Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Porcini Mushroom Stroganoff

                                       from The Candle Cafe Cookbook

It is currently 14-degrees. I am indoors. It is lightly snowing outdoors. I am listening to weird Radiohead covers. And I'm worrying about the damn outdoor stray that I built my cat shelter for.

I bumped into him yesterday when I got home from dinner with a friend. He was sitting in the snow. It was freezing.

I gave him some more food.

And then he did something out of the ordinary: he let me pet him all sorts of crazy. Normally, he'll barely let me touch his head, but this time he was GUNG-HO.

Which made me feel bad. Because I thought: he's probably being super-affectionate in the hope that I'll let him indoors with me.

So I fretted. And I tried to coax him into the cat shelter (which he doesn't seem to have used this past week). And I came back out and tried to coax him into a cat carrier (I figured since he wasn't being skittish, perhaps I could finally coerce him to come live with my mum, but no luck). And I pet him. And I lectured him about getting somewhere warm and STAYING there instead of sitting in the snow. When I tried again to coerce him into the carrier, he leisurely trotted off and scooted under my back neighbor's porch.

And that was that.

It upsets me though. Because the poor thing doesn't deserve to have to deal with this bitter cold. He's a big sweetie. And that makes it EXTRA-sucky.

Both N-A and my mom reminded me yesterday though that he made it through a winter or two already, so clearly he knows how to keep himself safe and warm. And they're right.

It just bothers me, going to bed, all snug under tons of covers, my cats all snuggled up against my legs, knowing that the poor thing's outside just trying to keep warm. And that there's only so much I can do.

So yeah.

I HATE THIS WEATHER.

Nonetheless: Since we don't have much choice, I figured I'd post this recipe today as it is a nice F- You to the snow. It'll warm you from your belly out to your toenails and the tips of your hair.

It's thick and heavy. And it's warm and very home-cooking-esque.

**AND** it's real super-easy to make.

So if you're cursing the snow, go whip some up.

And send your good vibes in the direction of my little neighborhood stray.



INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 T. unbleached flour

  • 2 T. soy margarine

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 1/2 T. sea salt

  • 1 T. freshly ground back pepper

  • 2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms

  • 1 lb. button mushrooms

  • 1/4 c. white wine (or veggie broth works too)

  • 1 T. tomato paste

  • 1 c. soy milk

  • pinch of dried parsley

  • pinch of dried dill

  • 1 thyme sprig (or a pinch or two of dried thyme)

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1/2 c. chopped fresh chives

  • 1 lb. fettuccine

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Stir in the flour and cook for four minutes, stirring frequently. Add the soy margarine, garlic, onion,salt, and pepper and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

Add the porcini and button mushrooms, wine, tomatoes paste, and soy milk. Stir in the parsley, dill, thyme, bay leaf, and chives Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to package directions. Drain.

Spoon the sauce over the fettucine and serve at once.

Makes 4-6 servings.

(Recipe from the Candle Cafe Cookbook, reposted at Bodhi Studios)

3 comments:

Maria Rose said...

Oh, I feel your anguish about the outdoor cat and it is really tough to let a stray into one's home. It could be completely disruptive. Well, thank you for the recipe!

trickeychick said...

Great recipe, thanks for sharing. And don't worry about the cat, the folks around you are right, he's probably a rebel with 4 paws! lol
He probably has a whole bunch of folks who feel the same way you do and is eating all over town. And if he has been outside for a while, he will have a great coat for protecting him from the elements.
Best of luck and thanks for sharing the recipe as well!
Star in Vancouver BC Canada

Anonymous said...

Great recipe, thanks. I never thought to add tomato sauce. About the kitty, I'm a member of a feral cat feeding and rescue group. We find that though a cat may look well to you, he's no doubt got ear mites, fleas, and a whole host of things you don't want to know about. Best to capture and have him/her neutered and de-infested, then you can release him. But you have to make sure he gets fed. Without a daily good source of food, he'll just weaken and die soon. How do you know he's made it through winters and hasn't just been turned out by someone? Best thing is to contact a local feral cat group and they can help you decide how to best help him. Unless he lives indoors with your neighbor, he really needs help.