Although I have a deep and abiding love for it, I have a complicated relationship with Costco.
It took many years before I could walk into my local warehouse and walk out with only what I need, and not a 50-gallon drum of marinated artichoke hearts and a pallet of golf balls (I don’t even golf). But still, each time I visit I discover something I’ve never even known existed, but also know in my very marrow, that I can’t continue life on this planet without it.
I often venture into that house-sized refrigerator where the keep their veggies and come out bearing a giant amount of this or that. Frequently, it’s their button mushrooms, that come in like a forty- or fifty-pound box.
And when I get them home, I look at them with the same confusion and trepidation with which Petey and I gazed at the newly born Kid.
What do we do with it now?
Last week, I decided to do a creamy mushroom bake. I love all three of those words; each one implies something tasty, and used together, connote comfort food heaven.
There were two big stars in this dish. One’s a tub of Brie. I love brie but rarely have it around the house because I’m scared I’ll go into a cheese fugue state and run dairy amuck. It’s the same thing with still-warm Krispy Kreme doughnuts—I just don’t trust myself around them. I’ve never eaten more than three in one sitting but am pretty sure I could polish off 18 or 20 without batting an eye.
The other new, but really important ingredient was mushroom stock. I always discard the stems when I use mushrooms, but this time I tossed them into a pot with 2 cups of chicken stock, a handful of dried mushrooms, and a couple bay leaves. I then boiled it until it reduced by half, then strained it.
Creamy Brie Mushroom Bake
½ cup + 3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 pounds sliced button mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and saved for stock
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ cup white wine
½ cup flour
1 cup mushroom stock
2 cups 2% milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 5-ounce container spreadable Président Creamy Brie
1 16-ounce box corkscrew pasta, cooked for 5 minutes only
½ cup shredded manchego
Salt & pepper to taste
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in large, heavy pot. Add mushrooms, onion, thyme and rosemary. Season, then stir to coat. Turn to medium, cover and cook until the water’s released from veg. Uncover and cook until the liquid’s cooked out, and mushrooms start to brown. Pour in wine and cook until dry. Remove veg and set aside.
Melt rest of the butter and stir in flour. Cook 2 minutes then add stock, milk and cream. Stir continuously until it boils. Take off heat and stir in brie until melted.
Preheat oven to 350. Add vegetables and noodles to pot. Stir until everything’s coated and veg are evenly distributed. Taste for seasoning and re-season, if necessary. Pour into greased casserole dish. Cover with parchment, then foil.
Bake covered casserole for 45 minutes, uncover, top with shredded cheese, and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. Let sit 15 minutes before service. Serves 8.
The dish was a hit, but it almost got Petey a punch in the nose.
When I told him what we were having for dinner, he asked, “Isn’t this mushroom stuff just like something you’ve made before?”
No, Petey. It has mushroom stock and brie—it’s totally different.
Husbands.
Thanks for your time.
One would think, to hear me whine week after week about too spicy this, and hellishly hot that, that my favorite cuisine might be something famously bland.
But I still have the heat tolerance of a snow angel, so I’ve learned some self-protective hacks.
And while some folks prove this doable on a daily basis, I’m the cheapest of cheap drunks who would be swinging from the chandelier or napping under a table after three or four swigs.
Green is usually (but not always, not by a long shot) milder than red. Green sauces normally contain tomatillos, a sour fruit that looks like a green tomato, and brings no heat to the party. And of course there is my very good, very green friend; avocado who feels to me like it cools thing down a bit.
1-8 ½ oz. package Jiffy corn muffin mix
Preheat oven to 400. Spray 13X9 pan with cooking spray.
Makes 8 servings.
Thanks for your time.
This week there isn’t much snappy patter or witty bon mots. The room I would normally use has been taken up by a recipe from Julia Child. It’s got a lot of steps but none of them are hard.
Julia Child’s Tian de Courgettes Au Riz (Zucchini Tian)
Rub the squash against the coarse side of a grater, and place grated flesh in a colander set over a bowl.
While the shredded zucchini is draining (reserve the juices,) drop the rice into boiling salted water, bring rapidly back to the boil, and boil exactly 5 minutes; drain and set aside.
Gradually stir in 2 1/2 cups warm liquid (zucchini juices plus milk, heated gently in a pan — don’t let it get so hot that the milk curdles!). Make sure the flour is well blended and smooth.
Thanks for your time.
My favorite ice cream treat is Dairy Queen’s peanut buster parfait. It is a miracle of simplicity; vanilla soft serve draped in hot fudge sauce and studded with peanuts.
All this fancy scientific palaver boils down to one thing: humans like contrast, and crave it.
Do ahead: Farro can be cooked up to 3 days in advance, kept in an airtight container in fridge. Cauliflower can be cooked 2 days in advance. Casserole can be assembled and baked a day later, easily, although the crumbs might lose their crisp from absorbing the moisture below if not added right before baking. Casserole keeps for several days in fridge and longer in freezer.
So we chose Marcona almonds because they’re addictively tasty. They were the perfect foil for the other ingredients. It was a true balance of both taste and texture.
I only offered another contrast. I didn’t promise it wouldn’t be bonkers.
bull city mom 