Mushroom and Prosciutto Pasta

This is a lovely pasta dish that I discovered while watching some TV show, and it wasn't a cooking program. I don't remember the name or the context, but some guy was waiting for some girl to come home and he was trying to say sorry for a fight or something.

I have no clue. It was just something I came across while flicking channels.

What caught my attention (and I secretly hope it caught her attention too) was the pasta dish that he placed on the well laid table when she entered the door. I immediately put down the remote and tried to make out what was on that plate of penne and penitence, despite the director's inconsideration for the hungry few viewers out there.

From what I could make out, there were mushrooms and what might have been prosciutto, and a creamy sauce. I may not have known what they had been fighting about, I may never know whether they made up or not, but I knew at that moment I needed to eat that pasta dish. Penne, Mushrooms, Prosciutto and cream ...

This is an extremely easy and delicious pasta to make. For two people you will need:

• 3-4 medium brown mushrooms*
• About two strips of prosciutto*
• Three tablespoons of Crème Fraîche
• One clove of garlic
• A tablespoon of butter
• Some grated parmesan
• Penne or other small pasta

Start by preparing your pasta, the sauce takes far less time than boiling pasta. Set the water to boil, then begin slicing up your mushrooms. Don't make them too thin, or they will just become floppy.

Next, chop up your garlic. If you are using garlic powder, you will need about one teaspoon.

Once your water is boiling, toss your pasta in the pot. It should take 8-10 minutes, which is perfect time to make the sauce and have everything ready at the same moment.

To start the sauce, add your butter to a hot pan.

Add your garlic to the butter and let it roast for a few minutes, then add your mushrooms and toss them around so that they are well coated in butter and garlic. Let them cook for about five minutes, undisturbed.

 While the mushrooms are cooking, you can cut your prosciutto. Basically, we want it to be small and easy to bite into without having to cut or tear pieces on the plate. Sometimes I just roll up my prosciutto and go at it with a pair of scissors, but a knife and cutting board works just as well.

Once your mushrooms are tender, we are going to wrap up the sauce very quickly. We don't want the prosciutto to overcook, so just before your pasta is done (taste it and it should be quite firm in the center by soft on the outside, signifying another one to two minutes of cooking), add the prosciutto to the mushrooms and get them nicely mixed around.

Finally, add the crème frâiche and a teaspoon of grated parmesan, and mix everything well. Let the mushrooms and prosciutto sit in the  crème frâiche for a few minutes while you drain your pasta. Make sure your pasta is well drained, and then add it directly to the pan with the sauce and mix everything together. You can add some salt and papper to taste if you  like, but be careful with the salt. Taste first ... the prosciutto is going to contribute quite a lot to the saltiness of the dish already.

Finally, plate and serve with some freshly grated parmesan. Good to go!

See, I was really not exaggerating about how easy it is; the most difficult part is cutting prosciutto. And it takes as long to make the sauce as it take you to cook the pasta. What more could you ask for?

*Tip: Don't throw away your unused mushrooms or prosciutto, refer to our "Let's not waste anything!" page, and check out few ideas on how to use them.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki

Portobello Avocado Burgers

Here is something new and exciting to try out during your summer bbq, not only is it a refreshing change from the usual beef burger with ketchup, it is healthier and lighter so it won't give you that bloated uncomfortable feeling.
(Note: If you still want that bloated, uncomfortable feeling, try eating two.)

Oh yeah, and I don't have a grill, so I have used a grill-pan. If you would like to buy me a grill, I will dedicate a new summer grill recipe in your name. Promise. 

For each burger, you will need:

• One Portobello Mushroom*
• Half an avocado
• Two strips of bacon (totally optional)
• A slice of your favorite cheese
• Pickles/Gherkins to taste
• Oh yeah, buns.

I start off by grilling the bacon. I like bacon, you don't have to. I personally think it adds a nice, salty and crisp texture to the burger. But, if you don't want to use bacon, you can substitute it with a grilled onion or fried onion rings. If my bacon looks strange, it is because it is British bacon, if you can get your hands on some good American bacon, I highly recommend that.

While that bacon crisps up, slice up your avocado. I left the skin on just for easy handling, I will naturally be removing it later.

In the same grill-pan, I'm going to now grill my portobellos (I'm making two burgers). Grill each side for about five minutes, and if you previously grilled your bacon in this pan, add some of the bacon grease and leftover bits on the 'shroom.

About five minutes, then flip.

If you want cheese on your burger, add it just at the end, so it starts to melt but doesn't become a sticky, slimy mess. 

We are now ready to assemble the burgers.

About assembling and layering a burger or sandwich:

Now, I think the specific layering is important as it can affect the taste and messiness that ensues from biting into a burger. In fact, I often notice that the different between a good burger place and a great burger place is the attention they pay to layering burgers, especially when they have a lot of various ingredients. 

For instance, I place the bacon on the bottom, rather than the more common approach of putting it on top. The reason is that the bacon is generally the crispiest or firmest thing on a burger. And if it is at the top of a burger, then when you bite down on that bacon you will be putting a lot of pressure on the softer elements below the bacon. This creates a squishy mess. However, the bacon at the bottom means it is the last thing your teeth sink into, your top teeth have already gone through the softer stuff on top, and your bottom teeth have separated the bottom half of the bun. 

The next bit is the portobello. Whether you had cheese on it or not, you can add another layer now.

Next, some pickles!

And the sliced avocado.

Finally, topped with the other half of the bun, its ready! You'll notice I didn't even use any type of sauce; I think there are enough flavours here that you don't need an additional sauce.

I served it with some healthy, sun-cooked chips (or crisps if you like).

*Tip: Don't throw away your portobello mushrooms, refer to our "Let's not waste anything!" page, and check out few ideas on how to use your portobello mushrooms.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki

Mushroom Risotto

Risotto with portobello and parmigiano reggiano ... try staying that three times really fast. Its fun! But you know what is more fun, and more productive? Cooking it.

Risotto is one of those dishes that is famous for being unique to each chef; few follow any prescribed recipe, and neither should you. Take this as a simple guide on the overall steps but feel free to experiment around. I'm creating a basic mushroom risotto with portobello, because that is what I found in my local grocery store. Hopefully you live in a place with a better selection of groceries than that.

If you want to pluck some wild mushrooms for the risotto, then do so at your risk. I take no responsibility for any pink elephants that trample through your kitchen and eat your coconut tree sculpture.

For this recipe (for two people) you will need:

• 4 medium sized portobellos*
• 2 small shallots
• 2 small cloves of garlic (or one large)
• 150 grams of Arborio Rice
• Roughly half a cup of white wine
• 500 milliters of chicken broth (vegetable broth works fine too), kept warm in a pan
• 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche
• Some thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil.

And about 45 minutes in the kitchen, start to finish. Risotto is famously involved, so expect to be well occupied most of those 45 minutes.

Start with slicing your mushrooms up; I left mine large entirely for no reason, dice yours if you want to.

Then chop up your shallots and garlic.

Heat up a skillet on medium heat and add a slab of butter, let it melt a bit.

Then add the shallots and garlic.

Let the shallots and garlic roast in the butter.

And then add your chopped mushrooms and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper.

Mix them around well in the butter, get the mushrooms coated in the garlic and shallots.

Let the mushrooms cook for about 10 minutes until they are soft.

Then take them out of the pan and plate them for now.

Add a bit of olive oil to the pan, then add the Arborio rice and some thyme and rosemary into the pan, along with a pinch more salt and pepper.

Pour the wine in to deglaze the pan.

Let it all sizzle until the wine evaporates and the risotto thickens.

Now its time to start with the broth. The idea here is to add a bit of broth at a time; just enough to barely cover the rice.

And you have to keep stirring the rice, don't let it just sit in the broth. Keep stirring until you can separate the rice and it doesn't come back together. This is where risotto is a very involved dish; you can't set it up and walk away, then come back 10 minutes later. Stay on top of it, keep stirring the rice so that it cooks nice and evenly, and the stirring actually causes the rice to release starch, which is what gives risotto its creamy texture.

Now add a little more broth, again just enough to cover the rice.

And basically, repeat this process for about 10 to 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, just taste some of the rice to check if it is cooked al dente; the rice will be firm, but chewable. Once it is at this stage, keep stirring and don't add any more broth; just let the broth get absorbed into the rice, but don't let the rice dry out completely.

We can stop the cooking process now to ensure the rice does not cook itself into mush by turning off the heat and adding some crème fraîche.

Mix the crème fraîche in and then add your mushrooms back into the pan. Remember to pour back any butter than was on the plate with the mushrooms; this has the lovely flavours of garlic and shallots!

Mix the mushrooms into the rice, and your risotto is ready to serve!

For serving purposes, I sliced my parmesan instead of grating it.

And finally; serve the risotto in a plate or pasta bowl and top it with parmesan.

*Tip: Don't throw away your (portobello) mushrooms, refer to our "Let's not waste anything!" page, and check out few ideas on how to use your mushrooms.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki