After a month of limited cooking, it felt good to make my shopping list, grab my reusable canvas bags like a true Park Sloper, and head out to the market for the ingredients for a mushroom ragu. My first recipe of 2010 is not a complicated one, but it is a satisfying, simple dish that reheats well the next day. It can also be doubled (or tripled) to serve as a layer in a vegetarian lasagna.

Before I get to the recipe though, I want to do a quick follow-up on my New Years resolutions. I admit I have not brought my lunch to work this week and I have not written in my journal since Monday. However, I’ve made dinner four nights and I made an appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed. (Can you hear the joy in my prose?) If you have any suggestions for good post-wisdom tooth removal recipes, I’d love to hear them. Now, on to the recipe.

Mushroom Ragu
Makes 2 sizable servings
-8 oz white or cremini mushrooms (or a mix of both), cut into 8ths
-1 small yellow onion, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 12oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
-1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
-2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
-2 tbs. olive oil
-Dash of cinnamon
-Dash of sugar
-Salt and pepper to taste

1) Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring often. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.

2) Add the diced tomatoes, thyme, sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and then add the chicken broth. Simmer for 8-10 minutes over medium heat, or until most of the broth has evaporated and the sauce has thickened. Taste and season as desired.

3) Serve over pasta with a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan.

I’ve decided to challenge myself by creating a dish every few weeks that requires five ingredients or less (not counting salt, pepper, and olive oil). It tends to save time, and as we continue to slog through these tough economic times, recipes with sprawling ingredient lists are becoming much less appealing. 

The first installment in this series is mushroom tacos. They are a satisfying and quick meal, especially when paired with some Spanish rice (not counted in list of five ingredients).

Mo’s Mushroom Tacos
-3 cups chopped button mushrooms
-1 chopped medium yellow onion
-3 tbs. chopped cilantro (or more to taste)
-Your favorite brand of salsa verde (or homemade if you have some tomatillos kicking around the kitchen)
-Soft flour or corn tortillas
-Olive oil, salt, and pepper 

1.  Heat 2 tbs. of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent, keeping a close eye on it and stirring often to keep it from burning. Turn down heat if necessary.

2. Add chopped mushrooms and an additional tbs. olive oil. Stir often and cook the mushrooms until they are an even light brown and are tender. 

3. Add cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste and cook for an additional 1.5 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Grab a tortilla, add a line of salsa verde, and place the mushroom mixture on top. Serve.

Roasted Tomato Linguine for Two
-1/2 lb linguine
-8 medium tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup diced Kalamata olives
-2 tbs olive oil
-Salt
-Fresh pepper

1) Pre-heat the oven to 400°

2) Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place halved tomatoes on it, seed side up. Drizzle with olive oil and use hands to make sure tomatoes are fully coated (seed and skin sides). Add a few pinches of salt and freshly ground pepper and place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until tops of the tomatoes begin to slightly brown.
Alternative: If you have the time and want to slow roast the tomatoes, follow steps above, but roast at 250° for three hours. I’m impatient when it comes to my tomato roasting.

3) Once the tomatoes are in the oven, put a pot of water on to boil and cook linguine according to package directions. Make sure to add salt to the water and save a cup of the pasta water before draining.

4) When tomatoes and linguine are done, mix them together in a large bowl, quickly adding the Parmesan cheese to let it melt, and then add the chopped Kalamata olives and minced garlic. If additional liquid is required, add a splash of the pasta water.

5) Serve immediately and save leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to three days.