Friday Bites: Mushroom Lasagne

Here's a rare treat for you - a pasta recipe! You might remember that I'm really not the biggest fan of pasta and tend to only cook it for my husband who is not as fussy as I am. Although tasty, I must admit that even this dish was mainly demolished by him and not me. Regardless, I wanted to try making a dairy-free (and vegan) lasagne and this turned out surprisingly well.

 

The trick is to use a lot of mushrooms for a hearty result. You could even use more than I did, up to, say 700 grams. Add flavour with capers, olives, sundried tomatoes and (dried or fresh) herbs and use wholemeal lasagne sheets for a nuttier flavour.

 

 

Mushroom Lasagne

(serves 4-6)

olive oil for the pan

1 onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, grated 

3 small carrots, finely diced

500g mixed mushrooms (button, shiitake, portobello), sliced

2 tins diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons French capers
olives, sundried tomatoes, optional

salt, pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon paprika

grated nutmeg
fresh or dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano), optional

300-500ml vegetable stock

300g silken firm tofu

pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons plain flour

100-150ml cold water

wholemeal lasagne sheets

1. Heat oil in a large pan and add onion, garlic and carrots. Cook for a few minutes, then add mushrooms. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes and add rest of the ingredients. Leave to simmer on low heat for about half an hour.


2. Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium sized pot. Use a hand blender to blend in the tofu. Season with pepper. Whisk flour with cold water and stir into the stock. Stir until the sauce thickens, then remove from the heat.

3. Preheat oven to 200C and grease a baking dish with olive oil.

4. To assemble the lasagne, spoon some of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of lasagne sheets, then some of the white sauce, tomato sauce and more lasagne sheets. Continue for a few layers. Finish off with a layer of white sauce and tomato sauce. Bake for 40-45 minutes and leave to cool for at least half an hour before serving.

Chestnut and Mushroom Sauce with Rye Tagliatelle

I did promise you more chestnuts recipes so here goes! Chestnuts and mushrooms are simply made for each other and this sauce, served with earthy rye tagliatelle, is a perfect autumn dish to savour. I know you might think that chestnuts are just too much work with all the peeling and whatnot. But that's exactly why this particular dish is such a winner - you can simply cut the roasted chestnuts in half and spoon out the flesh, so there's no peeling needed!

Crumbly chestnuts are perfect for the sauce and they bring incredible sweetness to the dish. If you're able to find wild (fresh or dried) mushrooms, I do recommend using them for a stronger flavour, but plain button or brown mushrooms work fine as well. I managed to sneak in some extra vegetables in the sauce, just a stalk of celery and some kale, but you could add onion, carrot, even spinach.

 

Chestnut and Mushroom Sauce with Rye Tagliatelle

(Serves 2-4)

700-1000g chestnuts

150g oyster mushrooms (or wild mushrooms of your choice)

150g brown mushrooms (or other mushrooms of your choice)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 celery stalk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh)

1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 sprig of fresh)

250ml vegetable stock

4 kale leaves, roughly chopped

fresh parsley, to serve

rye tagliatelle, to serve*

* if you can't find rye tagliatelle, try wholegrain spelt pasta instead. In Australia Natural Pulse makes excellent 100% rye (and vegan!) pasta.  

1. Preheat oven to 200C. 

2. Wash the chestnuts and cut a cross-section on each chestnut. Spread the chestnuts on a roasting tray and roast for about 20 minutes. 

3. Cut the chestnuts in half and scoop out the flesh. Chop the mushrooms into thin strips and finely chop the celery.

4. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add garlic and celery and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for a further few minutes. Add herbs, chestnuts and vegetable stock and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes. This will give you a fairly thick sauce, but add more vegetable stock if you want it to be thinner. Finally fold in the kale and let them heat through.

5. Cook the pasta for 5-7 minutes or until al dente. Serve with the chestnut and mushroom sauce and sprinkle with some fresh parsley.

Spelt linguine and zucchini with walnut pesto

The first months of this year have been characterised by new projects and changes. I almost feel like at times I've dived straight in without knowing what is expecting me underneath. Although it's always frightening to step out of your comfort zone, it is important to do your best and at least give new things a go. I am inspired and motivated to work on projects I am passionate about and it is satisfying to see some sort of progress.

I guess the same thing goes for cooking and experimenting new recipes in the kitchen. You never know if your recipe idea will work or not if you don't give it a go. Sometimes they don't work, and believe me there are quite a few of those dishes that never make it to this blog, but at least I've tried and I can then move on.

I've been wanting to make this walnut pesto pasta for a while now and the recipe has changed somewhat from what my initial idea was. Nevertheless I was happy to see (and taste) the outcome and although it may not be the prettiest bowl of pasta you've seen, it was still tasty. So why not give it a go?

Spelt linguine and zucchini with walnut pesto

(serves 2)

200g spelt linguine

2 zucchinis

{walnut pesto}

1 cup raw walnuts

zest and juice of one lemon

small bunch of flat-leaf parsley

a couple of sprigs of fresh oregano

1 tbsp smooth, low-fat ricotta

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp walnut oil

pinch of salt

flat-leaf parsley, to serve

lemon wedges, to serve

Start by making the pesto. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add water if too thick. Set aside.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchinis into long, thin strips. 

Boil water in a large saucepan. Add the linguine and cook for a few minutes or until al dente. Before draining, save a cup of the boiling water for later. Drain and return the past into the saucepan. Add pesto and mix through. If the mixture is too thick, dilute with some of the pasta water you've saved. Add zucchini strips and fold them gently into the pasta. Serve sprinkled with extra parsley and lemon wedges.

Roasted fennel and pear with spelt linguine

Happy Monday! I am feeling full of energy and inspiration today and I hope you feel the same! You might hate me for saying this, but Mondays have never been an enemy of mine - I am always excited to start a new week. What makes this week even more exciting is that the first one of my new projects went live during the weekend and another one is to follow within the next couple of days. 

In this project I will be posting recipes for my new Finnish blog called "Marian lautasella" (meaning "On Maria's plate) and for those who can read Finnish or are otherwise curious to see what I'm up to, you can check this website at http://www.pirkka.fi/ruoka/marian_lautasella. Needless to say I'm very excited!

The best thing about these new projects is that I will get to plan, create and test new recipes every day. I love the whole process of it - sourcing the ingredients, tasting and brainstorming, cooking and testing, and of course styling, photographing and finally writing. It is what makes me thrive, gives me energy and makes me so happy. I hope you can share this enthusiasm with me and I hope you are all doing what you enjoy the most!

 

Roasted fennel and pear with spelt linguine

(Serves 2)

1 small fennel, cut into wedges

2 Corella pears, cut into wedges

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp raw honey

1 tbsp orange juice

170g spelt linguine

1 tbsp orange zest

1 tbsp orange juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sherry vinegar

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, to serve

orange wedges, to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Place the fennel and the pear in an oven dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic, honey and orange juice. Pour the dressing over the fennel and the pear and place in the oven. After the first 15 minutes, spoon the liquid over the vegetables and continue to cook until just tender (about 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Cook the linguine 'al dente' for 5-8 minutes in salted, rapidly boiling water. Drain and place back into the saucepan. Pour the fennel and the pear over the linguine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the orange zest and juice, olive oil and sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pour the dressing into the saucepan. Season with freshly ground black pepper and toss everything to mix. Plate the dish, sprinkle with thyme and serve with extra orange wedges.

Have a lovely week!

Prawn and Wattleseed Fettuccine

Hello Monday and new week!

We spent the weekend catching up on housework, exercising and enjoying a couple of days off. It was nice to recharge and spend time doing things we enjoy the most. The new week is bringing challenges to cooking (not least because of the rising temperatures here in Sydney), but I don't like to bargain when it comes to eating well.

This prawn and wattleseed fettuccine is a perfect weekday-gourmet dish to brighten up Monday. I picked up the wattleseed fettuccine at the local markets some time ago and been eager to try it out. It's an interesting ingredient to use and looks lovely with tiny dark spots of wattleseed. The taste is not too strong and suits well for this dish. The juicy prawns and the sweet cherry tomatoes are a must, it's like summer on a plate!

Prawn and Wattleseed Fettuccine

(Serves 2)

250g wattleseed fettuccine

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes

4 cup-mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

15 extra large King prawns, cleaned

1 tbsp lemon olive oil

1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper

small bunch flat-leaf parsley

In a large saucepan, bring water to boil. Add a pinch of salt and the fettuccine and cook for about 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the cherry tomatoes and the mushrooms. Sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the sherry vinegar and the prawns. Cook for a further couple of minutes and add lemon olive oil, chives, salt and pepper. Sauté until the prawns are just cooked through, then take off the heat. Place the fettuccine on a large platter and top with the prawns. Sprinkle with parsley.

Black Bean Spaghetti with Roasted Pumpkin, Tomatoes, Spinach and Feta

You may have noticed that I have a thing for trying new ingredients in my cooking and for trying old ingredients in a new way. Sometimes they can be a bit 'alternative' (as you may recall the case of Chocolate Tagliatelle or the Whipped Berry Rye Porridge), and sometimes not so out of the ordinary - just ingredients I haven't experimented before. I also have a thing for re-making old favourites with a healthier twist. This pasta dish is one of those experiments!

I am all for trying different alternatives to ordinary pasta (as I'm not a big fan of it), and there are definitely many options available! To name a few, there's brown rice pasta, gluten-free pasta, quinoa pasta... and black bean pasta! Have you ever tried black bean pasta? I was quite excited to find organic black bean spaghetti in my local super market and couldn't wait to try it out. Turns out it is filled with protein (as you would expect) and it is also really tasty! This will no doubt be my new favourite as a pasta-alternative!

I am so excited about this recipe and it is not hard to guess why. It has so many ingredients I really love: roasted pumpkin, lemon, pine nuts and of course feta cheese which I seem to have a "I will never get tired of eating feta"-relationship with. So next time you go shopping for pasta, have a go at the black bean spaghetti, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Black Bean Spaghetti with Roasted Pumpkin, Tomatoes, Spinach and Feta

300-400g pumpkin, cut into small chunks
1 punnet (200g) cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
dried rosemary

200g black bean spaghetti
pinch of sea salt
1 tbs olive oil

2 big handfuls baby spinach, washed
150g reduced fat feta cheese
a few tablespoons pine nut kernels, toasted

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
100ml extra virgin olive oil
black pepper, extra

Preheat oven to 180C. Place the pumpkin, tomatoes and garlic on a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and rosemary. Toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is just cooked through (you can take the tomatoes out earlier if they look like they're getting too soft). Leave to cool slightly.

Cook the black bean spaghetti according to the packet instructions (6-8 minutes in a boiling water with pinch of sea salt and olive oil). Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the spinach and toss well. Add the pumpkin and the tomatoes and fold to combine.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the olive oil, half of the lemon juice and the lemon zest in a bowl and whisk to combine. Season with black pepper. Drizzle the salad dressing on the dish and fold to combine.
Crumble the feta cheese on top, sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

As I mentioned, I have convinced my partner to have one fully vegetarian dinner a week (hey, it's a start!) I realised I have to come up with some pretty awesome vegetarian meals to convince him further, and THIS is definitely one of those meals. I reckon this vegetarian lasagne could turn the most wholehearted carnivore into a vegetarian!

Lately, I have been truly inspired and touched by a blog called Green Kitchen Stories, which is written by a lovely Swedish-Danish couple David and Luis. As much as their lifestyle is enviable, I think it is also achievable. I believe we can all make better choices in what we eat and how we live our lives, and if only there were more couples like David and Luise, I think this planet would be a much better place!

This recipe is adapted from one of their recipes which they called "World's Greatest Vegetable Lasagna". I am not to argue with that statement as I am convinced it truly was the greatest in the world, but as my recipe is an adapted version of theirs, maybe it is fair to call this "World's Second Greatest Vegetable Lasagna" ;-)

Thank you David & Luise (and the cutest little Elsa!) for the inspiration!


Vegetable Lasagna
(Adapted from the Green Kitchen Stories)

For the Tomato Sauce

2 tbs olive oil
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 big clove garlic, finely chopped
6 medium sized tomatoes, blanched, peeled and cut into chunks
400g canned cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp French capers, chopped
3 tbs Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
pinch of dried sweet basil
freshly ground black pepper

1/2 small butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into thin slices
10 big leaves of English spinach, washed

200g Gluten-free lasagna sheets

300g ricotta (7% fat)
zest of 1 organic lemon
juice of 1/2 organic lemon

100g mozzarella, grated

Start with the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and the garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes (fresh and canned), 100ml water, capers and olives, the sweet basil and black pepper and bring to boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Combine the ricotta and the lemon juice and zest in a bowl.

To assemble, lightly oil an oven dish (I used a round deep oven dish but you could use a rectangular lasanga dish), and place the first layer of lasagna sheets on the bottom. Top with some tomato sauce, 1/2 the pumpkin slices and 1/2 the spinach leaves. Place another layer of lasagne sheets on top, spoon over some tomato sauce, then top with some of the ricotta mixture. Alternate layers of lasagna sheets, tomato sauce, ricotta, pumpkin and spinach so that the last layer will be just lasagna sheets, tomato sauce and ricotta (in other words, place the pumpkin slices and the spinach leaves somewhere in the middle). Top with grated mozzarella and place in a preheated 180C oven for 1 hour. Once done, leave to cool slightly before cutting.

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Creamy pasta with salmon and capers

Bowlful of creamy comfort food with a lovely salty twist provided by beautiful soft French capers. This makes going back to work after a long weekend almost bearable.

Creamy pasta with salmon and capers

400 g salmon file, cubed
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
3 big tbs French capers, chopped
1 wedge of preserved lemon, peel only, finely chopped
150 ml heavy cream
2 big handfuls of pasta, cooked al dente
crushed black pepper

Heat some olive oil and butter in a pan, add onion and cook until translucent. Add salmon and cook for a few minutes. Add capers, preserved lemon and cream and cook for a further few minutes. Add cooked pasta and heat through. Season well with crushed black pepper.

Hedelmäinen broileripastasalaatti

Helmikuu on Sydneyssä usein kostea ja kuuma. Tänään lämpömittari on näyttänyt reilusti yli kolmeakymmentä astetta ja sisälläkin kuumuus on sietämätön. Tämän takia (ja jääkaapissa odottavan pastan jämien) ainoa oikea vaihtoehto perjantai-illan ateriaksi oli broileripastasalaatti tätä Pirkan reseptiä mukaillen.

Hedelmäinen broileripastasalaatti

3-4 dl kypsää pastaa
n. 150 g broilerin maustamattomia rintapaloja
reilu tl curryjauhetta
1 rkl hunajaa
1 punasipuli
1 omena

Kypsennä broileripalat pannulla ja mausta currylla ja hunajalla. Anna jäähtyä ja lisää pastan joukkoon. Viipaloi sipuli hienoksi, kuutio omena ja lisää muiden aineiden sekaan.

Salaatinkastike

1 banaani
kermaviiliä (itse käytin sour cream)
rakuunaa
mustapippuria
merisuolaa

Soseuta banaani ja sekoita mukaan pari desiä kermaviiliä. Mausta rakuunalla, mustapippurilla ja suolalla. Sekoita kastike pastan joukkoon. Anna maustua jääkaapissa ennen tarjoilua.