portobellos stuffed with caramelized onions and manchego

These mushrooms look like mini-pizzas. They make a great dinner-party first course or, served with a green salad, a luncheon main course. For a cocktail party, make them with small caps.

MAKE AHEAD: Prep the onion stuffing and cheese topping up to 2 days in advance. The mushrooms are best baked to order, but they can be assembled and refrigerated, covered, several hours in advance. Bring them to room temperature before baking.

4 first-course servings (or 24 hors d'oeuvres using smaller mushrooms)

Ingredients:

For the mushrooms

• 4 large (4 1/2-inch diameter) portobello mushrooms, or 24 small "baby bellas" (2 1/2-inch diameter), cleaned, gills and stems removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium (1 1/2 pounds) yellow onions, cut in half, then into 1/4-inch slices
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Leaves from 1/2 small bunch of thyme (2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the topping

• 2 ounces Manchego cheese, finely grated (2/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup regular or low-fat mayonnaise (do not use nonfat)

Directions:

For the mushrooms: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then coat it lightly with nonstick cooking oil spray. Arrange the mushrooms on the foil stem sides up.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the onions and stir lightly to coat; season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onions' moisture has evaporated and the onions begin to sizzle and brown. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are deep brown and caramelized; adjust the heat as needed so they do not burn.
Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the thyme and garlic powder; add salt and pepper as needed, keeping in mind that the mushrooms themselves will not be seasoned. The yield will be 1 1/2 cups.
Spread all of the onion mixture on the insides of the large mushroom caps, or fill the smaller caps with it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
For the topping: Combine the cheese and mayonnaise in a small bowl. The yield will be 1/3 cup. Divide the topping evenly among the 4 large caps or the smaller caps.
Bake for 20 minutes (15 minutes for the smaller mushrooms), until the topping is golden brown and bubbling. Blot the caps on paper towels before serving.

Party Sliders

24/30 piece tray of Hawaiian Bread/Rolls (any that come in an aluminum tray will work)

24 pieces good honey ham or Roast Beef
24 small slices Swiss or Provolone cheese
1/2 cup of Mayonaisse


Poppyseed topping
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Remove bread from aluminum tray without breaking the bread.  Take a sharp knife and slice thru the bread creating a top slice and a bottom slice of the bread.  Put the bottom piece back into the aluminum and the top piece off to the side.

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread half onto the bottom piece of bread.   Next, layer ham from end to end overlapping it evenly across the bread.  Do the same with the cheese.  Layer with remaining mayo and carefully place.   Put the top of the bread back on top.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Cut along the bread lines to separate.  Serve warm.

I make mine this way so when I take them somewhere, I don't have to cut them til I get there and the sandwiches don't separate and slide.  Sometimes I can only find bread in a 12 pack, and if they are large, I slice them into 24 finger sized pieces. 

Note: Sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

LEFT COAST SALADE NICOISE

* An original recipe for this blog [not the dressings though]

   Approx. ½ hr.-45 min.

2 Ahi Tuna pieces, fresh, approx. 4-6 oz. each
Chili Oil or Basil Oil, approx. 2-3 tblsp.
2 Eggs, hardboiled
Chinese Long Beans, approx. 1/4 lb.
Jicama, small, peeled, cut into thin strips
Cherry Tomatoes (mixed color if possible), container
Cole Slaw mix,* fresh or packaged, approx. 1/4 lb.
Cilantro, approx. 1/4 c., chopped
2 Lettuce leaves, large
Salt/Pepper
1 Lemon
Rice Wine Vinegar
Sesame Seeds, white or black (optional)

* shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots

Hard boil and chill the eggs.
Snip and blanch (or boil, or grill) long beans; cut into 4" pieces.  Chill.
Peel jicama, slice half into 4" x 1/4" strips.  Blanch if preferred; or leave raw.

To prepare fish: 
[If serving chilled tuna, cook it first and refrigerate.  If serving warm, assemble salad first, then cook fish]  Squeeze ½ lemon over ahi; season w/salt and pepper.  If using sesame seeds, spread seeds on plate, rub oil on fish, press both side of fish on seeds.  Heat 2 tblsp. oil in heavy skillet, sear ahi until browned/blackened on both sides but still rare-to-medium well, depending on preference – it will briefly continue to cook after removed from pan; if you want to serve it medium rare, take it out when it looks rare-turning-to-medium, etc.

To prepare salad: Arrange lettuce leaf on each plate; fill with cole slaw mix; top with cilantro.  Drizzle w/rice wine vinegar. Arrange long beans, sliced egg, sliced jicama, and halved cherry tomatoes around flattened edges of lettuce leaf.  Drizzle w/vinegar again.  Place ahi in center.  Squeeze remaining lemon over all. 

Suggested Dressings:  Kraft Asian Toasted Seseme
                                    Green Goddess w/Wasabe [homemade or add wasabi 
                                                                                 to Kraft Green Goddess]
                                    Soy Wasabe Dressing:
                                    1 teaspoon soy sauce

                                    1 teaspoon wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish)
                                    3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
                                    1 tablespoon sugar
                                    1/2 teaspoon sesame oil  

                                   









 

"LOCKED LIKE LOHAN" LEMONADE

2 oz.  Citron Vodka * 

                        or

1 oz. Citron Vodka + 1 oz. Cucumber Vodka**

2 oz. Fresh Lemonade or Quality Store Brand Lemonade,***  sweetened

2 oz. Tonic Water (diet or regular)

Fresh Mint - (lemon mint or orange mint if avail.)

Ice

Glass (preferably made from sea jasper)

Peace and Quiet

Muddle mint in bottom of sea jasper glass.  Add ice.  Pour in the sweet nectar, then add lemonade, then add tonic.  Stir.  Mix in peace and quiet, and enjoy.  But, watch out for any roaming black guys -- they might try to take your glass!

* - try Cupcake Lemon Chiffon Vodka if it can be found (disc.), or 360 Degrees

** - try Crop Cucumber Vodka, or 360 Degrees or Hangar One

*** - try Newman's or Simply Lemonade

Mabel Hodges' Party Punch

Okay, to be fair, this is the original recipe for "Fish House Punch", which is a serious-ass, hard-core punch with a P-U-N-C-H and I-am-so-not-kidding-with-this-so-be-extra-careful-serving-it, which was first introduced in 1732 at the Schuylkill Fishing Club in Philadelphia. It was first introduced to me via my circa 1970's mom's Time Life Cook Books, this one entitled, "Wines and Spirits," I believe. It came with an accompanying spiralized recipe book. By the time I reached high school in the 1980's Mom and Dad's drink cupboard (yes, all self-respecting 1970's parents had drink cupboards) was filled with dusty yellowed boxes of Pink Squirrel mix packets, Mai Tai packets and a tin of petrified bourbon balls you could still smell from across the kitchen (my mother made those bourbon balls for her shrink every Christmas, even though he was Jewish), but by then it had already left it's impression on me, as had all of my parents' boozy, bridge-playing friends. The message was clear. To be great all one needed was that single outstanding recipe that would set one's self apart from all the rest. A party drink legacy, if you will. Being a childhood geek I poured over Mom's "Wines and Spirits" book and despite the mildew smell emanating from it's pages I discovered this gem. Years later it would come to life in a blaze of Christmas glory, at my very first grown-up cocktail party of my own. And yes, strangers *do* get married to each other after my parties.

Love,

Mabel

xoxoxo!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 5 cups water
• 3 cups dark rum
• 3 cups fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups brandy or cognac
• 1 pint peach brandy
• 2 peaches, peeled and sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour the sugar, water, rum, lemon juice, brandy, and peach brandy into a large bowl over a large disk of ice. Stir until blended, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Add the peach slices to float, and serve in chilled glasses.