October 8, 2008

An all-male cooking show was the highlight of AMC’s October, meeting. Keith Byrom, Greg Carter, Arnie Cremer, Steve Peek and George Lowe, were the stars of this spirited, informative, and tasty program. They met the challenge given to the AMC men in 2007 by Sheila Dunn, moderator of that year’s all-women cooking demonstrations. At the end of the evening Sheila congratulated the presenters for matching the gals’ creativity and skill in preparing delicious mushroom dishes. But factor in the fun and the guys surpassed!

Here are two of the recipes from the 2008 cooking program.

Steve Peek’s Mushroom Soup

Sautee until tender in 1/4 pound of butter:
-6 shallots and 1 medium red onion, diced
-2 quarts rehydrated (in warm water) dried morels, drained and chopped
Add the mixture to:
-6 quarts simmering chicken stock
Bring to a boil and add:
-2 pounds processed American cheese (cut into cubes and add a bit at a time so
that it melts into the stock).

Add salt and pepper to taste. Grate on top of the soup: 1/3 to ½ of a whole nutmeg. Add a large splash of sherry. Stir and serve.

Note from Steve:
Two of the 6 quarts of stock were my homemade stock from a smoked turkey carcass, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and thyme, covered with water and simmered for 8 hours and strained. I’ve made this soup with oyster mushrooms and hen of the woods, but morels are the best. The recipe is based on an original by Teresa Oursler (prior president and joint founder of AMC).

George Lowe’s Mushroom Strudel

Ingredients:
-2 T. butter
-1/2 c. minced shallots/onion
-3 garlic cloves peeled, minced
-4 lb. fresh mushrooms, rinsed (any tough stems trimmed) and sliced (cremini, shiitake, porcini, or common, or a mixture)
-2 T. sherry or red wine vinegar
-2 t. fresh thyme leaves
-1 c. shredded manchego or Parmesan cheese (4 oz)
-4 T. chopped parsley
-1/4 t. salt to taste
-1/8 t. black pepper to taste
-6 sheets filo dough (about 12" by 18") thawed overnight in the refrigerator
-1/4 c. butter, melted

Method:
Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat; when hot, add half of the shallots and garlic and stir until shallots are limp, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add half of the mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to brown and any liquid is evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes. Add half of the vinegar and thyme; cook, stirring often, to blend flavors, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Pour into a bowl.

Repeat to cook remaining mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and seasonings; add to the bowl. Let cool to room temperature, about 25 minutes. Stir cheese and parsley into mushroom mixture; add salt and pepper to taste.

On a 12- by 24-inch piece of plastic wrap, lay one filo sheet flat (cover the remaining filo with plastic wrap to prevent drying) and brush lightly with melted butter. Top with another filo sheet and brush lightly with more butter. Repeat this process to stack all six sheets.
Spread mushroom mixture in a 3-inch band along one long side of dough, 2 inches in from the edge and the sides. Fold long edge and the ends of dough over filling. Gently lift plastic wrap under filled side of dough and guide it forward to form a compact roll, ending with seam down.

Gently transfer roll, seam down, to a buttered 14 by 17-inch baking sheet. Brush top with more melted butter; save any remaining for other uses.

Bake on the center rack in a 375 degrees regular or convection oven until golden brown all over, 45 to 55 minutes. Serve warm; cut into 1 1/2-inch slices.

This recipe yields 6 strudels.