Wild Mushroom Cartoccio Recipes

WILD MUSHROOM CARTOCCIO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F for 30 minutes (425 degrees F for convection ovens). Lay a large piece of parchment paper atop a large piece of aluminum foil. (The dimensions should be about 24" long by 16" wide.) Spread the softened butter on the parchment, making sure to leave a 1½-inch border, and set aside. Combine the spring onions, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, and mushrooms in a bowl. Add the olive oil, a pinch of lemon zest, and toss well. Season with the salt and toss again.
• Spread the mushroom mixture out evenly over one side of the parchment-foil. Fold the other half of the foil and parchment over the mixture. (You may need to remove some excess mixture if it is too crowded and make a second cartoccio.) Starting on one end, crimp the edges closed, folding over in pleats. Leave a 2-inch gap on the other end and add the stock through that hole. Make sure the stock is poured evenly so that you will be able to seal the cartoccio. Seal the cartoccio by folding/crimping; if it is not sealed properly, it won't expand. It should look like a half moon, with the foil on top and the parchment in the center enclosing the mushrooms. Place the cartoccio on a flat baking sheet or in a gratin dish and place it in the oven for 15 minutes if using a convection oven, 20 minutes if using a conventional oven. The cartoccio should expand and look like a small Zeppelin.
• Remove the bag from the oven and cut it open using kitchen scissors or chef's knife (be careful to avoid being burned by the hot steam). Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and lemon juice to taste. Plate the mushrooms, pour the jus on top, and serve alongside bread, pasta, fish, or on its own.

MUSHROOM CARPACCIO

Steps:

• Using a mandoline slicer or very sharp knife, slice the mushrooms as thinly as possible and arrange them in a single layer on a large serving platter. Scatter the arugula evenly over the top.
• Just before serving, squeeze the juice of the lemon over the arugula and very lightly drizzle with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and using a vegetable peeler, shave thin strips of Parmesan evenly over the top. Serve immediately.

PORCINI MUSHROOMS WITH BEANS 'AL CARTOCCIO'

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. (160 degrees C.).
• Place the beans in a large saucepan with plenty of water and allow to simmer for 2 hours along with the peeled tomatoes, sage, rosemary, garlic, pepper and chili powder. Add salt once the beans are cooked.
• Gently wash the mushroom caps with running water, protecting them with your hands so as to prevent them absorbing too much of the water.
• Place the mushrooms on a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking tray. Slice the garlic and gently insert each piece into the mushroom caps. Sprinkle the chopped nipitella over the mushrooms and add salt, pepper and a generous dash of olive oil.
• Wrap the mushrooms in the aluminum foil, carefully ensuring all the edges are sealed and place on a baking tray in a shallow bath of water. This is now ready to be cooked 'bain marie' style for 20 minutes.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked, assemble them onto a plate with two large tablespoons of the cooked beans and some small shavings of crusty bread. Drizzle with olive oil and serve the dish piping hot.

HALIBUT IN CARTOCCIO

Steps:

• Fold 4 (9 by 13-inch) pieces of parchment paper in half and starting at the top of the fold, cut a large half circle from the paper. When the fold is opened it should be a full circle. It is okay if it is not a perfect circle-a heart shape is even better. Reserve.
• In a bowl combine the zucchini, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and leeks. Toss generously with olive oil and season with the thyme leaves and salt. Oil and salt the halibut as well.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Open the parchment paper circles (or hearts) and brush the paper with olive oil leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.
• Divide the seasoned vegetables between the 4 papers, placing them in the center just above the crease. Lay the fish fillets on top of the vegetables and place a lemon slice on top of each fish fillet. Fold the paper over the fish. Working from 1 end of the parchment to the other fold the bottom of the paper over the top to crease and seal the packets. The closure needs to be very secure so the steam will not escape during the cooking process. Before the package is completely sealed, carefully add 1/2 cup wine in each then seal. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the oven, place on serving dishes and serve immediately. Have each diner slice open their own parchment package so they can get the full effect of the burst of aromatic steam that will be released from the package.

WILD MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Make the tart dough: Put the 2 cups flour and salt in the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don't have one, you can prepare the dough by hand.) With the mixer set on low speed, work half of the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add remaining butter cubes and ice water, and mix just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very soft, studded with butter chunks and a bit sticky - this is correct.
• You should have 550 grams/20 ounces of dough. Divide into 2 (275-gram/10-ounce) balls. Dust each with a little flour and press into a disk about 1-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Dust the work surface with flour. Press one disk into a rough square, then roll it into a 6-by-12-inch sheet. Fold the sheet in half, making a 6-inch square. Dust with flour lightly, as necessary, and roll the square into a 6-by-12-inch sheet again, then fold in half to make a 6-inch square. Finally, roll dough into a 6-by-18-inch sheet, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate, wrapped, for 30 minutes to keep dough from shrinking when baked, or freeze. (Roll out the rest of the dough at your leisure, then freeze for the future, or refrigerate and use within 2 days.)
• Make the filling: Set a wide skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is wavy, add onions. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove onions and set aside.
• In the same pan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms (and a little more oil if necessary). Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and red-pepper flakes (if using), stir well and turn off heat. Combine mushrooms and onions, set aside and let cool to room temperature. (Filling can be made several hours in advance and left at room temperature, if desired.)
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Using a small rubber spatula, spread crème fraîche over the pastry sheet, leaving a 1-inch border. Distribute onion-mushroom mixture evenly over the crème fraîche. Dust with Parmesan and fold pastry edges up, pinching at the corners to form a low rim. Bake until pastry is crisp and golden and top of mixture is lightly browned, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Slide baked tart onto a cutting board and pull away the parchment. Let tart cool slightly before cutting. Sprinkle with parsley and cut tart crosswise into wide slices (or, if preferred, into wedges). Serve warm.

FARRO WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm water; soak until mushrooms are reconstituted, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and chop mushrooms.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Saute brown mushrooms with a pinch of salt in hot oil until slightly golden and moisture cooks off, 5 to 10 minutes. Add chopped porcini mushrooms, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir until hot, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Stir onion into mushrooms; cook and stir until translucent and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Pour farro into mushroom mixture; stir until farro is coated in olive oil. Increase heat to high and add 1 cup chicken broth with a pinch of salt to mushroom mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer, stirring once, until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and stir remaining chicken broth into farro mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until farro is starting to get tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and continue simmering uncovered until farro reaches desired tenderness, about 15 minutes more.
• Reduce heat to low; stir creme fraiche and parsley into farro mixture. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into farro and ladle into bowls.

WILD MUSHROOM STEW

Steps:

• Put a clay pot into a cold oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat oil in a wok until shimmering. Add beech, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms. Cook and stir until mushrooms soften and volume is reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and salt. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and transfer mushroom mixture to the preheated clay pot.
• Turn the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and bake the mushrooms for 10 minutes.
• Stir water and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Remove mushrooms from the oven, add cornstarch mixture, and stir everything evenly. Cover, increase oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Stir in bell pepper, green onions, and white pepper. Bake for 5 minutes and serve.

SAUTéED WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Clean the mushrooms of excess dirt using a small brush. If you need to wash them under cold water, do it quickly as mushrooms act like sponges and will soak up the water.
• Melt the butter until foaming. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and fry for 1-2 mins - try to keep the shape as this all adds to the presentation. Season and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and the parsley.

BAKED WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a large cast-iron or saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, leek, onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes until tender and slightly brown.
• Add the rice and cook until the kernels are well coated with the oil and mushrooms, about 2 minutes. Add wine, balsamic vinegar, broth and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil and then remove from heat. Transfer the mixture to a deep 9x13-inch baking dish. Wrap the top tightly with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Bake for 30 minutes until the rice is tender but al dente.
• Remove baking dish from oven and add the Parmesan and sage. Stir, adjust seasoning if necessary and serve immediately.

WILD MUSHROOM CROSTINI

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine dried porcini and 1 1/2 cups hot water. Let sit until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from soaking liquid. Carefully pour off liquid, leaving sediment in bowl; reserve liquid. Coarsely chop porcini.
• Chop together garlic, parsley, and salt.
• Make crostini by grilling or toasting bread under broiler. Brush lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium-low heat. Add porcini, shallots, and thyme, and cook, stirring often, until shallots wilt, about 10 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Add wine, and cook over medium-high heat until liquid is almost completely reduced, 5 to 7 minutes. Add reserved porcini liquid, and cook until almost completely reduced again, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.
• Rinse skillet, dry, and return to high heat. Starting with the firmest, cook wild mushrooms in two batches using a tablespoon of butter and oil for each batch. Season well with salt and pepper, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are nearly tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Keep in a large bowl while second batch cooks.
• Return all the mushrooms to the pan. Add porcini and parsley mixtures. Cook over medium-high heat until garlic gives off an aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasonings, and remove pan from heat.
• Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and serve with crostini, or spoon a bit of the mushroom mixture on each slice of crostini and arrange on a plate.