The Smell of Mushrooms

I'm often told that I cook pretty well...and I make it a personal policy to believe those that compliment me on my culinary skills! :) I attribute all my proficiency in the kitchen to my mother, who has never regarded cooking as the exclusive realm of the Woman or as a daily act of necessity. In our family, we think of cooking as therapeutic...it's one of the ways in which we destress. For us, creating something that the we and the rest of the family will eat, is always an act of love and usually involves a fair amount of imagination and risk-taking. I often tell my mother that we can never eat the same thing twice in our home because we just cannot resist trying out some modifications to the dish the next time we prepare it!

We've moved homes many times in the past, and one of the most important criteria in selecting a new place to rent was that the kitchen must be large enough to accommodate at least three people, no matter if the other rooms are a bit on the smaller side. This is because you will seldom find one of us cooking alone in the kitchen (unless the others have something really important to do, are away from the house, or are too tired). While one cooks, the other(s) washes up, cleans the counters or helps in getting the ingredients ready for the next dish that must be prepared. Another might just sit at a little table or on one of the counters. Throughout this process we almost never stop chatting. Just about everything comes up in our conversation...ranging from idle gossip to vedic philosophy. It's an important time for us because we bond in those interactions...we share views, experiences, ideas and most importantly our love for one another. Somewhere, somehow, I think all of the above find their way into the food and when it is served, it is more than just a bunch of ingredients that were put together...it is the manifest end-product of a complex and enriching process that we shared in one of our favourite places! :)

Cooking for people you love is one of the best experiences...I don't know if this is a cliche, but I always find that the food tastes a lot better when I'm making it, keeping in mind the contentment and appreciation that it will receive from those I care about.

Here's a little recipe I made up after watching "Oliver's Twist" on Zee English. I mixed Jamie Oliver's recipe with some old tricks we use in our cooking. All this kitchen talk made me want to share it with you. Try it out if you get the time and let me know about your experience...

You will need:
a packet of button mushrooms...try and get fairly large ones...clean them thoroughly, please.
2-3 large onions, minced
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced
some finely chopped bell peppers: red and yellow
2 tablespoons of butter (leave it out for a while so it softens considerably)
some finely chopped coriander leaves
oregano if you have it.
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
salt
soy sauce: 2-3 tsp.
ketchup: 3-4 tsp.
a nice flat (preferably non-stick) pan with raised sides and a cover.

Here's what you need to do:

Take the button mushrooms and carefully pull out the stalks, so that you are left with the hollow, round mushroom heads. Keep the heads separately. Chop up the stalks finely and keep aside.

Mix the chopped coriander leaves and oregano with the butter. Once you get a nice, smooth mixture, take a small spoon and fill this mixture into the mushroom heads. Keep aside. (You can substitute the butter with finely grated cheese, that will melt easily or with fresh, grated paneer).

In the pan, heat the olive oil for just about a minute or so on a medium flame. Add the garlic and wait until it is golden brown. Add the onions and fry them until they too are slightly golden brown. Now add the minced mushroom stems and cook them along with the onions. A nice mushroomy smell should fill your kitchen at this point. The mixture will take on a uniform, light brown colour (no problem if its dark!). Add the chopped bell peppers and stir them into mixture very slightly...we don't want to spend too much time cooking these. Spread the mixture evenly on the surface of the pan.

Now quickly mix the soy sauce and ketchup with a little water (4 tbsp) and add this to the pan. Steam will start rising in a few moments

One by one, pick up the mushroom heads and place them in the pan with their flat sides on the mixture and their hollow, butter-filled mouths looking up at you. Once they have all been placed in the pan, cover the pan. Let it remain like this for about 2-3 minutes and then lower the flame to its minimum capacity. Let it remain for another 5 minutes before lifting the lid and testing the sides of the mixture to make sure that it it not sticking to the pan, if this is the case, add a little more water carefully from the sides but don't displace the mushroom heads.

You'll know the dish is ready when you find that the mushroom heads are looking slightly browned from the outside and have shrunk a little.

Use a flat spoon or spatula to remove each mushroom head so that it comes out of the pan on its own little bed of mixture. Ease the servings carefully onto the plates off of which they will be eaten and serve with lightly toasted, wholewheat bread (No butter on the toast, please! There's enough in the mushroom heads!) and hot mashed potatoes (I will not insult your intelligence by telling you how to make that)!

YUM's the word!

Cheers!