Co-cooking stuffed pastas: Duxelles!
For this month’s co-cooking, Paul and I tackled filled pastas. Why Paul is my co-pilot (I mean, co-blogger): when he says, “let’s try stuffed pastas!”, I know only I am trying; he’s an old hand.
This month, I lured him (read: his wife) to my place with my foster kittens, and he arrived with armfuls of bags. Fillings, cheeses, cookie cutters, and, of course, a pasta machine.
We decided to start with mushroom ravioli. Let’s note, ahead of time, we had discussed doing cheese, meat, seafood and vegetable filled pastas. Paul asked me to go get a block of parmesan. While I was at RTM, I went by Iovine’s, and decided to pick up a pound of mushrooms, you know, just in case the vegetable Paul picked was broccoli. He shows up, also with a pound of mushrooms, and says, “duxelles?”
Duxelles
- 1 lb. mushrooms (button are fine)
- 2 large shallots
- 1 stick butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup (or less) dry vermouth
- 1/4 cup (or more) heavy cream
- salt and pepper, to taste
If you like mushrooms, duxelles are the yummiest. Start off by chopping off about 5 times as much mushroom as you want to finish with. Then mince 2 large shallots. Heat the stick of butter and olive oil on medium-high until the butter foam has subsided. Add the shallots, and sautee until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then throw in your mushrooms.
Depending on the size of the pan, this step will take 5 to 10 minutes. The mushrooms should give off liquid and reduce in size; you’re done when nearly all the liquid is gone. Throw in the vermouth at this point. (Other recipes will call for sherry here; I don’t stock sherry, and I still think it tastes quite nice.) Once all that liquid has evaporated, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cream, salt and pepper, and cook until your pleased with the consistency.
Move to a bowl. Do not let Jennifer have a spoon, or you will discover that Nathan also thinks duxelles are the yummiest, and you do not want to mess with that kid.
Tomorrow: Actually making mushroom raviolis.
