A Fungus Among Us

Sorry this is so belated! Been a bit busy at work and school. But, I'm back with tasty recipes!

Made a pretty tasty dinner Tuesday night - Beet and Orange Salad and Truffled Mushroom Gnocchi. The mushrooms had a pretty pungent flavor, but were a nice contrast to the smooth gnocchi. I made the gnocchi myself, using the recipe that is already posted on here. Understandably, not everyone has the time to make them, so store-bought ones would also work just as well!

Beet and Orange Salad: Yields 4 Servings
1/2 lb baby beets, trimmed and scrubbed
7 Tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oranges
1 and 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
2 small heads frisse lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small clampshell of micro-greens (about 1-2 cups)
1/4 cup marcona almonds, toasted

1. Heat oven to 400. Toss beets with 2 Tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Pour onto a baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 35 minutes. Cool and slice in half.
2. While the beets roast, supreme the oranges. To do this, cut off both ends of the orange. Slice the peel and white pith away from the fruit and then slice the segments from the inside membranes. Again, do this over a bowl and squeeze the remaining membranes to extract all of the juice.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp of the reserved orange juice, the remaining 5 Tbsp olive oil, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Toss with the frisse, micro-greens and orange segments.
4. To plate, divide salad between 4 small plates. Place roasted beet halves around the salad and top with toasted marcona almonds.


Truffled Mushroom Gnocchi: Yields 4 Servings
1 lb prepared gnocchi (if using the recipe on this blog, you will only need half of is. Freeze the other half and reserve for another use)
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 and 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
white truffle oil, for topping

1. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and cook until tender and starting to brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If moisture starts to come out of the mushrooms, cook until it has evaporated.
3. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add cream and thyme. Boil for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced.
4. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi for 3-4 minutes in boiling water, or until they float. This will need to be done right before the sauce is ready.
5. Add gnocchi and Parmesan cheese to mushroom sauce, tossing lightly to coat. Readjust seasonings, if necessary.
6. Serve immediately, topped with additional Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil.


Hope you enjoy these recipes. Class Wednesday night was an improv class...sort of Iron Chef style. There was no one secret ingredient, but we had to make 4 courses with a limited supply of ingredients and a time limit. I was not as easy as I thought it would be, but it was fun!

I made an awesome dessert last night incorporating my homemade ricotta cheese - should have the recipe up for you tomorrow!