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.

“…and after all of the broth was absorbed, the rice was still raw!”
“…but then I stirred the rice to find the bottom was COMPLETELY BURNED.”
“…by the time I was done, I had finished the rest of the bottle of wine and just fell asleep.” 

(That last one is a lie, but still, a possible mistake while making this dish.)

I consulted a number of different sites and a few of my cookbooks to put together what would be my first attempt at the dish this afternoon. The result was a Risotto with Thyme Chicken and Mushrooms. You can embellish risotto with just about anything, use vegetable broth for a vegan or vegetarian option, or even sweeten it for dessert. Here’s the recipe.

Risotto with Thyme Chicken and Mushrooms for Two
-6 cups chicken broth (homemade or low sodium pre-made)
-1 medium chicken breast
-1 tbs. olive oil
-1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
-2 portobello mushroom caps (the ideal is porcini mushrooms, but I couldn’t track any down today and didn’t want to hike into Manhattan)
-The leaves of 4 fresh thyme sprigs (about 2 tsp.) 
-1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
-3 tbs. unsalted butter
-1 1/2 cups Aborio rice
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
-Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 

1) Mushrooms: To avoid having to multi-task while stirring rice later, I recommend preparing the mushrooms before beginning the risotto. Chop the mushrooms into almost bite-sized pieces (they will shrink when cooked). Heat a saucepan over medium heat and then add the 1 tbs. olive oil. Once heated, add mushrooms and stir often. After a minute, add balsamic vinegar and continue cooking until mushrooms are slightly browned. Place in a bowl, cover, and set aside. 

2) Chicken: Salt and pepper chicken breast on both sides. In a small pan over medium heat, melt 1 tbs. butter. Once melted, add 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, stir, and let simmer with the butter for about 30 seconds. Add chicken breast and cook over medium-low heat, about 6-8 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. When done, cut into pieces about the size of the mushrooms. 

3) In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil and then reduce heat to low, keeping it at a gentle simmer. This is to ensure the broth is close to the temperature of the rice as you add it later. 

4) While the broth is heating, melt 2 tbs. butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add shallot, stirring often until translucent. Increase heat and cook shallot until slightly browned, but not burned. 

5) Add rice and continuously stir until it becomes almost opaque, taking care not to brown or burn it, about 4 minutes. 

6) Add 1/3 cup of the white wine and stir until absorbed completely by the rice. Then, add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and stir often until absorbed. Continue to add chicken broth in 1/2 cup increments, waiting until it is completely absorbed before adding the next batch and stirring often. Try the rice occasionally and once it reaches a tender, but slightly firm texture in the center, it’s ready (this will take around 20 minutes of so). It will have an overall creamy consistency. 

7) Add the last bit of wine, lemon zest, thyme and stir, cooking for another minute or two until the wine is absorbed. 

8 ) Lower the heat and add the cheese, stirring until fully incorporated. Add the mushroom (reserving a few pieces for plating) and chicken and stir until warmed. 

9) Finally, add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve in bowls topped with an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese and remaining mushrooms.

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.