Tilapia with Shiitake and Saffron Cream Sauce

Tilapia with Shiitake and Saffron Cream Sauce

by Aimee Michard

Makes 1 serving (I only cook for 1 so I guess you can double or triple depending on how many you’re feeding)1 tilapia filet
1 ounce of Marx Foods Dried Organic Shiitake Mushrooms (reconstituted in warm water)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small shallot, sliced.¼ white wine
Salt & pepper1 cup heavy cream
1 big pinch of Marx Foods Sargol Saffron Threads
½ Tablespoon olive oil

Note: I chose to marinate the tilapia in some olive oil, white wine and salt and pepper for about 12 hours but you may skip this step if you don’t have time.

Dice the reconstituted mushrooms. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until browned, Add the shallots and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add the wine and stir till evaporated, season with salt and pepper. Add the cream and saffron threads, and simmer for about 10 minutes, till the mixture is reduced and thickened. Set the heat to low and keep warm while you cook the fish.

In another saute pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and ½ tablespoon of olive oil over medium -- medium-high heat. Add the fish. Saute for about 4 minutes per side, flip carefully. Place the cooked fish filet over rice or other grain (see below), spoon the cream sauce on top and serve.

*I served the fish over Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains blend of Israeli couscous, red and green orzo, split dried garbanzo beans and red quinoa but any grain will do. A green vegetable or a salad will add some nice color the dish needs.

$150 White Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Saffron Ganache

Our house is located on a cul-de-sac named Lucy Circle, which is a street off Linus Lane, located off Woodstock Drive....no, the house is not a red dog house with Snoopy on top; but it is a known hangout for hungry kids! At any given moment you'll find brownies baking in the oven, burgers on the grill, and kids hanging out in the backyard playing volleyball. It's also called "The Lady Cave", since there are no men living under the roof; just me and my two girls enjoying life! Here's my Friday night contribution to some hungry volleyball players....$150 White Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Saffron Ganache. They have no idea how much saffron costs, but the smiles on their faces are worth a million dollars! Enjoy!

White Chocolate Cupcakes
by Kimberly Dockery
adapted from Food & Wine

Makes 20 cupcakes

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1- 2 Marx Foods Tahitian Vanilla Beans (I prefer 2 beans!), split lengthwise, seeds scraped from both sides of the bean
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup milk

1) Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until soft and fluffy.

2) Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the seeds from the vanilla bean and mix.

3) Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add some of the flour to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, then add some of the milk. Continue to mix in a dry-wet-dry method, ending with the dry.

4) Scoop the batter into cupcake papers, filling each 3/4 full. Bake at 350F for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Saffron & White Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces white chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Marx Foods Sargol Saffron Threads

1) Place the saffron in the cream and let sit for about 10 minutes.

2) Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl.

3) Heat the cream and saffron on the stove over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge.

4) Pour the cream over the chocolate, let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.

5) Let sit for 15 minutes, then dip and swirl cupcakes in the ganache, shake off the excess, and decorate with some colored sugar or some saffron if you're crazy rich.

Braised Short Ribs with Porcini Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil

The deep, earthy flavor of dried porcini mushrooms was a perfect match to rich, meaty short ribs. Red wine is my go-to braising liquid, balsamic vinegar added bright acidity, and touches of soy sauce and truffle oil sent the umami rocket into orbit!

Braised Short Ribs with Porcini Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil

by Gary Gee

¾ ounce Marx Foods Dried Wild Porcini Mushrooms
1 cup warm water
2 pounds meaty short ribs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Flour for dredging
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup crimini or white mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
½ cup red wine
½ cup mushroom soaking liquid, strained
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
6 sprigs fresh thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon white truffle oil
Freshly chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the dried porcini mushrooms under cool water; place in a small bowl and soak in warm water. Set aside, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the liquid, gently squeezing out the liquid. Chop coarsely. Strain the soaking liquid, reserving ½ cup. Set aside.

Season the short ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour.

In a large Dutch oven, heat half the oil over medium-high heat. Sear the short ribs, turning to brown on all sides. Remove from the pot. Add the remaining oil and heat to simmering. Add the onion, stirring occasionally, until just fragrant. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant.

Return the short ribs to the pot. Add the wine, mushroom soaking liquid, broth, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, thyme, oregano. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot and bake at 325 for 2 hours, or until the short ribs are fork tender.

Remove the short ribs to a platter, cover to keep warm. Skim the fat from the sauce; remove the thyme sprigs. Heat the sauce to boiling. Dissolve the corn starch in water; pour into the sauce and return to a boil until thickened.

Spoon the sauce over the short ribs, drizzle with the truffle oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Guajillo Chili

Guajillo Chili
by Shannon T
adapted from recipes in Texas Eats and The Wright Recipes

1 recipe Guajillo Chili powder (see below)

2 1/2 pounds Chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1/4" cubes

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2 cups beef broth

1 (28 oz) can pureed tomatoes (I used fire roasted)

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon lard or olive oil (more as needed)

For Guajillo Chili powder:

2 dried Marx Foods Dried Guajillo Chilies--stem end removed and chopped

3 allspice berries

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

Toast all above ingredients in a skillet until fragrant. Transfer to spice grinder and pulse until finely ground.

Add fat to Dutch oven and heat over medium high heat. Add beef cubes in batches and cook, turning as needed, until well browned on all sides.  Remove from pan using a slotted spoon.  When meat is done, lower heat to medium and add onion to pan. If needed, add a little more oil/lard at this time. Saute for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Add the chili powder, thyme, paprika, oregano, salt and garlic, stirring for one minute.  Add the beef broth, tomatoes, water and browned beef. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then cover partially and reduce to a simmer for approximately 2 hours, until the meat is very tender. Add water, if needed, to maintain desired consistency. 

Spoon over cooked rice and top with shredded cheese blend. 

Roast Turkey with Porcini Mushroom Gravy

Roast Turkey with Porcini Mushroom Gravy
by Mary Makowski
adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine, November 1998

Fall is here, which turns my thoughts to Thanksgiving and turkey. But with Turkey Day still weeks away, this recipe for 2-4 people is just the meal to satisfy those tryptophan cravings and make the wait to November 22 just a little bit easier. This is a delicious use for those flavorful mushrooms.

For the Roasted Turkey Thighs:
2-4 turkey thighs
one bunch parsley
several rosemary sprigs
thyme leaves
two cups porcini mushroom broth (see below*)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Let thighs sit out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to roasting.

Combine leaves from the parsley, rosemary and thyme and finely chop to make about 8 teaspoons. Rub each side of the thighs with approximately 1 teaspoon of the chopped herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the thighs, skin down, in a deep roasting pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Turn the thighs to skin side up, and pour 2 cups of the porcini broth in the bottom of the roasting pan. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper if desired. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 170 degrees.

Remove the turkey, reserving the liquid in the pan, and tent with foil while finishing the gravy.

For the Porcini Mushroom Gravy:
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 ounce of Marx Foods Dried Wild Porcini Mushrooms
4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups dry white wine
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper

While the turkey is roasting for the first 30 minutes, bring the chicken broth and the dried wild porcini mushrooms to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat; let steep 15 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to work surface; reserve mushroom broth in a large measuring cup (*pour two cups of this broth into the turkey roasting pan as described above for the last 30 minute of roasting). Chop mushrooms finely. Once the turkey is finished and resting, mix the juices from the roasting pan back into the large measuring cup.

Mix 2 tablespoons butter and flour in small bowl to smooth paste

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add parsley, thyme, rosemary and mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in broth mixture and 1-1/2 cups white wine and bring to a boil until wine is reduced, about 20 minutes. Gradually whisk in butter-flour paste. Boil until reduced to about 3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 8 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the gravy over your favorite mashed potato or stuffing recipe. Alternatively, vegetables such as chopped potatoes, carrots and onions may be roasted with the turkey and broth during the final thirty minutes of roasting and topped with the porcini mushroom gravy.

Cod in a Coconut Curry Sauce with Puya Chilies

When I saw the Marx Foods Dried Puya Chilies, I knew immediately that I wanted to try them here. I usually use chopped jalapenos, or just plain old red pepper flakes in this dish. Well, now I'm spoiled. The puya chilies added a lovely bit of heat, but it was mellow and smooth. Loved it!

Cod in a Coconut Curry Sauce with Puya Chilies
by Allison Donel
adapted from Cod in Spicy Coconut Sauce from The Best Ever Indian

2 Tablespoons oil
1 large onion - diced
2-3 cloves garlic – minced
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 15 ounce can coconut milk
1 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
3 dried Marx Foods Dried Puya Chilies – split lengthwise with a knife
4 pieces of cod
A few sprigs of cilantro - chopped

1. Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan.
2. Add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the onions are soft.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cod. Stir to combine. Simmer for 20 minutes or until your 7 week old baby has stopped crying, been fed, diapered, pajama-ed, stopped crying again, re-diapered, and put to sleep. This could be awhile.
4. Add the cod. Simmer until the cod is no longer pink or until above mentioned baby stops crying again, and is put back to sleep. Again, this could be awhile.
5. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over saffron rice.

Saffron Rice:
2 Tablespoons oil
½ an onion – minced
1 clove garlic – minced
4 whole cloves
6 whole peppercorns
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 cup rice
2 cups stock
pinch of Marx Foods Sargol Saffron Threads

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan.
2. Add the onions, garlic, cloves, peppercorns, and coriander. Saute until the onions are soft.
3. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil.
4. Add the stock and saffron. Cover and bring to boil.
5. Reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes.