Mad about Mushrooms . . .

Our 2022 Recipe Winner: Renata Stanko's Morel, Feta and Walnut Scones

It didn't take much time for our judges to become enchanted with Renata's submission of Morel, Feta and Walnut Scones.  First, there was the ease of preparation and the availability of ingredients with the inclusion of dried morels.  Then there was the aroma that wafted through the kitchen as the scones baked. 

Finally, there were visual delights and then more sensory treats.  As our judges broke the scones apart, they were greeted with tiny jewels of green from the parley and chives, the creamy color from the feta, rich brown from the morels and golden beige from the chopped walnuts.  The pleasure didn't stop there; for the taste was rich and satisfying.    

When asked to provide us with a wee bit of information about herself, Renata modestly emailed the following:

My husband and I live in the beautiful Willamette Valley in Oregon.  We have two grown daughters and two grandchildren who keep us busy.  I enjoy foraging for wild mushrooms in the nearby Cascades and coastal area.  Morels are my favorite mushrooms, but I am happy with any edible fungi that I happen to find and a serene walk in the forest.  I also enjoy booking, baking, creating recipes, gardening, hiking, swimming and spending fun times with the family.

And, we might add, Renata must certainly enjoy creating yummy recipes as evidenced by this year's winning submission.

Our 2021 Winner: Susan Mason's Secret Garden Breakfast

Susan's recipe, submitted six months ago, was the first arrival in our email basket, and, as it turned out, received the first place award in our recipe contest this year. The evaluators found it exceptional, with a unique taste and undeniably creamy texture. "I'd like another sample please" was the unanimous comment heard around the table, followed by remarks such as "I could see this becoming a standard on my table." Understandably so.

There was a consensus that the preparation pleases the palette with its silky texture which lingers delightfully on the tongue. Additionally, it was noted that the dish would be bound to delight any cook due to the ease with which it all comes together.

Of course, the versatility of the dish was a persistent refrain. Some advocated serving this rich sauce over mashed potatoes or cooked veggies such as green beans, or simply stirring it into a stew or soup. Others suggested using it as the basis for a flavorful pasta sauce or casserole. Whatever the dish, we are all convinced that this is a recipe to use and to share without reservation.

Congratulations to Susan for developing this
awesome dish that incorporates cashews and miso.

During the evaluation, we served the Secret Garden Breakfast over freshly baked biscuits as well as chunks of steamed red potatoes.  Amazing!  We encourage you, dear readers, to challenge yourself to find other ways that you can serve this lovely dish.  You won't be disappointed!

Of course, we were intrigued by the name "Secret Garden" and knew that we had to ask Susan how she developed the name.  She replied:

The name of this recipe just seemed fitting because the mushroom's home is in the forest and the secret garden stories are magical and so is this recipe.  

She is so right about that.  

How did Susan come to develop the recipe?

I have been fascinated with cashew cream and all the things it transforms into. It seems like a perfectly delicious partnership of mushrooms and cashews.  Specifically, mushrooms have always been mysterious and magical in the way they grow and where they grow, plus they are loaded with vitamins and minerals. It's a win win winner of a recipe.

And, you are so right about that, too, Susan!

Our 2020 Winner: Lisa Benoit's Mushroom Meatless Balls with Orange Wasabi Glaze

Lisa Benoit's submission in our annual recipe contest intrigued our judges from the start.  Is this a plant based entry, hum ... how interesting!  Then, when they tasted the cooked product capped with its wasabi tinted glaze/sauce, they immediately knew that they had a very special winner this year.  Many thanks, Lisa, for your creativity and for the imagination that you displayed in creating this extraordinary entry!

We judges agreed with Lisa that the meatless balls are not just for a first course selection.  We popped them into a rustic roll and then featured them on top of a mound of rice, thereby discovering just how versatile and tasty they are in various presentations!

Lisa won accolades from the judges
for her flavorful and versatile meatless balls.

Our 2019 Winner: Yoshiharu Sogi's Cedar Planked Orange Mahi-Mahi & Mushroom Spring Roll with Sweet Chili Soy Dipping Sauce

 

Every year we wonder how the creativity of recipe submissions to our annual contest can possibly top those of previous years.  Can there really be a recipe that hasn't arrived in our e-mailbox before?  Well, there was certainly a new approach this year, thanks to Chef Yoshiharu Sogi, who presented us with his gustatory delight, Cedar Planked Orange Mahi-Mahi & Mushroom Spring Roll with Sweet Chili Soy Dipping Sauce. 

 

The judges were smitten by the lightly smoked slices of orange marinated mahi-mahi, edamame and mushrooms - we chose shiitakes for their meaty, already slightly smoky flavor - all of which was folded into egg roll wrappers, fried and then smoked again for an even more exotic presentation.  The somewhat sweet and spicy dipping sauce further enhanced these cylindrical, savory rolls of perfection.

 

Perhaps like you, at first the judges were a little anxious about the time that would be required to put these rolls together.  Yet, they quickly found there was no need to be concerned, much to their relief.  For, understandably, they wanted to spend their time eating - not preparing - the egg rolls!

Kudos to Chef Sogi for his
innovative and scrumptious spring rolls!

Our 2018 Winner: Lisa Keys' Korean Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

Congratulations to our 2018 winner, Lisa Keys, who amazed us with her Korean Mushroom Lettuce Wraps.  These little bites are simply bursting with potent flavors of Asia:  the savory, sweet and spicy fermented gochujang and bulgogi marinade,  all of which is tempered with the addition of strips of juicy, tender-crisp bosc pear flesh.

We're pleased to introduce Lisa Keys,
winner of our 11th annual recipe contest!

In spite of their exotic nature, we found the wraps are quick and easy to prepare with pantry ingredients.  In fact, we recently presented them as a scrumptious snack before watching the women's figure skaters short program in Pyeongchang. What a tasty way to usher in the viewing of amazing Olympic athletes such as the Russian skaters Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva.

When we asked Lisa to tell us a little about herself, she wrote:

I am married to my husband Bill and mother of two children (Caitlin and William) and grandma to Annabelle. I love to cook and bake. Creating recipes is a hobby I share on my blog at GoodGriefCook.com.  I am also a Food Network CHOPPED Champion, winning the amateur home cook Mother’s Day episode in 2014. I live in Kennett Square, PA which just happens to have an authentic Korean market nearby. I am often inspired by the ingredients I find there, and that is how I came to create this recipe using our favorite fresh local mushrooms. Mushrooms are a flavorful blank canvas that can be enjoyed in most any ethnic cuisine. 

 

Many thanks, Lisa, for your submission and for introducing us to your splendid website.  Here's wishing you much joy cooking with mushrooms in the years to come!

 

As always, we send our sincere appreciation to all the individuals who answered our call for mushroom themed recipes.  It's a pleasure to see the imagination and originality that are the hallmark of those who love to spend time in food preparation.  Every year we ask ourselves: How will the respondents top last year's contributions?  And, every year we are humbled by you, our dear readers.  As far as we're concerned, your responses have earned you Olympic Gold Medals in our kitchen.

Our 2017 Winner: Shauna Havey's Marsala Mushroom Phyllo Squares

Congratulations to our 2017
winner, Shauna Havey.

Our 2017 winner, Shauna Havey, created a scrumptious dish that quickly brought cries of "winner, winner" from our judges.  No one could resist the appealing flaky crust that greeted them.  Nor could they resist the fragrant mushroom filling that was enhanced by the incorporation of cremini and shiitake mushrooms.

Shawna wrote that her submission was "an enticing blend of Shiitake and Cremini mushrooms sautéed in butter, aromatics, and Marsala wine...sandwiched between delicate layers of phyllo dough and baked until crisp and golden. This irresistible appetizer is as pretty as it is flavorful and will be a crowd pleaser anytime you serve it."  We couldn't agree more. 

In fact, our judges not only commented on how lovely the squares are to look at with their golden multi-layer crust, but these judges are also believed that the squares would be an amazing addition to the dining table, suggesting that a mixed greens salad and fresh fruit might be the perfect complements to make the squares a luxurious lunchtime choice.

One last thought:  the recipe makes 12 rather large appetizer servings.  Seems like a lot to consume at one time ... or, maybe we just don't have enough friends!  Anyway, we were quite pleased with the result when we enclosed the leftover pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerated them.  Later in the week, as an experiment, we removed the plastic wrap and reheated the leftovers for about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven - the squares were very well preserved, retaining all the things that made us love them in the first place: flavorful, yummy and flaky!

Our 2016 Winner: Justine Kmiecik's Mushroom Sushi "Mushrooms"

Congratulations to our 2016 winner, Justine Kmiecik!

“What's cuter than making little mushrooms out of mushrooms?” That’s the question that Justine Kmiecik, winner of our annual recipe contest, posed on her food blog, Night Shift Lunch Box, and that’s pretty much the same remark that we made when we saw the recipe she submitted in response to our contest.

How cute, the testers exclaimed when they saw Justine’s Mushroom Sushi 'Mushrooms', plump with a shiitake and leek stuffing in their stipe and topped with a shiitake cap that had been simmered in oyster sauce.

Cute is one thing, declared one taster; delicious is another. One bite, and all the tasters agreed that cute and delicious were synonymous in this case.

Some wondered out loud about how difficult it might be to create the perfect little stuffed sushi base. Simple, replied the chef; it takes only minutes to put the appetizer together.

One word of caution. The recipe suggests that these 6 pieces serve 6 people as an appetizer. Not so, based on our experience! Most of our tasters enthusiastically scooped 2 pieces off the serving dish onto their hors d'oeuvre plate, while coyly keeping an eye on the serving dish to see if and when seconds would be available. Our advice is to prepare 2-3 pieces per person. Yes, they are that delicious and that easy to make!

When we asked Justine if we might print a little about her on our website, she modestly forwarded the following information: 

Justine recently moved to Washington state with her husband, and has a background in plant and environmental biology. She ran a biotechnology startup in the energy space in North Carolina, and is passionate about gardening, art, and cooking.

Our 2015 Winner: Mike Sabella's Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut

What a challenge to select a winning recipe when so many of the submissions simply overwhelmed us with their creativity and their "wow" factor!

This year's winner, Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut, was a surefire choice with all who were treated to samples of the entree.  We loved the fact that the packages of fish could be prepared early in the day and then conveniently rest, covered, in the refrigerator until it's close to the dinner hour.  This is such an elegant preparation offering a complexity of tastes ...  yet, it's so easy to prepare and no one will ever know how undemanding it was to fashion.

 

Our 2014 winner: Herbed Scallion-Shallot, Wild Mushroom Pinwheels

CONGRATULATIONS to this year's recipe contest winner, Donna Pochoday-Stelmach, for her lovely and scrumptious appetizer, Herbed Scallion-Shallot, Wild Mushroom Pinwheels.  Not only are the individual pinwheels eye-catching with their flaky, golden crust, but they're also remarkable for their bold, assertive mushroom taste that quickly elevated this preparation to the very top of all the submissions. 

Yes, simply put, these pinwheels are yummy!  If you decide to serve them at your next gathering, be prepared to graciously accept the accolades of all in attendance!  No, there's no need to modestly confess that you didn't create the hors d'oeuvre.  Instead, talk about the variety of mushrooms you enclosed in the dough and the ease of preparation.  It's true:  the pinwheels really are a snap to make, and most of the prep can be done long before guests arrive.

When we asked Donna if we might print something about her on the website, she offered the following biographical information: 

Donna currently resides in the "Garden State" of New Jersey. She is married and has a 12-year old son. Donna enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby. As a young Ukrainian girl, Donna helped her mother cook and bake Ukrainian dishes, including decadent nut tortes, babkas, flavorful mushroom dumplings and sauces, borscht, and pierogies. Although her mother has passed from Alzheimer's Disease, Donna now teaches her son Ukrainian cuisine, traditions and culture.

Today, Donna enjoys working with traditional recipes, but tries to give them a modern twist. She is not afraid to create new recipes, or experiment with different flavor combinations. Her food motto is "Do not be afraid to experiment and try new techniques or ingredients."

Our 2014 winner, Donna Pochoday-Stelmach!

 

Our 2013 Winner: Cilantro Corn Cakes with Sauteed Mushrooms & Cumin Yogurt

After narrowing down the many delicious-sounding entries, we ended up with a "Fab Five" to prepare, including Greg Fontenot's wonderful Cilantro Corn Cakes with Sauteed Mushrooms & Cumin Yogurt.

His recipe was a favorite right from the start.  What captured our attention about this submission? 

• It's quick and easy to prepare
• The ingredients are inexpensive and readily available
• Its use of colors makes it visually attractive:  golden toasty yellow from the cornmeal, intense green from the cilantro, inky brown from the portabella* mushrooms, and soft white from the topping
• The flavors and textures run the gamut from the grainy cornmeal to the lime-accented mushrooms to the creamy Greek yogurt.
• And, simply put, it's unique and intriguing.

The camera caught Greg and his son, Kenneth, in a playful moment!