms are.  I may have filled them a bit too much because I didn't account for the mushrooms shrinking as they cooked.  I baked them at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes.

The stuffed mushrooms were very tasty.  The slight crunch of the golden brown stuffing and the buttery softness the inside matched with the firm yet tender meat of the mushroom was a magical combination.  The flavors of the garlic and onion were subtle but not bland, and the saltiness of the cheese was present as well.  Served with a salad, this makes for a wonderful summertime meal.

Funghi Imbottite (Stuffed Mushrooms)
Printable Recipe
Serves 4 or 6.

1 Lb. lg. mushrooms

3 T grated Cheese

1 clove Garlic, chopped

1 sm onion, chopped

1 C bread crumbs

1 T chopped parsley

2 T melted butter

6 T Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Clean and remove stems from mushrooms.  Mix thoroughly bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, butter, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.  Fill mushroom caps.

Pour 2 T of oil in bottom of baking pan.  Place mushrooms in pan, stuffed side up.  Pour balance of oil equally over all mushrooms.  Bake about 20 min. in medium oven.  When mushrooms are tender and tops brown, remove from oven.  Serve very hot.

Yogurt Cake

This time I used Rapadura sugar and lemon juice in the batter and a lemon glaze.

My favorite cake recipe.  This cake is super moist and the recipe is receptive to experimentation, so you can really get creative.  The cake is not too sweet,  easy to digest, and nourishing.   I use whole milk yogurt (cream top) from Farm Peter.   Recipe is from the book Chocolate & Zucchini by Clotilde Dusoulier, a gift from my mom.   Clotilde says:
'You can add citrus juice or zest to the batter, fold in berries, chocolate chips, or nuts;  substitute ground nuts or cocoa powder for part of the flour; slice the cake in two and spread raspberry jam, lemon curd or ganache in the middle; or dress the cake with whatever frosting or glaze you like.'
(I can't wait to try an avocado buttercream frosting!)

The recipe:
Printable Recipe
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus 1 teaspoon to grease the pan.
1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt, preferably whole milk
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon light or amber rum (optional but recommended)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
a good pinch of fine sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease the sides of a 10 inch round cake pan or springform pan with oil and line the botton with parchment paper if the pan is not springform.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt and sugar.  Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla, oil, and rum, if using, and whisk again.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and salt.  Pour the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and whisk until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and  bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the pan to loosen.  If you're using a springform pan, unclasp the sides.  Otherwise, flip the cake onto a plate and flip it back on the rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Clotilde has a blog you can visit, also called Chocolate & Zucchini.

Chopped Beef Toasts

A fond food memory from my childhood, I remember eating these chopped beef toasts fresh from the oven and savoring every scrumptious bite.  Nonna or Grandpa didn't make these for me very often, and I don't think my mom ever made them at home, so I was delighted when I saw there was a recipe for them.  Once I found the recipe, it went to the top of my list of new things to try.

The toasts are very easy to make and I had dinner ready for the family in about fifteen minutes.  I used my my own fresh ground beef for the recipe, which is a blend of half sirloin and half chuck.  The recipe also calls for meat condiment, which is an ingredient I have not heard of.  A quick internet search for 'meat condiment' did not yield any answers either.  So, I used homemade mayonnaise.  I thought the mayonnaise would be a nice compliment to the meat and not lend any flavors that would overpower it.

An interesting part of the recipe that I did not realize until I was assembling the toast was that the meat is put on the bread raw; though I think that's what makes them so good.  As the meat cooks, the juices are absorbed into the meat creating a texture almost reminiscent of bread pudding.  Speaking of cooking the meat, the recipe states to grill at moderate heat for five to six minutes.  I wasn't sure how to 'grill' the toasts, so I baked them at 450 degrees for five minutes and put them under the broiler for another minute.  Using this method, they tasted just as I remember them.

The beef toasts were a big hit with the family.  Ari ate his whole piece and asked for more and once we got Emilie to try it, she ate her whole serving as well.  Valerie kept talking about how good they were, too. 

If anyone knows what 'meat condiment' is, or how the toasts were traditionally cooked or 'grilled', I would love to know.

Chopped Beef Toasts

Printable Recipe

(2 servings)

1/4 pound chopped raw beef

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/2 teaspoon meat condiment

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

4 slices white bread

1.  Mix the beef, onion salt and condiment.

2.  Spread the bread with half the butter and toast on one side.

3.  Spread the untoasted side from crust to crust with the chopped beef; dot with the remaining butter and grill at moderate heat from 5 to 6 minutes.  Serve very hot.