Sunday, December 18, 2011

Mushroom & Spinach Stroganoff

The mushroom sauce with spinach is delicious and easy to make. Although I have used spinach here, other greens such as Swiss chard or kale may be substituted. Kale would need a bit more cooking time; so it may be steamed until tender and stirred in.

Perfect over freshly cooked long, wide strands of pasta like linguine or fettuccine; but other shapes of pasta or grains will work fine too. Topped with Roasted Tofu, it makes fabulous eats; all you need for a complete meal is some crisp green salad and a crusty loaf of bread!

Cashews make a wonderful vegan yogurt or sour cream substitute! Simply soak 1 cup of raw cashews for about 5 or 6 hours or overnight in plain water. Drain, rinse, and process using a blender with just enough water and a pinch of salt. Scoop out into a clean container ad stir in a Tbsp of lime or lemon juice. Yummy!

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 oz. dried Porcini Mushrooms (Optional)
1 lb White or Brown Mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 large Red Onion, thickly sliced
2 Tbsp Butter OR Oil
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 pinch ground Red Chile (cayenne)
2 tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Whole Wheat/Brown Rice Flour
8-12 oz. Fresh Spinach
1 1/2 cups Sour Cream/vegan alternate
1-2 tsp Hot Sauce
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Recipe Roasted Tofu, to serve
8 oz. dry Pasta - Fettuccine or Linguine, freshly cooked
4 Tbsp Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley, finely chopped

Method:

Follow the directions on the dried mushroom package to re-hydrate. When re-hydrated, strain the mushroom pieces and coarsely chop them. Reserve the liquid.

Heat a large wide skillet or sauce pan and add butter, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until softened.

Add the fresh mushrooms with the rest of the salt and cook stirring; cook until the mushrooms brown.

At first the mushrooms will exude juices - keep cooking and the juices evaporate and the mushrooms brown.

Stir in the flour with the cayenne and cook until it is browned a bit and fragrant.

Add the hydrated mushrooms, garlic and the herbs and mix well.

Add enough water if necessary to the mushroom liquid to make 1 cup; if not using dried mushrooms, simply add 1 cup of water.

Pour the mushroom liquid (or water) slowly in a thin stream while stirring constantly until there are no lumps; cook until the sauce thickens.

Stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted. Remove from heat and let cool a little - about 5 minutes.

Gently mix in the the hot sauce and the sour cream or vegan substitute a little at a time and gently heat through.

Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and more salt if needed.

Spoon the pasta in a wide serving dish and top with the roasted tofu; top with the Stroganoff sauce or serve separately. Another option is to divide the pasta among 4 plates, top with the tofu and the sauce.

Sprinkle with the parsley. Serve hot. Enjoy!!

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