Mushroom Stuffed Shells with Bechamel

This was delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I finished the half a pan left from dinner around 12 or 1 in the morning. I couldn't help myself, I just kept going back and nuking three at a time, over and over, until they were all gone. The cheese and bechamel are just great together. I've been trying to eat vegetarian at least once or twice a week for health reasons, but I'm not sure if this should count. Fat is flavor and this has plenty of it.

This is a relatively quick recipe to prep and get in the oven, but then you have to wait for it to bake. It was torture. I was starving and kept peaking under the foil to see if the middle was bubbling. Good thing it was worth the wait, I just wish I'd saved a few.

I think the freshly ground nutmeg in the bechamel is very important. The ground nutmeg from a jar just doesn't have the same flavor, especially since many people only use it when they make pies a few times a year. The longer ground spices sit in the jar, the less flavor they have because the essential oils evaporate over time. If you buy whole spices, and grind or grate them yourself, they maintain the oils much longer. Buying whole spices is also MUCH cheaper, especially if you know where to look. I bought a packet of 20 whole nutmeg seeds for $4 at an Indian spice store in Rochester. It would be at least 3 times that amount at my local supermarket.

Mushroom Stuffed Shells with Bechamel

Total Time: approx. 1 1/2 hours

A good amount of your favorite pasta sauce (I used some homemade tomato-basil I had in the freezer)

12 oz. box of jumbo pasta shells

1 medium onion

24 oz. mushrooms of your choice (I recommend button or cremini), chopped roughly to fit in the shells

4 cloves of garlic

Fresh mozzarella

Freshly grated Parmesan

A few lugs of extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Bechamel:

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

4 Tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups milk (whole milk works best, you need some fat)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook the shells according to the box directions but make sure not to overcook. They should be al dente (or even a little less) and will continue cooking in the oven. When they are finished, run cold water over them to stop the cooking. This also makes them easier to handle when you are stuffing them.

While the shells are cooking, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Throw in the chopped mushrooms with the 2 tablespoons of butter and cook until softened. You want them to maintain a little texture so your shells have a little bite. When they are where you want them, add half your pasta sauce. I'm not sure exactly how much sauce I used total (I had a large Tupperware full and used all of it).

Make the bechamel by melting the butter in a pan. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until browned slightly, this will make sure the raw flour taste cooks out. Whisk in the milk and turn the heat up a little. Keep whisking until the bechamel thickens. Pull off the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Make sure you taste the sauce after seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Add a thin layer of pasta sauce to the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Stuff each shell with about a tablespoon of the mushroom-sauce mixture and some grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Place seam side up in the pan and add the bechamel on top of each. I didn't use all of the bechamel, but I should have. What could it hurt? It is delicious. It may look like a lot, but trust me. Finally, add the remaining pasta sauce over the top of the bechamel.

Cover the pan with tinfoil and bake for about 30 minutes. Uncover and let it go for another 10 or so minutes until it browns slightly on top. Plate a few but allow to cool slightly before digging in, they are very hot!

Chicken Cacciatore

I recently bought a nice new dutch oven and have been stewing and braising quite often to justify spending money I didn't have. This recipe looked pretty good to start with but I tweaked it a little. I added the mushrooms and red chili flakes. I got stuck with plain old button mushrooms because the grocery store was strangely out of most of their produce. Must have been all the students coming back to school. I would have liked to use creminis.

I read through the recipe once or twice and then just started throwing things together. I stupidly threw the basil in and stewed it with the chicken, which turned it an unappealing brown color. Remember just to sprinkle it over the top when plated, that will add a nice freshness and keep the colors vibrant. I obviously wasn't thinking clearly that day and used extra virgin olive oil to brown the chicken. This of course led to a nice burnt pan bottom. In the future I will try to remember to use plain olive oil or a blended oil (they have a higher smoke point and won't burn as easily).

Chicken Cacciatore
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

8 chicken pieces (I used thighs and legs)
Kosher salt
Pepper
All-purpose flour for dredging
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
A few shakes of red pepper flake
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 Tablespoons capers, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the chicken pieces with flour and pat off the excess.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (it should be wavy but not smoking) add the chicken pieces skin-side down and saute until brown (5 or 6 minutes). This will render some of the fat out of the skin so it's not so chewy and soggy. After the chicken is browned, remove it to a plate. Add the butter, pepper, onion, garlic and the red pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper and saute until the onion softens (about 5 minutes). Deglaze the pan with the wine and scrape the little brown bits from the bottom of the pan, this will help flavor your sauce. Cook until the wine is reduced by half (about 3 minutes). Next, stir in the capers, stock, oregano and the tomatoes with their juice. Add the chicken pieces back into the pot and simmer, covered until cooked through (approx. 30 minutes).

When the chicken pieces are cooked, remove to a plate. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce for about 5 minutes until it has thickened a little. Taste your sauce, what does it need? If you seasoned your ingredients throughout it might not need anything. Be careful of adding to much salt because the capers are pretty salty.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.