Baby Bella Mushrooms – Bead Yarn & Spatula

Spaghetti with Turkey Marsala Meatballs

I haven’t been posting many savory recipes… In other words, something I cooked instead of baked. That doesn’t mean I haven’t cooked. I cook every week, but lately I haven’t been trying new recipes. Just sticking with things that I know are good and are easy to make. Two important criteria when it comes cooking if you ask me. Last month though I finally tried a new recipe, and it was so good that I just made it again. So, what was so good that I had to make it again so quickly… Spaghetti with Turkey Marsala Meatballs.

Two quick things to note… While I do eat pasta, I normally don’t make spaghetti (not a fan of twirling to get it on the fork) and I never made meatballs before trying this recipe (I have eaten them though!). I was always concerned about getting the meat fully cooked. Silly, I know! Both of those things didn’t matter with this recipe though. The meatballs were super easy to make, and for peace of mind I left them in the oven a minute or two longer than the recipe suggested to ensure they were cooked. They didn’t dry out since the chopped mushrooms added to the meat helped to keep them moist. And twirling spaghetti isn’t that bad!

I started off by prepping the meatballs. Once they were formed, I baked them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

While the meatballs were in the oven (and for a little while after they came out) I worked on making the sauce for the pasta, boiled the pasta and tossed the pasta into the sauce.

I wasn’t planning on enjoying this the day I made it, so I packed it in containers and refrigerated it. I will say that it heats up very well and tastes better each day!

Spaghetti with Turkey Marsala Meatballs

Servings: 4
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Ingredients:

12 ounces cremini mushrooms*

1 pound ground turkey

1 large egg

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup Marsala wine

12 ounces spaghetti

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

*I used 10 ounces of baby bella mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Finely chop a third of the mushrooms and thinly slice the rest.

In a medium bowl combine the chopped mushrooms, ground turkey, egg, panko breadcrumbs, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together. Roll into 18 to 22 meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Use a cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) to make rolling the meatballs easier. Bake in the preheated oven 12 to 14 minutes, until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes so the mushrooms and onions can crisp. Stir and cook until browned, an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the Marsala wine and cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for 6 minutes.

Add the chicken broth to the mushroom and onion mixture and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer until thickened, 5 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti and add to the skillet. Cook, tossing until al dente, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Toss the spaghetti until the butter has melted.

To serve, divide the pasta among bowls and top with the meatballs.

Recipe from Food Network

Homemade Gnocchi In A Mushroom Sauce

I’ve been wanting to make Gnocchi for quite some time. Not really sure why though because I’ve only had it once or twice. I think it’s the challenge of it all… Can I really make it? One thing that was holding me back is that most recipes call for a potato ricer. Something I don’t own and was reluctant to purchase. I went to a couple of stores and couldn’t find one and truthfully didn’t want order one online. I did find a few recipes that said you could mash the potatoes but then I found some recipe reviews that said mashing the potatoes wouldn’t turn out good gnocchi. And then, I found a recipe that used a large hole grater and I was ready to go.

To make the dough I baked 3 medium Russet potatoes at 400 F for about 45 minutes. I let them cool for a few minutes, then peeled them and grated them using the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. I added in a lightly beaten egg and salt and then added in flour, a little at a time, until the dough wasn’t sticky. I then dumped it out on a lightly floured surface and kneaded it.

Next, I divided the dough into 6 smaller balls and rolled out each ball into a rope about 3/4-inch thick.

I then cut the dough into 1-inch pieces.

Once I had rolled out all of the dough and cut it. I boiled them in a pot of well-salted water. I knew the gnocchi was ready once it floated to the surface of the water.

Next, I finished off the gnocchi in a mushroom sauce. And here’s the funny thing about this… the first day it tasted good, the 2nd day it was delicious, but, on the 3rd day not so much. I think by then the gnocchi had absorbed a lot of the sauce and it just turned an odd color and the flavor was off. So, apparently homemade gnocchi is good for 2 days and that’s it.

Homemade Gnocchi In A Mushroom Sauce

Servings: 4
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Ingredients:

Gnocchi:

3 medium Russet potatoes (about 2 lbs.)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Mushroom Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup shallots

1 14.5 ounce can low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

5 ounces baby spinach

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

For the Gnocchi:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 – 60 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Flip the potatoes halfway through the baking time. Let the potatoes cool slightly.

Peel the potatoes and then grate them over the large holes of a box grated over a large bowl. Add the egg and the salt and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour to the potatoes, a little at a time, using only as much as you need so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands. When the flour has been incorporated dump it and any remaining floury bits onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough. Press down and away with the heel of your hands, fold the dough over, make a quarter turn and repeat. Knead for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and then divide into 6 smaller balls. Using your fingertips roll each ball into a rope about 3/4-inch thick and cut into 1-inch pieces.

To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the gnocchi in batches. Once it rises to the surface remove from the water and set aside on a baking sheet.

For the Mushroom Sauce:

Cook the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter begins to brown. Add the mushrooms and shallots and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and parsley; simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the gnocchi and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.

Divide among bowls and drizzle with parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Mushroom Sauce adapted from Epicurious

A Quick and Easy Coq au Vin

The first time I had Coq au Vin was at a cooking demonstration class at Williams Sonoma. I purchased the braising base that was used at the class but unfortunately my result was nothing like the one I tasted at the class. I think part of the reason was that I still wasn’t all that comfortable with cooking – I’m more of a baker, but, slowly but surely my cooking ability is starting to even out with my baking ability. Recently I came across a recipe for Coq au Vin in a magazine and decided to try making it once again, this time from scratch, and I had much better results. And in case you are wondering, Coq au Vin is a French dish of braised chicken in red wine and normally contains bacon, garlic, onions and mushrooms.

Up first I sliced baby bella mushrooms, minced 2 cloves of garlic and chopped some fresh thyme.

I then cooked three slices of bacon, which I cut into half-inch pieces, in two teaspoons of olive oil until they were brown, but not crispy.

After removing the bacon from the Dutch oven and setting it aside I browned four chicken thighs which I seasoned with salt and pepper.

Next I cooked the mushrooms along with a 16 oz. bag of frozen white pearl onions for a few minutes until they began to soften.

Following that I added in the thyme, garlic and a tablespoon of tomato paste.

And then red cooking wine. I cooked the mixture for about 5 minutes until the wine reduced by half…

And then added in chicken stock.

And finally I returned the chicken to the pot, reduced the heat to low and partially covered the pot and allowed the chicken to cook through and the onions to soften, about 40 minutes.

And for the final step, I dissolved three tablespoons of cornstarch in an equal amount of water and added it to the cooking liquid after transferring the chicken to a plate. Once the liquid thickened I returned the chicken and bacon to the pot, stirring to coat the chicken. I must say I have used cornstarch to thicken cooking liquids before but I normally just add it directly to the liquid, dissolving it in water is a much better method as it eliminates the possibility of any clumps forming in the liquid.

Final Verdict… Definitely something I will make again, although I think next time I won’t add the cornstarch.

Easy Coq au Vin – Slightly modified from here

Ingredients:

3 slices center cut bacon, cut into half-inch pieces

2 tsp. olive oil

4 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs

16 oz. frozen pearl onions

10 oz. baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup red cooking wine

2 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp. cornstarch

Directions:

1. In a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven, cook the bacon in the oil over medium heat until browned but not too crispy. Transfer the bacon to a small bowl lined with a napkin. Season the chicken with salt and pepper (I used about 1/2 tsp. each). Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Stir in the tomato paste, thyme and garlic. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring the liquid to a simmer. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and gently simmer, turning the chicken once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are tender, about 40 minutes.

3. In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in tbsp. water. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the cooking liquid to a bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken and bacon to the pot, stirring to coat.