Mushroom Pesto

This Mushroom Pesto makes such an easy meal or appetizer.  I use this on pasta today, but you can spread it over crostini for an amazing appetizer.  Pesto is anything you crush or in Italian we say“pestare”. Mushrooms add a thick texture to this pesto and a hearty feel. They are the meat of the vegetarian diet.  Today I am making a risotto with it.

When we were little, my grandparents and parents would forge for mushrooms.  It was so much fun.  We would go out to the woods and my nonno Salvatore knew so much about the different kinds of mushrooms.  I wish I had his skills or paid more attention to the different types. As we got older, it wasn’t cool to go mushroom picking.  If you want to start forging mushrooms, get educated https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-hunt-mushrooms/

One of my favourite mushroom dishes on the blog https://recipesatmytable.com/mushroom-orzo/

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil
• 500 gr. fresh sliced mushrooms (I used baby cremini) 
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cugar
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• The juice and zest of half a fresh lemon
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• extra olive oil for storing

Process

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil. Place in the onion and mushrooms.  Sprinkle in the 1/2 tsp of sugar.  The sugar will help to caramelize the vegetables. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside and let cool. 

Toast the walnuts.

Set aside a little of the fried onions and mushroom for garnish. About 1/2 a cup. Place the cooled mushroom mixture to a blender. Now add the walnuts,parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse blender a few times before blending until mixture is finely ground. Then stream in the olive oil.

I preserve it in a jar. It lasts in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Top off with some extra olive oil.

Tonight we made mushroom risotto. I boiled the rice until al dente. Reserve one cup of the rice water. Then once drained I added some of the mushroom pesto, some of the rice water. 1/4 cup parmesan and 2 tbsp of butter and stirred.

Zucchini and Corn Oven Frittata 

Eggs are easy to work with and this Zucchini and Corn Oven Frittata is a keeper. It is a meatless Monday supper that tastes good even cold for the upcoming warm weather. Our frittatas or egg pies are similar to omelettes or quiches, but frittatas are crustless. You can use a variety of vegetables. Today, I am using some half bags of frozen vegetables. If you use frozen vegetables, thaw them out and pat the dry.

Traditionally Italians made a frittata to use leftovers. They would say “sbatta un uovo” which means beat an egg. That’s the recipe. Lol I believe this may have been part of the cucina povera. Often my nonna made frittata at night as a meal. Frittatas were popular in rural areas because eggs were plentiful and it was an easy meal that my nonna could make in Italy. She liked to use a lot of cheese and fresh herbs in hers.

Another one of my egg pies on the blog with a potato crust https://recipesatmytable.com/kale-pie/

One traditional Italian Frittata is the spaghetti one. Here is a recipe I like for it https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/6791-pasta-frittata?searchResultPosition=12

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups sweet corn
• 2 cups zucchini, sliced very thinly
• 1 can of sliced mushrooms( use fresh if you have)
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheese ( use your favourite cheese)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese for top

Process

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet I heat the olive oil and put in the onion. Sauté for a few minutes.

Next add and toast the corn withe the onions.

Make sure that the zucchini is dry before adding it to the pan.

Follow with the zucchini. Cook for about 5minutes, remove from heat and cool.  Remove half a cup of mixture.  

When the mixture has cooled, it is time to add in the cheese, italian seasoning and beaten eggs.

Grease a pie plate and pour in the mixtures.  Use the half cup of vegetable over the top to decorate.  Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese, cover with some foil and place in a 375 F oven for 20 minutes.  

Remove the foil and cook for an additional 7 minutes or until top has browned. 

Let cool and slice.