Mushroom Stroganoff

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Last week I received a box of beautiful, uniformly humongous, mushrooms from To-Jo Mushrooms, a company that sells mushrooms of all types for home delivery on their website, FreshMushrooms.com. In addition to the wonderful assortment of affordable mushrooms, the site also features a collection of recipes that will appeal to any serious cook. I loved their recipes and will  feature many of their creations before the year is out, but I've wanted to try a meatless stroganoff for the longest time. The size of the mushrooms I received made them a perfect substitute for the beef or chicken normally found in stroganoff, so, my dreamed of Mushroom Stroganoff became the order of the day. Here is how it came together.

I quartered the mushrooms before putting them in a skillet to dry roast and lightly brown. Once they had some color I added salt, butter and some aromatics to give them flavor and sauteed them until they released their juices. I then deglazed the plan with a healthy splash of Madeira for additional flavor and richness. A more detailed explanation on the process can be found in the recipe below. Though meatless, this is a terrific stroganoff. Goat cheese gives it a richness and unique flavor that I think you will really enjoy. This is an easy dish to make, but there is some wait time involved, so be sure to read the recipe so you understand the time requirements before you roll up your sleeves and start.

This is the finished dish. Much of the flavor in this stroganoff comes from a mushroom broth that's created by soaking dried Shitake mushrooms in boiling water. I usually let the mushrooms sit in water for an hour before using them and their broth. I also suggest making this dish with broad flat noodles that are cooked slightly longer than would normally be the case. For best results the noodles should be soft, but not mushy. The dish is served as though it was a casserole. The mushrooms, sauce and noodles are combined before serving and presenting at the table. This is a beige dish, so make sure you serve it with a lovely green salad or a steamed green vegetable. Keep the sides simple because the goat cheese makes this a rich dish. Here's how this version of stroganoff is made.

Mushroom Stroganoff...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Alton Brown

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced dried Shitake mushrooms
3 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 pounds large stuffing mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Madeira wine
1-1/4 teaspoon beef or vegetable bouillon base
1-1/2 cups strained mushroom broth
8 ounces sour cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, plus more for garnish
12 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
Garnish: Chives or green onion tops

Directions:
1) About 1 hour before starting to cook, place shitake mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 1 hour.
2) Strain both and rapidly boil down to 1-1/2 cups. Set aside for the moment.
3) Set 4 quarts of water to boil over high heat. Cover with lid ajar.
4) Melt butter in a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Increase heat to high, add mushrooms and saute until they darken in color. Sprinkle with salt, and continue cooking until they soften and give off their liquid, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add scallions and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
5) Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine. Cook until flour disappears and fond on bottom of pan turns dark brown, about 1 minute. Deglaze with Madeira. Stir in beef base and mushroom broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in re-hydrated Shitake mushrooms
and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, and then add sour cream, goat cheese and black pepper. Stir to combine, and then partially cover and bring to a simmer to warm through, 2 to 4 minutes.
6) While mushrooms simmer, add noodles to already boiling water and cook until soft but not mushy.
7) Drain noodles, add to pan containing mushrooms and stir to combine. Garnish with chives or green onion tops and a grind or two of freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately. Yield: 5 to 6 servings.

Disclosure: I received 3 pounds of large mushrooms from Fresh Mushrooms/To-Jo Mushroom. I received no other compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

      

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