Having Cheese and Dried Wild Mushrooms on Hand Makes for a Quick Supper

The folks at Marx Fine Foods were kind enough to send 5 samples of the wild dry mushrooms. I had so much fun trying different ways I could use these little bitefuls of flavor, texture and nutrition.

I was sent these varieties: Porcini Mushrooms, Matsutake Mushrooms, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Maitake Mushrooms and Lobster Mushrooms. Each kind sealed and pre-sliced nicely ready for use any time.

What I love about having dried mushrooms in the pantry is that when you're running low on produce, you can always whip up a dish with mushrooms. Mushrooms are not only dense in fiber and protein and a good source of B vitamins, copper and other minerals, they also are light in calories. They add nutrition, flavor and make you feel full without any fat or a lot of calories.

The possibilities are endless when you have these little dried gems in storage. They last easily up to a year in your cupboard. And rehydrating them is no mystery. Simply pour some boiling water over them and let them sit for 10 minutes or so--they're ready when soft tender. If you're not in a hurry, put them in a small cup or bowl of water and let sit for a couple of hours. To use in any recipe, simply drain away the water-- and that's it-- they're even easier to use than the fresh mushrooms!

Some of the varieties are chewy and some are toothsome, and each have a unique aroma and flavor. I used the Matsutake Mushrooms in a Shiritake Noodle stirfry (yum!) and the the Black Trumpet Mushrooms, with their vanilla scent, I used in a Sweet Chilled Korean-inspired dessert beverage. I had plans to make a quick pizza with the Porcini Mushrooms but they ended up in a Vietnamese chicken and ginger dish instead.

Some of the easiest to eat are the Lobster Mushroom variety. As their name suggests, they have a "shoreline" smell (as described from their site), so I thought I'd try them with some canned Alaskan salmon that was also in the pantry. These unusual mushrooms have a reddish-orange tinge, a shoreline smell but surprisingly blend into a savory dish with little effort. What I came up with is a Wild Mushroom Cheese Fritatta incorporating 2 varieties of cheese I had in the refrigerator.

This cheese recipe is extremely easy to prepare, and takes no time at all.

Wild Mushroom Frittata with Taleggio and Camembert Cheese

6 eggs
Lobster Mushrooms, small handful
1/2 can Alaska Salmon
3 oz soft cheese variety (Taleggio and Camembert)
3/4 cups evaporated milk
1/2 onion, chopped
salt (1/2 teaspoon), pepper, paprika
2 tablespoons Olive oil

Heat oven to 400F degrees. Rehydrate the mushrooms and drain away water. Drain the canned salmon. Beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in the milk with the eggs until incorporated well. Add the salmon and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the egg mixture. Slice cheeses thinly.

In a oven-safe skillet heat olive oil over a hot stove. Saute onions for a quick minute and add the mushrooms. Throw in a pinch of salt. Soften and carmelize for another quick minute. Then, pour in the egg mixture and let sit for 2 minutes allowing the bottom of the fritatta to brown. Drape the Taleggio and Camembert cheese over the top.

Put skillet in oven and bake for 10 minutes. It's done when slightly browned and congealed with a little shake.

This recipe is a nice alternative to quiche-- easier to make and also lower in fat. The flavors are very mild so a nice pickled condiment with some fresh crudities on the side would suit it well.

Dried wild mushrooms are a pantry essential-- super convenient and easy to use. Thanks to the good folks at Marx Fine Foods.

Could Cheese Be a Superfood?

Not only can an ounce of cheese a day keep the doctor away thwarting the age-related deterioration of the immune system known as immunosenescene but cheese, not unlike milk, can speed up the metabolism because of the conjugated linoleic acid that it contains. CLA has been found to be a fat-fighting superhero-- not only increasing metabolism but also decreasing cholesterol and triglyceride levels, insulin levels, and food-induced allergies. Sounds to good to be true? Read further here.

Dr. Michael Pariza and his crew at the University of Wisconsin Madison, found that CLA found in dairy products such as cheese can have a significant health benefit bringing balance, order and stability to our central operating systems: the thyroid, the immune, the endocrine and the circulatory frameworks that our bodies run on an unconscious basis.

These findings combined with the fact that cheese provides our daily need for calcium, an important underrated building block in the maintenance of our health infrastructure, makes cheese look more and more like some miraculous panacea.

Many Americans do not ingest recommended amounts of calcium from food. Approximately 44% of boys and 58% of girls aged 6–11 fell short in 1994–1996, as did 64% of boys and 87% of girls aged 12–19 years and 55% of men and 78% of women aged 20 years or older, according to the nationwide Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (National Institutes of Health).

There's no question about it, cheese is delicious. And somehow we know intuitively that cheese is a good for you food, with its short list of ingredients and its natural, unadulterated origins. But the more research that's done the more we realize what people across all borders have known for a millenia, it's the cheese.

Campfire Raclette, Who Needs Silverware or Plates?

A great video demonstrating how to eat Raclette Homer Simpson style.



Actually, melting the wheel by the fire is actually how Raclette came to be originally. It's nice to know that all you need to have a campfire Raclette picnic is some boiled potatoes, sliced meat and a wheel of Raclette cheese!

Cooking E-Course Brings a New Way of Cooking into Your Home

A new trend in personal cooking school are cooking classes online. Nourished Kitchen is one example of this innovative approach to learning about cooking.



In the comfort of your own kitchen, you can learn how to cook the basics from slow roasting meats to making homemade stock the real way using fresh ingredients. Learn how to minimize your food budget and at the same time, maximize the nutritional benefits of what you eat using traditional methods of cooking and learning how to shop.

For $10/class you'll be one your way to a healthier, leaner and more economical way of preparing food for you and your family. Hurry, sign up today. Classes will run for 12 weeks on a weekly basis beginning June 1. Visit The Nourished Kitchen.com.

(I will make a small commission if you should decide to enroll.)

Get High on Cheese

James Nestor, in his book Get High Now, describes 175 ways to get high without the use of drugs and one of the peculiar ways he's discovered is by eating cheese. Apparently the consumption of certain types of cheese, like Stilton Blue, can induce psychodelic dreams. Wikipedia also makes reference to The King of Cheeses' ability to alter your mind's state:

A 2005 survey carried out by the British Cheese Board reported that Stilton cheese seemed to cause unusual dreams when eaten before sleep, with 75% of men and 85% of women experiencing "odd and vivid" dreams after eating a 20-gram serving of the cheese half an hour prior to sleeping.

Could it be the the Penicillium roqueforti injected in the Stilton Blue that creates the blue veins that causes such strange and lucid dreams-- more likely, it's the Port.  (Source: Flashnews.com and Wikipedia.com)

Eating Cheese Shown to Increase Immune Response in the Elderly

According to Science Daily, a remarkable study in Finland has demonstrated that the intake of cheese has immuno-enhancing powers on the elderly, and can actually thwart the effects of aging on the immune system.

A group of volunteers were asked to consume a slice of Gouda cheese-- laced with probiotic bacteria for four weeks. Probiotic bacteria in yogurt has been well documented to help mitigate a variety of problems ranging from yeast infections to other gastrointestinal ills. For two weeks prior, volunteers were given a control cheese and then again, for four weeks following as well. Through blood tests, Dr. Fandi Ibrahim and his team discovered that the phagocytic properties of NK cells, the warrior cells that kill off renegade abnormal cells, increased with the intake of cheese in the diet of these elderly individuals.

This study suggests that Immunosenescene, the deterioration of the body's inherent programming to fight off the bad guys, can be decelerated with daily consumption of cheese. Even with the control cheese, these findings were true. This dramatic discovery gives credence to cheese being not only a good food choice but perhaps puts it in the running for being a superfood and an important component in longevity and health.

Source: Wiley - Blackwell (2010, May 13). Cheese -- acting as 'carrier' for probiotic bacteria -- found to improve immune response of elderly. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 14, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/05/100513071957.htm

Cheese-ism of the Day: "Turophile"

According to Merriam-Webster, a turophile is a connoisseur of cheese, "a cheese fancier" it says and in essence, a lover of the creamy rich calcium aphrodisiac known as cheese. Turo is from the Greek tyros for "cheese" and -philos for "beloved" or "dear". For the proper pronounciation, go to Dictionary.com here.

The web encyclopedia on food known as PracticallyEdible.com says that the word has been in use as early as the 1930's, though is rarely used.

Apparently, Turophile is also the name of a rock alternative band from Toledo Ohio, curiosly enough. Check out their organized noise on MySpace and Facebook. Their record label: Wisconsin's Finest.