This recipe can be used as a vegetarian main dish, a side vegetable, first course or appetizer.
Ingredients:
About 20 mid-sized “baby bella” (aka cremini) mushrooms
About 12 large shitake mushrooms
(chopped cremini mushrooms and shitake total 6 cups after chopping)
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
5 large carrots
1 bunch scallions
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts or other nuts
2 eggs
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves cut off stems
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1 cube porcini bouillon and crème fresh, sour cream or other topping (Note: if you use a porcini bouillon cube for cooking the dried mushrooms, don’t add any salt as the bouillon is very salty.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
The ingredients for mushroom loaf.
Next prepare the pan as follows:
Grease a glass loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, folded to fit.
Peel the carrots and slice them into round pieces about 1/4 inch thick. Place these on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, or in a greased pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until just soft when pricked with a fork.
Bake the carrot coins until they are soft or even starting to brown on the edges.
Next, put the dried porcini mushrooms in a pan and just cover with water. If you have a porcini bouillon cube you can add that to the water. Alternatively, for greater flavor you might cook the porcini in mushroom stock.
Cover with water or stock and cook for about 15 or 20 minutes covered. Then remove the cover and cook the liquid down until there is only a bit of water or stock in the bottom of the pot.
Chop the scallions (mostly white parts) into rounds and sauté in the oil for about five minutes. Add the just cooked porcini with the remains of the liquid and stir until the liquid disappears.
Using a damp paper or cloth towel, wipe the mushrooms clean and remove their stems. Don’t wash mushrooms in water because they will absorb the water and release it in cooking. After washing and removing stems, chop them in half or quarters and process in the food processor in small batches, pulsing only until they are finely chopped but not made into mush. Once chopped the two fresh mushrooms should measure out to about 6 cups.
Here are the fresh mushrooms and the cooked ones, also chopped in the food processor, on the top.
Cut the thyme leaves off of the stems (I use scissors) and add to the mix.
Beat the eggs. Put the roasted carrots in the food processor, add the walnuts, and pulse to the same size as the mushrooms. Add the carrots, walnuts and beaten egg to the mushroom mix.
Pour the mix into the lined pan and press it in to remove all air.
Bake the loaf, flaps of parchment down (uncovered) for about 50 minutes. If the loaf starts to brown on the top or look dry, bend over the parchment to cover the top.
When the loaf is done, pull it out of the oven and let it sit for about 15 or 20 minutes or until it comes to room temperature. Remove it from the pan by lifting it out using the parchment paper. Slice and either serve or let come to room temperature to serve as an appetizer or first course.
If desired, serve this with a dab of creme fresh, non-fat yogurt or sour cream.
This makes a great dish for company, but if you’re making it for two people you will have some left over. After two days I took what remained and blended it with mushroom stock in a food processor to make a creamy soup. You can freeze it as soup!
