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Walnut Mushroom Casserole Recipe
When I was growing up, my parents took me and my sister to all kinds of restaurants but rarely ones with "kid's menus." We regularly came into San Francisco to eat Chinese food, tried sushi long before it became popular, and celebrated birthdays and school graduation at fancy French restaurants. Unlike many kids who probably longed for Taco Bell or McDonald’s, I enjoyed eating at The Good Earth, a casual restaurant near my house. The menu had a mix of salads and sandwiches and some very unique entrees. It wouldn’t necessarily be considered “health food” by today’s standards but there were quite a number of vegetarian dishes.
At The Good Earth, pretty much anyone could find something they would like to eat, and that made it perfect for dining out with everyone from my teenage girlfriends, to my grandmother. The Good Earth was famous for it’s spicy cinnamon tea which you can buy to this day. Although the restaurant chain was sold and very few restaurants remain, I remain haunted by the memory of Walnut Mushroom Casserole. It was my go to dish.
I like to think of myself as fairly adventurous, but really, when I find one dish I love, I have a hard time straying beyond it on any menu. The Walnut Mushroom Casserole at The Good Earth restaurant was my absolute favorite. It’s still on the menu at just one remaining restaurant in Southern California. Here is the dish description:
Walnut Mushroom Casserole spinach fettuccini tossed with broccoli, mushrooms, onion and water chestnuts, blended with sour cream and sherry sauce. topped with two cheeses, walnuts and scallions
I found a recipe online but it didn't seem right to me, so I adapted it as best I could to fit with my memory of it. I used Al Dente spinach fettuccini and it was perfect. I also tested out Al Dente's bonachia spinach fettuccine, and that worked great too. Note: Do not overcook the pasta!
Walnut Mushroom Casserole
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, cut into quarters and thinly sliced
1/2 lb small button mushroom, halved or quartered into small chunks
3 cups thinly sliced broccoli, stems and bite-sized florets
8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons sherry
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sour cream
6 ounces dry spinach fettuccini (such as Al Dente brand), cooked until barely tender
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a large skillet over low heat, add walnuts and stir until lightly toasted and fragrant, then remove and reserve the nuts and return the skillet to the stove.
Add one tablespoon oil to the hot skillet and the onions and mushrooms and cook until just beginning to brown, remove with a spoon and reserve. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and the broccoli and sauté until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the reserved onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts, garlic and spinach fettuccini. Remove from heat and add the sherry, soy sauce and sour cream. Stir gently to coat without breaking the noodles
Place mixture in a greased, shallow 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved walnuts and then the cheeses. At this point the casserole can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bake until cheese melts and casserole is heated through, about 15 - 20 minutes.
Note: you can bake the mixture in any type or combination of casserole pans you wish. If you use large individual ramekins, bake only until the casserole is hot and the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Warm Winter Farro Salad
When I first got married I used to ask my husband if he wanted salad with dinner, the answer was usually "no." After a few years I wised up and started serving him salad without asking first. But often he didn't eat much of it, despite my raving "Have some salad! It's delicious!" Lately I've hit upon a solution. I serve salad as a main dish, or pile everything onto it so it's an integral part of the meal. Main dish salads, if only someone had told me 12 years ago!
During the Winter or whenever it's cold outside salads, either side salads or main dish salads are not top of mind, but they should be. Just as Summer is the perfect time for cold soup, Winter is the ideal season to try a warm salad. I like to start with a cooked grain like farro or quinoa then use seasonal fruits or vegetables and add some heartier elements too, in this case feta cheese and almonds.
I have to admit, this salad sounds a bit like a parody, it's filled with trendy ingredients and super foods, all that's missing is a little chocolate and kale! I love the sunny colors and hearty crunch to this salad, it's kind of the antithesis of a tossed green salad all floppy and wilted. It's bright and cheerful and yet very hearty. I like combination of citrus, pomegranate, almonds and feta with a touch of ginger but feel free to change up the ingredients in the salad or use a different dressing or spice if you prefer.
Warm Winter Farro Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup pearled farro
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup diced feta, about 6 ounces
1 cup toasted sliced almonds
2 tangerines peeled and segments cut in half
3/4 cup sliced celery about 2-3 stalks
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Bring a pot of water to boil and add the farro, cook for 10- 15 minutes or until al dente (or cook according to package instructions). In a bowl combine the feta, almonds, tangerines (remove any seeds) and celery. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and ginger in a bowl.
When the farro is cooked, drain it and toss it in a bowl with the other ingredients and dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
Rocky Road Recipe
I blame Tori Ritchie for making me take on Rocky Road. Her email newsletter this week had a recipe for it and after that I was a goner. Rocky Road is one of those things you can't really mess up. I think the easier the better. With all due respect to Michael Ruhlman, the ratios are a bit fluid here, you can add more or less chocolate or nuts as you like. I've seen recipes that have 1 part chocolate to 1 part marshmallows and others have 2 parts chocolate to 1 part marshmallows. Of course, the better ingredients you use the better it will taste. But honestly I made this with supermarket chocolate chips and it was pretty darn good!
This would be a fun thing to make with kids and makes a nice gift too. My version uses nuts, marshmallows and cookies, but no raisins or powdered sugar. The cookies really add a nice crunch and make the candy seem a little less rich somehow (so I end up eating more?). Try it with different kinds of cookies and let me know what you think. I used Anna's Orange Thins in mine but I bet Ginger Thins or Almondina cookies would be good too.
Rocky Road
Ingredients
3 cups chocolate chips, bittersweet or semi sweet or a combination
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1 cup crushed shards of thin crunchy cookies such as Swedish thins or Moravian cookies
Instructions
Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes at 50% power. Remove from the oven and stir, then repeat as necessary until the chips are melted and smooth. Do not overheat them.
Add the marshmallows, toasted walnuts and cookies to the bowl melted chocolate and stir gently with a rubber or silicone spatula until all the ingredients are coated in chocolate. Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to cool and harden. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
