Mushroom Casserole

Ingredients

Mushrooms 1000 g

Mozzarella cheese 200 g

Parmesan cheese 80 g

10% cream 200 g

Rosemary 1 sprig

Red chili pepper 1/2 pc

Garlic 4 cloves

Onion 4 pcs

Olive oil 3 tbsp

Butter 50 g

Salt

Ground black pepper

Pour 2-3 tbsp of olive oil into a saucepan, add finely chopped garlic and crushed chili pepper, and fry for a minute. Add the onion, cut into half rings, and rosemary leaves (from a small sprig). Fry the onion until golden brown.

Add the mushrooms to the saucepan and fry until golden brown. Add the butter, let it melt, and stir.

Transfer the mushrooms to an ovenproof dish, add the sliced mozzarella, pour in the cream, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20-25 minutes. Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese (or another hard cheese) and cook until golden brown.

Serve as a separate dish or with a side dish.

Enjoy!

Polenta with Cheese and Mushrooms

Ingredients

Corn grits 300 g

Milk 1000 ml

Fontina cheese 200 g

Butter 1 tbsp

Egg yolk 2

Mushrooms 400 g

Olive oil 3 tbsp

Garlic 1 clove

Parsley 1 tbsp

Béchamel sauce 1000 ml

Bring the milk to a boil with salt, then gradually add the corn grits. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

One minute before the end of cooking, add the butter, half the grated cheese, egg yolks, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly, and remove from heat.

 Then, take a baking sheet or tray and spread the polenta in a layer no thicker than 2.5 cm. Cool it as quickly as possible.

While the polenta is cooling, fry a clove of garlic (which you then remove from the pan) and the chopped mushroom mix in olive oil. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the parsley toward the end of cooking.

5. Once the polenta has cooled, take a cup or other round container and, brushing the edges with oil, pipe out 8 circles. Place a circle of polenta in the bottom of each of 4 individual ceramic or ovenproof glass molds, then layer them: béchamel, mushrooms, cheese, polenta circle, and then béchamel again, mushrooms, and cheese.

Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the polenta until the cheese is golden brown.

 Serve hot in the same container it was baked in.

Enjoy!

Monastery Porridge with Mushrooms

Ingredients

Brown rice 1/2 cup

Buckwheat 1/2 cup

Barley groats 1/2 cup

Mushrooms 900 g

Onions 2

Carrots 1

Tomatoes 2

Salt to taste

Spices to taste

Olive oil 1 tbsp

Finely chop the onion and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Chop the mushrooms as desired. If using wild mushrooms or any frozen ones, it's best to briefly boil them. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Dice the tomatoes. Mix the onions, mushrooms, carrots, and tomatoes.

Rinse each grain separately. Spread the barley in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Place half of the mushroom and vegetable mixture on top of the barley. Lightly salt and sprinkle with spices. Place rice on top. Spread the remaining mushroom mixture on top. Add more salt and spices.

Lay the buckwheat as the final layer. Lightly salt it. Pour in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the liquid evaporates. Wrap in a thick blanket for 3-5 hours.

Enjoy!

Garlic Potatoes

Ingredients

Potatoes 6

Garlic 4 cloves

Parsley 1 bunch

Olive oil 4 tbsp

Salt

Ground black pepper

Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water until tender. Drain, cool slightly, add salt and pepper, and mash with a potato masher. Wash the parsley, remove the stems, dry, and chop.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the crushed garlic, and fry until golden brown. Remove and discard the garlic, and place the potatoes and parsley in a 25 cm (10 in) frying pan. Press with a fork until the potatoes form a round pie.

 Increase the heat and fry the potatoes until golden brown, then use a plate to flip them over and fry the other side until golden brown.

Place the finished dish on a plate and serve piping hot, cut into portions.

Enjoy!

Risotto with Cream and Bell Pepper

Ingredients

400 g Rice

100 g Butter

2 Bell Peppers

1 Onion

4 Cloves Garlic

1500 ml Vegetable Broth

100 ml Sherry

100 ml 35% Cream

4 Thyme

Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Melt 80 g butter in a deep frying pan and fry the finely chopped onion. The onion should become completely soft and translucent. Add the rice and fry for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the finely chopped garlic, stir, and simmer together with the rice, butter, and onion. Once the garlic has almost completely dissolved into the rice and onion mixture and begins to emit its most distinctive aroma, pour the dry sherry into the pan, stir it in with the rice and vegetables, and, reducing the heat to low, evaporate the alcohol, stirring constantly.

Once the sherry's presence is only hinted at by its aroma, pour a third of the broth into the pan, stir the contents to penetrate all the most secret corners, and simmer the rice over low heat, adding more broth as it evaporates.

In the remaining butter, fry the finely chopped peppers, seeded and peeled, until they are soft and begin to smell toasted.

Pour the peppers into the pan with the half-cooked risotto, season with salt and pepper, stir, add more broth, and continue the same simmering process—stirring and adding more broth.

 When the rice is almost cooked, stir in the cream. Turn off the heat and continue stirring for about another minute to achieve a creamy risotto.

Serve garnished with thyme leaves.

Enjoy!

Pilaf with Dried Fruits

Ingredients

Rice 2 cups

Carrots 2

Onions 1

Vegetable oil 3/4 cup

Raisins 3 tbsp

Prunes 10

Salt

Water

Spices

Saffron

Soak the rice in warm, salted water for 1 hour. This is essential, as the rice will be fluffy and not mushy.

Heat a cauldron or heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Pour in the vegetable oil. Add the chopped onion and fry for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add the thinly sliced onion and fry, stirring, until the carrots are tender.

Season with salt, pepper, and saffron or a pilaf spice mix (optional if you don't like it). Add the washed dried fruit. For those who love dried apricots, you can also add them to the pilaf. Mix everything well.

Pour thoroughly washed rice into the cauldron. Season with salt. Cover the rice with water (1.5-2 fingers above the rice). Cook over high heat until the water evaporates. Then, make a mound of rice in the center, insert 1/2 head of garlic (unpeeled) into the mound, cover the cauldron, and reduce the heat to low. Cook the pilaf until done (15-20 minutes).

Enjoy!

Lasagna with mushrooms and nuts

Ingredients

Lasagna sheets 9

Mushrooms 400 g

Spinach 150 g

Fresh basil 1/2 bunch

Garlic 2 cloves

Butter 2 tbsp

Salt 1 tsp

Honey 1 tsp

For the cheese sauce:

Butter 2 tbsp

Flour 75 ml

Milk 800 ml

Fresh basil 1/2 bunch

Philadelphia cheese 200 g

Parmesan cheese 100 g

Pesto sauce 45 g

Salt 1 tsp

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Prepare the mushroom filling: Clean and chop the mushrooms. Remove the spinach from the freezer to thaw. Chop the basil and walnuts. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms, spinach, and garlic for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated. Add the basil, walnuts, salt, and honey, and remove the pan from the heat.

Melt the butter in a saucepan to make the cheese sauce. Then add the flour, stir thoroughly, bring the sauce to a simmer, and gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook the sauce until it thickens. Chop the basil and add it to the sauce along with the other ingredients. Cook the sauce briefly until the cheese has melted.

Grease a baking dish with butter. Pour the cheese sauce as the first layer. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Then add the cheese sauce and mushroom filling. Repeat the layers. Make the top layer of cheese sauce.

Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes. If desired, cover the dish with foil at the end of cooking to prevent the surface from drying out.

Enjoy!