Chicken and Duxelles

 

• 1 pound 

  fresh white button mushrooms

• 2 small shallots 
• 1 clove  

  garlic

• parsley

• 4 tablespoons 

  (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

• 1/2 teaspoon 

  kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

These quantities make quit a bit. Enough to stuff 3-4 chicken breast halves. 

Clean your mushrooms with a brush. 

I use an egg slicer to chop the mushrooms. Stem up - slice. Pick up and turn the sliced mushroom, slice again.  I then chop the sliced mushrooms with a knife to get a nicely diced product. 

I rarely have shallots at hand, so I use about 1/2 an onion finely diced. 

Melt two T butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté till translucent. 

Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute or two. 

Add rest of the butter, mushrooms, salt, pepper and some dry parsley. 

Turn heat to medium low+ and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Trying to get mushrooms to give up their moisture without browning them. May take longer depending upon quantity. 

Cool the mushrooms before stuffing chicken. 

I use them to stuff butterflied chicken breast that has been flattened. Roll and tie the breast. Pan fry in some butter for color and finish in a 400* oven. 

Cedar planked salmon

• Cedar plank(s) for grilling
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Pinch salt
• Couple grinds black pepper
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• Pinch rosemary
• Pinch thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salmon fillets, skin removed
• Lemon wedges
• 
  

1. Soak the cedar plank in water for 1 hour.
2. In a dish large enough to hold the salmon, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Mix well. Add the salmon and turn to coat evenly with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (400°F to 450°F). 
4. Pat the soaked plank(s) dry and place the salmon on top. Place the plank(s) on the grill grates, close the cover and cook for 10 + minutes, or until salmon is done to your liking.
5. Can also do in the oven. Preheat to 400. Put plank on a grid over a foiled lined baking tray and preheat for 3-4 minutes. Add salmon- bake for 20 -25 minutes. 
6. Glaze the salmon with a small pat of butter and a sprinkle of dill. 

Shrimp, leeks and cannellini beans

 

• 1teaspoon fresh lemon zest and 2 tablespoons juice
• 1teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
• 2garlic cloves, grated
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1pound peeled, deveined large shrimp (tails removed)
• 4tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick)
• 2large leeks, trimmed, then halved lengthwise, white and light green parts sliced crosswise ½-inch thick (or 1 large onion, minced)
• 1(15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed
• 2cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Toasted bread, for serving (optional)

Creamy spinach orzo

 

• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• Big handful roughly chopped baby spinach

• Combine the broth and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add the orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the Parmesan and spinach. Keep cooking for about 3 minutes, until the spinach wilts down.
• Taste the orzo. Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Spanish garlic shrimp

 

• frozen large shrimp (21-25 count) - thawed, peeled, and deveined

• 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika (doesn’t have to be hot)

• kosher salt to taste

• cloves garlic to taste

• extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (substitute white wine plus a pinch of sugar for the sherry.)

• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

  1. Place shrimp in a bowl and season with paprika and kosher salt; mix well.  

     Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; add garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and increase heat to high. Toss and turn shrimp with tongs until starting to curl but still undercooked, about 2 minutes. Pour in sherry. Cook, stirring continuously, until sauce comes up to a boil and shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley.

     Serve with creamy spinach orzo. 

PARMESAN POTATO BLOSSOMS

 

Ingredients

• 24 oz. Tasteful Selections® potatoes
• ½ c. salted butter, softened
• 1½ tsp. fresh minced garlic
• 1 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley

• Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
• Cut a deep X into each potato, but do not cut through bottom of potato. Place potatoes on parchment lined sheet pan. Mix butter and garlic together until blended. Brush each potato generously with garlic butter.
• Top each potato with one tablespoon of shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 minutes, until potatoes are tender and Parmesan is browned. Top with chopped parsley to serve.

Portabello mushrooms for four

 Serve with Parmesan Potato Blossoms 

• ▢ 4 large portobello mushrooms
• ▢ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoons fine salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 medium tomato, sliced into rounds
• ▢ 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 2 packed cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• ▢ 3 green onions, coarsely chopped
• ▢ ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• ▢ ¼ cup breadcrumbs

Instructions

 

• Get ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Prepare the mushrooms: Gently wash the mushrooms to remove any debris and carefully snap off the stems (save them for later). Use the side of a spoon to scrape out the gills of the mushroom caps, taking care to keep the mushrooms intact.
• Oil and season: Use a brush or your hands to coat the outer sides and edges of the mushrooms with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place on the prepared baking sheet with the hollow sides facing up. Sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of the Italian seasoning. Place a tomato slice on top of each mushroom cap. Set aside.
• Saute the vegetables: Coarsely chop the mushroom stems. In a medium skillet on medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds before adding the chopped mushroom stems, spinach, and green onion. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
• Stuff and bake: In a small mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese ( I use Cottage Cheese) and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Add the sauteed vegetables and stir to combine. Distribute the mixture evenly among each mushroom. Place in your oven to bake for 15 minutes.
• Finish and serve: After the time is up, remove from the oven, top with the breadcrumbs and a drizzle of extra-