Dear reader be warned: I have allowed myself to use choice language in this article.

Gordon Ramsey is, shall we say, an opinionated man. Whether he is throwing up on Kitchen Nightmares or calling yet another hapless contestant on Hell’s Kitchen a “donkey” (or worse) he is not afraid to express himself. The Ramsey brand of entertainment is not for everyone but I enjoy his TV personality which is obviously insane, obsessive, perfectionist, and workaholic (seriously, how does a human bend space and time to make a dozen television series in any given year).

Mushroom Wellingtons with Red Wine Reduction.

This recipe is a delicious take on beef wellingtons and mushrooms, pecans, and yeast extract pack the dish with flavor and protein. Many of the premade puff pastry doughs you can buy in the store are vegan, but they are full of rehydrognated oils and corn syrup which are terrible for you. If you have time you can make your own or treat yourself to something that contains butter.

Ingredients

• Three large portobello mushroom caps, washed and degilled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 tablespoon yeast extract spread (like Marmite or Vegemite)
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted if necessary
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the three mushrooms cap up covered in the pan for about 2 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and continue cooking until just tender to the touch.
2. remove the mushrooms from the pan and add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Saute the onions, garlic, pecans, and sage until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer the saute to a blender of food processor. Add one of the mushrooms and yeast extract and blend, adding stock as needed, until a thick puree forms. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stuff the remaining mushroom halves with the puree and put the two stuffed caps together to create a single semi-spherical stuffed mushroom.
4. Stack the sheets and place the mushroom in the center of the pastry sheets. Wrap the puff pastry around the mushrooms and spray the wellington generously with cooking spray.
5. Place the wellington in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the puff pastry is golden brown, for about 20 minutes.
6. Slice and serve with Red Wine Reduction Sauce.

Red Wine Reduction Sauce

This sauce is typically served with meat, but it makes a great gravy-like sauce any savory dish. It makes about 1/3 a cup of thick sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium leek
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

 Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and leeks and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Add rosemary, broth, wine, and tomato paste to the sauteed vegetables. Combine and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Cook until reduced by half, about 45 minutes. Drain the vegetables and return the sauce to a pan.
4. Bring the sauce back to a boil and allow to continue to reduce until the sauce reaches the desired consistency, about 30 minutes.

Trumpet mushrooms are used in this dish mainly because of their shape which, when sliced, look somewhat like scallops. I have no idea what scallops taste like, but if they are tender and mild then trumpet mushrooms are not a bad substitute.

Seared Mushroom Scallops

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/4 pounds trumpet mushrooms, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 medium leeks, washed and sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Preparation

1. Mix rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and water until the sugar dissolves at least four hours.
2. To cook the mushrooms heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until very hot. Carefully place the marinaded mushroom slices in the pan and season with ground pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Allow the bottom of the mushroom slices to cook until a good sear forms, about 3 minutes.
3. Turn the mushrooms, season, and sear the other side.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the leeks until just tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Plate the dish with 3 seared mushroom slices served over a 1/4 cup of sauteed leeks and a lemon wedge.

Eggplant Caponata

For me, eggplant caponata brings to mind fond memories of my grandmother’s caponata made from eggplants and tomatoes she and my grandfather grew on their small farm in Maryland.  My version is a little more full-flavored than my grandmother’s, but it still has that rich, warm quality I remember.  I like to put a lot of extra “stuff” in my caponata, like raisins, capers, and olives, so that each bite has a few hidden treasures, all bound together by the sweet and savory base of eggplant and tomatoes.

Preparation

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds Italian eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less depending on preference)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. First we need to peel the tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  While the water is coming to a boil, make an X-shaped score on the bottom of each tomato and cut out the core of each tomato from the top.  Carefully place the tomatoes in the water.  Bring the water back to a boil and leave the tomatoes in for 5 minutes.  The skin should appear loose.  Plunge the tomatoes into an ice water bath for about 2 minutes.  The skins should come right off!  Dice the peeled tomatoes, reserving as much of the juice that comes out during chopping as possible.
2. In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium high heat until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggplant, lower the heat to medium, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  The eggplant should reduce drastically in size and be very soft and brown at the end of the 10 minutes.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and reserved juice, vinegar, raisins, olives, capers, thyme, oregano, 2 dashes of cinnamon, and red pepper flakes.  Continue cooking over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Let cool to room temperature or refrigerate before serving.  This caponata is great as a side dish, on top of toasted crostini, or as a main course.