Mushrooms with polenta for Lent - Ciuperci cu mamaliguta de post

I hope this is a good sign: me - blogging - twice - this week :))) and maybe i broke the spell of rare posting and laziness.

Because i have been talking about Lent before Christmas and now, before Easter, i thought it's time for some lent food. But first, i have to tell you something - i don't want anybody to think i am actually always able to fast, i am struggling and most of the time i a have a success rate of about 50%. And even when i don't cave in, there is nothing special about it, and it shouldn't be anyway, or it defeats the purpose. It's just me talking about our food throughout the year.

Mushrooms are one of our favorite foods (mine and Gabriel, for now), and although i tried many recipes until now, i think that simply roasted or seared mushrooms with some fresh herbs, garlic and wine are the best. I love them in soups, salads, roasted veggies, grilled, stewed, in raviolli and puff pastry, stuffed, and so on, and back in January i ate some very good shiitake mushrooms at a thai restaurant, which i will talk about another time. BTW, i think my "favorite foods" list is expanding outrageously, but since i love eating, cooking and talking about food so much, it seems only reasonable, doesn't it?

My mom makes these roasted mushrooms with baby leeks, and maybe sometimes sliced baby potatoes, too.

So, i made them times and again since then and i love them, even though i never added the potatoes yet, and replaced the leeks with scallions/green onion or simply onion when that's all i had.

This time i went to my asian market and they had all these amazing fresh mushrooms, so i had to get some of each, especially when you pay only about 7$ for more than 2 lbs. They were (from bottom to top of the basket): oyster, shiitake, brown (Buna-shimeji) and white (Bunapi-shimeji) beech mushrooms, and maitake (hen-of-the-wood) mushrooms.

This particular time i didn't have leeks or green onion, so i used white onion. And this is how i make them:

Clean and cut mushrooms (if they are too large).

Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, mix them with one finely diced onion (or 2 leeks or one bunch green onions chopped), drizzle with oil, then bake them in the oven at 375F -400 F about 30 minute, or until roasted.

After about 30 minute i take them out, i add some chopped fresh garlic (about 2-3 cloves) and drizzle some white dry wine over, then put them back in the oven for about another 5 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.

Take them out and mix in some fresh chopped herbs (i like parsley, dill and thyme, but you could use whatever you like) and they are ready to be served.

I like the mushrooms with polenta (and depending on the mood i make it softer or not, using 1 cup of cornmeal and 2.5 - 3 cups of water).

When it's not lent, i add some butter to the polenta, it comes out so much better, and shave some cheese on the mushrooms. If you'd like, you could add herbs and cheese to the polenta, and make it with broth or milk instead of water. And the mushrooms could be sauteed in a frying pan instead of roasted in the oven.

The wine adds a wonderful aroma and taste to the sauce, another layer that brings everything together better, in a sofisticated way, i think. And the combination of different types of mushroom is excellent, the texture and taste of each kind are so different, some meatier, others chewy, some really sweet, and some a little bitter, but in all such an "earthy" dish.

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Ciuperci cu mamaliguta

Sper ca asta e un semn bun: eu - postand - de doua ori- saptamana asta, si poate ca rup si prostul obicei ("blestem") al posturilor rare si a leneviei.
Pentru ca am tot vorbit de postul Craciunului si acum al Pastelui, m-am gandit ca ar fi frumos sa postez si ceva mancare de post. Dar mai intai, o necesara marturisire - nu vreau sa dau impresia ca reusesc sa tin tot postul, ma chinui mai mereu si reusesc numai jumatate din timp. Si chiar si atunci cand nu ma spurc, nu e nimic de lauda, sau de mandrit, si nici nu ar trebui sa fie, ca atunci numai post nu e. Asa ca vine vorba numai pentru ca postarile sunt despre toata mancarea noastra.

Ciupercile sunt una din mancarurile noastre favorite (ma refer la mine si Gabi, bineinteles), si desi le-am incercat in atatea feluri pana acum, cele mai bune mi se par facute simplu in cuptor sau prajite in tigaie, cu verdeturi, usturoi si putin vin. Imi plac si in supe, salate, cu alte legume coapte, la gratar, in tocanite, ciulama, raviolli, pateuri, si cate si mai cate feluri, iar in Ianuarie, am mancat niste Shiitake la un restaurant thailandez asa de bunee... , dar despre ele o sa vorbesc alta data. Si ca tot a venit vorba, lista mea de mancaruri favorite se extinde continuu, dar considerand obsesia mea cu mancatul, gatitul si vorbitul despre mancare, e normal, nu-i asa?
Mama mea face ciupercile la cuptor cu praz, si cateodata si cartofi noi.
Asa ca le-am facut si eu de atatea ori si intotdeauna mi-au placut, desi n-am adaugat cartofi niciodata, si uneori am inlocuit prazul cu ceapa verde sau orice fel de ceapa cand n-am avut altceva.
De data asta am fost la magazinul meu asiatic si am gasit tot felul de ciuperci, foarte proaspete, si "a trebuit" sa cumpar din fiecare, mai ales cand sunt atat de ieftine. Am gasit (incepand din partea de jos a cosului): ciuperci stridie (Pleurotus ostreatus - buretele vanat), shiitake (Lentinula edodes sau Agaricus Edodes, un fel de ruda a ciupercii albe, crem sau brune, dupa ce am citit aici), ciuperci albe si brune (Hypsizygus marmoreus sau Hypsizigus tessellatus) si maitake (Grifola frondosa, numita si gaina padurii, creste la baza copacilor, mai ales stejarilor).

Si pentru ca nu am avut nici praz nici ceapa verde, am folosit niste ceapa alba. Si astia sunt pasii:

Se curata si se taie ciupercile (daca sunt prea mari).

Se condimenteaza cu sare si piper, se adauga ceapa tocata marunt (sau 2 fire de praz sau o legatura de ceapa verde), se stropesc cu ulei si se pun in tava la copt la 180-200 C timp de aproape 30 de minute, sau pana sunt coapte.

Dupa aproape 30 de minute, le scot din cuptor, le stropesc cu vin si adaug vreo 2-3 catei de usturoi tocati marunt, si le pun inapoi la cuptor inca vreo 5 minute, pana s-a evaporat alcoolul din vin.
Se scot din cuptor si se amesteca cu verdeturi tocate dupa gust (mie imi plac patrunjel, marar si cimbru proaspat) si sunt gata de servit.

Mie imi plac ciupercile cu mamaliguta (care uneori e mai moale, alteori mai vartoasa, facuta cu o cana de malai la 2.5-3 cani de apa).
Cand nu e post, pun unt la mamaliga, e mult mai gustoasa si rad niste branza peste ciuperci. Daca va place, adaugati verdeturi si branza la mamaliga, si o puteti face cu zeama de supa sau lapte in loc de apa. Iar ciupercile pot fi facute in tigaie, prajite, nu neaparat la cuptor.

Vinul da o aroma aparte si un gust minunat sosului, iar combinatia de mai multe soiuri de ciuperci e minunata, textura si gustul fiecarui fel e atat de deosebit.

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Beans - two ways for Friday lent - Fasole de post in doua feluri

Fridays we try to fast, as all Fridays throughout the year are lent days for us as orthodox christians. Actually, I should say me and Clara try to fast, because Gabriel always does.

Lent for orthodox people is over 5 weeks before Christmas, 40 days before Easter, about a week in June before St. Peter and Paul, and about 2 weeks in August and some other days for different saints/hollidays. We were brought up this way and we are trying our best to keep our traditions, , and we are passing them to Clara now. This is part of our customs and who we are. But I fail a lot since I am not trying to hard. I either forget to cook something on thursday so we have what to eat Friday, or I get really hungry and crave for food that I should not have for lent. The funny thing, the days when I could have everything, I don't crave so much, but Fridays, that's the time when I think of diary products, eggs, fish and meat when I know I shouldn't....Sometimes it is very easy and I am surprised to see it's already time to go to bed and I did it. It's harder during the long lent for Christmas and during the one for Easter, because you are trying to have healthy and consistent meals. Clara is not in love with zucchini or mushrooms, and eggplants are not always on her Ok list, which makes it hard to make something for all three of us without repeating the menu too much.

When I have no ideas what to make next day and I ask Gabriel what should I make, it's always the same: beans, beans and more beans, a food that I don't love as much as he does.

For today I made a bean salad, a cannelini spread and braised cabbage.

The cannelini spread is Gabriel's favorite, and I take a shortcut because I used canned beans ( from 2 400g/14 oz cans). I put the beans in the food processor with 1/3 cup oil and pepper and pulse it about 30 seconds. I chop finely half a white onion and add it to the beans, together with about a tablespoon garlic aioli made from 2 cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Pulse a couple more times and that's it. Serve it with tomato salad or sundried tomatoes in oil, pickles or roasted bell peppers, a crsuty bread, it's very good. I like to add chopped rosemary to mine, but the rest of them don't, so.....

The bean salad is a mix of (1 can of each) garbanzo beans, cannelini and black beans, bell pepper, olives, red onion and cilantro, 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, salt and pepper. You could also add corn, but today I didn't have.

They are always good as side dishes for meat, and always perfect for vegetarians. And the ingredients could be played with to your liking.

Vinerea e zi de post pentru noi si incercam pe cat putem sa tinem postul. Eu si Clara incercam, Gabi reuseste intotdeauna. Vrem sa pastram traditia asta, pentru ca asa am fost crescuti, e parte din obiceiurile noastre si din cine suntem noi. Eu insa nu reusesc intotdeauna pentru ca nu mai stradui cat trebuie. Simt ca mor de foame, ma ia cu ameteala sau pur si simplu poftesc la tot ce nu are trebui, numai pentru ca stiu ca nu pot. Alta data e asa usor, ca nu-mi vine sa cred ca a trecut ziua si am izbutit.

Cand e postul craciunului si al Pastelui e mai greu sa gasesc insipratia pentru fiecare zi. Mai ales cand Clara nu mananca anumite legume si nu vrea sa fac aceleasi 5 retete tot timpul postului. de cate ori il interb pe Gabi ce sa mai fac de mancare de post, intotdeauna primesc acelasi raspuns: fasole. Iar eu una nu sunt atat de innebunita dupa fasole.

Pentru azi am facut salata de boabe de fasole, icre de fasole si varza dulce calita cu rosii. Icrele le fac cu fasole de la conserva, asa ca nu e mare lucru e facut. Pun fasolea in robotel cu o cescuta de ulei si le pulsez timp deun minut. Adaug o jumatate de ceapa tocat foarte marunt si un fel de mujdei facut din 2 catei de usturoi, o lingurita de ulei si una de mustar, sare si piper dupa gust.

Sunt tare bune cu salata de rosii, rosii conservate in ulei, muraturi, ardei copt si o paine proaspata. Mie imi place si sa adaug rozmarin proaspat tocat, dar la restul nu, asa ca....

Salata de fasole e o combinatie de naut, fasole alba (cannelini) si fasole neagra, cate conserva din fiecare, ardei gras, ceapa rosie si masline, putinulei, otet, sare si piper. Eu am pus si coriandru proaspat. Ingredientele se pot schimba dupa plac. Eu am pus alta data si boabe de porumb, dar azi nu am avut.

Sunt bune ca garnitura la mancaruri cu carne, si intotdeauna bune pentru vegetarieni.

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