Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Remove stems from portobello mushrooms. Gently scrape gills from interior of mushrooms with a teaspoon supporting the side of the mushroom by cupping the mushroom in your hand and rotating while removing the gills. Place gills in a bowl and set aside. Brush the outside of each portobello mushroom cap with olive oil and place on an oiled cookie sheet and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Chop portabella mushroom stems and 4 whole button mushrooms, set aside. (I find the stems alone never provide enough volume to stuff caps of any mushrooms so I always add in extra chopped mushroom). Chop fine 1/4 sweet yellow onion, chop fine 2 stalks of celery, chop fine 6 red or orange mini bell peppers (or half a large red bell pepper). Begin sauteing onion in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, after 2 minutes add celery, after 2 minutes add bell peppers. Next add 1 teaspoon of oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and pinch of red pepper flakes. Finally add chopped chopped caps and button mushrooms and saute till soft. Meanwhile chop fine one clove garlic and add to chopped sauteed vegetables for one minute. Remove from heat.

Add sauteed vegetables to portabella mushroom gills and fold till blended. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of gluten free bread crumbs and 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese and fold together. Mixture should be dry and flaky but somewhat cohesive. Add some fresh parsley if you have some. With a teaspoon add mixture to each portobello mushroom cap till filled, packing slightly with the back of the spoon. Top with a small slice of cheese of your choice (I used smoked gouda) and lastly sprinkle top with smoked paprika. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes (25 for smaller portobello and 35 for larger). Serve as an appetizer or light meal with a salad. Oh so delicious and so good for you. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Super Blood Wolf Moon

 

Tonight will be a total eclipse of the moon called the Super Blood Wolf Moon. See info about it here at Forbes article. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Chickpea Flour Flatbread, Gluten Free

Sometimes I just want a piece of bread to go with a meal. Most store bought gluten free breads are expensive and tasteless. When I saw this recipe for chickpea flour flatbread I decided to try it. This is extremely easy to make and stores well in the fridge. Above is the cookie sheet with the cooked Chickpea Flatbread which I later cut into triangles and squares.

2.5 cups chickpea flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
3.5 cups cold tap water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

optional spices mixed and stored for multiple uses:
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon file gumbo powder (ground sassafras leaves)

In medium bowl measure chickpea flour and salt. Whisk in water a little at a time to avoid lumps. Set aside for at least 3 hours. Chickpea flour needs time to completely absorb liquid since the flour is very dense.

After 3 hours or so preheat oven to 350 F. In a high sided sheet cake pan pour in the olive oil and tip pan to coat the complete bottom. Next pour by cupfuls the chickpea batter a little at a time in a grid fashion to fill the pan. I used a cup measuring cup with a pour spout. If using the optional spices sprinkle them over the top. I placed these spices in a spice container with a shaker top to evenly distribute them. I get the blank containers at my grocery store. Carefully place flatbread pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. (I used a cookie sheet but I am definitely investing in a high sided cake pan because it is nearly impossible to move the batter in a cookie sheet to the oven without spilling it).

Remove pan from oven and let cool for 20 minutes or so before cutting. Serve hot with butter or some parmesan cheese grated over the top. Good with soups or perhaps pesto slathered over the top. Maybe your favorite dip would be a welcome addition. If you store it in fridge you can heat up in a 200 F oven for 20 minutes and it will be just like fresh baked.

EXCEPT this doesn't taste like what I expected any flatbread to taste like. It tastes like bland polenta even though I added the spices. Perhaps it needed to be poured thinner to be a flat bread. I also wonder about a leavening agent and if it would have helped. Back to the drawing board. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Buttons with Texture

Even when I'm not working in clay I'm thinking of working in clay. The other day I ordered some shank buttons with texture to use on clay. Julie from AJStuff on Etsy put together a group of these buttons for me to use. I feel like a kid in a candy store. Each one has a different texture on it's face. I plan to glue a cork to the back of each button to make it easier to press into clay. What do you think? Thanks for reading and for all your comments.