Toasted Mushroom + Pea Farro

We had the coziest weekend. I'm a blue skies and sunshine lover, but Sunday was cloudy and kind of dreary and I kind of loved it. We relaxed, played outside and I started to get the little tickle in my stomach of excitement that the holidays are coming! 

When the weather cools off, it's so hard to stay on track with healthy eating because the coziest foods are often the ones that aren't the best for you. All I wanted was a giant bowl of homemade pasta with roasted, earthy flavored mushrooms and a giant pile of freshly grated parm on top. BUT! I came up with this quick and easy farro recipe that totally satisfied that pasta craving, but wasn't quite as bad for us! I also keep quinoa and farro on hand for this very reason. They are healthier grains that we don't feel bad about eating from time to time! 

We LOVE farro. I actually prefer it to quinoa as it's nuttier and can stand up to more flavor. I loaded this farro with mushrooms, peas, shallots and a big healthy dose of herbs de provence. This is one of my favorite spice blends and one that I always keep in my cabinet. Trader Joe's sells a giant glass container that's around $5 and pretty enough to leave on your countertop by the olive oil. I put that stuff on everything. I call the mushrooms and peas toasted instead of roasted because it sounds more fun, but really, I just sauteed them until nice and golden in a saute pan on my stove. 

Enjoy!

Toasted Mushroom + Pea Farro

1 cup Farro, cooked per instructions on package
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 large shallot, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. herbs de provence
olive oil 

Cook Farro according to instructions on the package. Set aside.

Coat the bottom of a saute pan with olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they become soft and fragrant, add the peas. Saute for another 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms and shallots are nice and golden and the peas are soft and toasted. 

When the mushroom and pea mixture is done, toss with the Farro. Add herbs de provence, a healthy drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. 

Pappardelle with Mushrooms, Parsley + Pancetta

This recipe was originally posted in 2012 and it still remains one of my all time favorites. A giant bowl of this makes me SO HAPPY. This was my favorite pasta while in Italy and I think that it is the perfect meal to cook in your kitchen for any special occasion. Mark played chef on Sunday and made me this delicious meal for my birthday. We enjoyed dinner with my family at our house and he certainly wowed them with his take on this rich and creamy pasta. 

Pappardelle instead of linguine; Shitake and cremini instead of porcini; And an added bonus, crispy pancetta. A bowl of this is pure happiness. Also filed under pure happiness? Celebrating another wonderful year. 

Family, pasta, wine, cake and ice cream. It was my perfect kind of day.

Pappardelle with Mushrooms, Parsley + Pancetta
recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1 lb. pappardelle pasta
4 thick slices pancetta, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups chopped mushrooms of your choice
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 cloves minced garlic
1.5 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pappardelle and cook until al dente, 7-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom sauce pan (Mark used the French oven) on medium heat, cook pancetta until brown and crispy, 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate with paper towel. In the same pan, heat the olive oil and butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cream, thyme, salt and pepper and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cream is reduced and thick, about 4-5 minutes. Add the parsley and stir to incorporate. 

Drain the pasta and add to the pan, tossing with sauce to coat. Add 2 Tbsp. of the cheese, toss and remove from heat. Garnish with extra parsley, grated cheese and fresh ground pepper.

Warm Bacon and Mushroom Kale Salad + A Poached Egg

We can go ahead and categorize this as one of the most interesting and unique things I have ever made. The recipe sparked my interest on Local Milk (via Pinterest) and when I read the recipe to Mark he was all for it! Kale stands up perfectly to the warm bacon and mushrooms and a warm bacon vinaigrette is icing on the cake! Things start to get a little crazy when you add a poached egg on top but it was actually quite surprising and quite delicious.

Don't knock it until you try it.

Bacon and Mushroom Kale Salad + A Poached Egg

1 bunch of kale, washed and torn
small carton of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
6 slices thick bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Pour Olive Mushroom + Sage Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other good olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt + pepper, to season
eggs, poached

In a medium saute pan on medium heat, cook bacon until nice and crisp. Do not remove grease from pan. While the pan is still hot, add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the stove is below medium-low heat so that you don't burn the garlic. Once the garlic is soft and fragrant, set aside.

In another saute pan, add 2 Tbsp. or so of olive oil (I used Pour Olive's Wild Mushroom + Sage). Add pepper to season and saute mushrooms until nice and caramelized. When they are done, finish with a little bit of salt. (Did you know that you should never add salt to your mushrooms until after they are done cooking? Sauteing them sans salt helps to bring out a rich mushroom flavor, something you won't get if you have already salted them).

Transfer garlic to a small bowl, and add a few shakes of red wine vinegar to taste. I also added a tiny bit more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Combine kale, mushrooms, bacon and vinaigrette in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.

Serve with a poached egg on top! Method found HERE. 

Fettucine with Porcini Mushrooms

Just because we're living the (extremely) low-carb life this week does not mean that you all should do the same. In fact, I wish I could kick the low carb way of life to the curb, make this rich, heavenly bed of pasta, and have all of you over for dinner. It's that good. We would open several bottles of wine, listen to Italian cafe music (that is, if I'm willing to take a break from Lionel Richie's new duets album which has now been on repeat for the past 24 hours), and I would probably even finish the meal by serving everyone some homemade Nutella gelato. Because greens are good for us, a simple greens salad would find its way onto our plates in between dinner and dessert. It's good for digestion.

The following is my proud and successful attempt to re-create one of the single best meals to have ever had come into my life. During my family's 2007 Italian holiday, I enjoyed Fettucine with Porcini mushrooms on several occasions and each time, I fell in love all over again. Maybe it was the Italian air and the extra wine, but my taste buds have never been happier. I made this for Mark on Valentine's Day with and for my family when I was home in Charlotte in April. Both bowls were equally exquisite...although the Valentine's edition may get an extra gold star because I actually made my own pasta. In true Italian style, Mark and I enjoyed the pasta as a first course on Valentine's day, followed by grilled filet and a simple greens salad. My family and I ate it as a main dish, because my dad says that sometimes, "the pasta likes to be by itself". Either way, this creamy, earthy, mushroom laced goodness took me back to one of my happy places.

Fettucine in a Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce

recipe from Emeril Lagasse

1/2 cup stemmed dried porcini mushrooms (shitake, or other mushrooms are fine as well)

1 cup hot water

1/2 lb. Fettucine, Paparadelle, or Linguine

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 tsp. minced garlic

1.5 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Handful chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving.

Place the dried mushrooms in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for approximately 15 minutes, to let the mushrooms reconstitute. Drain the mushrooms through a strainer, reserving the liquid in a clean bowl. Squeeze the mushrooms to extract as much of the flavorful liquid as possible. Roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside. Again, do not dispose of the mushroom liquid (a.k.a. liquid gold).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 7-8 minutes, until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, over medium head, heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook for about two minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the chopped mushrooms, and stir while cooking those for another 2 minutes. Add the reserved mushroom liquid, bring it to a boil, and stir while cooking until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 1 and a half minutes. Next, add the cream, thyme, salt, and pepper and return to a simmer. I never measure salt and add it a little bit at a time to taste. Remember, you will be adding parmesan cheese at the end, so don't salt it too much. Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes, until the cream is thick and reduced. Add parsley at the very end.

Drain pasta, and mix in the skillet to coat with the sauce, adding the parmesan cheese. Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with parsley and more cheese if desired.