" /> BRAINPAN LEAKAGE » Casa
  • Czar Foon-Gee…

      0 comments

    I happen to be a big fan of Father Guido Sarducci.  One of my favorite stories of his involves Carr-dih-naal-uh Foon-gee… The story is funny, but the name is downright hilarious.

    Well, that’s not what this is about. I know, never is…

    You see, when you have a really demanding redhead in your life – yes, E K – and you have to cook for her, you tend to start getting creative. ESPECIALLY when she decides that she, her personal doormat (that being moi), and everyone else entering the hallowed halls of La Casa de la Pelirrojas will be going 80% vegetarian.

    I say 80% because in order to keep up the strength in her whip arm, she does like to have some fish or fowl now and then. And, on special occasions she likes a piece of dead cow. But as I said, those would be the special occasions

    And so, this is where I get Czar Foon-Gee. You see, Her Supreme Evilness is a fan of Beef Stroganoff. However, if you are trying to be mostly, sorta, 80% vegetarian, heaping a mess of dead, floured, fried, and braised Moo on your plate really isn’t the way to go.

    So, as I was taking my daily beating from the evil redhead, for whatever infraction I had, or had not, perpetrated that day, I got to thinking – how can I whomp up some non-beef beef stroganoff?

    Well, there are several ways to go about it, but since a good hunk of the recipe already revolves around fungus – that being mushrooms, of course – I thought, why not build upon that.

    And so, I did…

    CZAR FOON-GEE

    (Mushroom Stroganhoff To Feed The Evil Redhead – Serves 6-8)

    Not the best pic... This was a trial run and was missing the oyster mushrooms, plus I only had regular egg noodles on hand that day...

     

    Ingredients

    • 2 Large Portobello Mushrooms
    • 8 ounces Crimini Mushrooms
    • 8 ounces Oyster Mushrooms
    • 1 Large Zucchini Squash
    • 1 Small Vidalia Onion
    • 4 ounces butter
    • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 Cup Vegetable Stock (Preferably Homemade)
    • 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
    • 1/2 cup sour cream
    • 1/3 cup white wine
    • salt to taste
    • ground black pepper to taste
    • Olive oil

    Directions

    1. Clean mushrooms. Remember to remove gills from Portobellos. De-stem if necessary. Slice Portobellos into 1/4 thick strips. Slice Crimini mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. Set aside.
    2. Peel and chop vidalia onion.
    3. Slice Zucchini into 1/4 thick rounds.
    4. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown Zucchini and Portobello strips in olive oil, working in small batches. Set aside. Melt butter in pan, add the onions and cook slowly for 5 – 7 minutes, until they begin to caramelize. Set aside. Add Crimini and Oyster mushrooms, cook for another 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
    5. Add flour to pan and create a quick roux, then deglaze pan with white wine and vegetable stock. The juices should now thicken. Add tomato paste and stir until fully incorporated. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and onions back to pan.
    6. Stir in Sour Cream, then salt and pepper to taste.
    7. Serve over Kasha or Whole Wheat Egg Noodles.

     

    More to come…

    Murv

  • Insert Holiday Here…

      0 comments

    Yes… Yes… I know. The next blog up is supposed to be Food. It’s Really Not That Hard… I’ve caught all manner of grief about the “cliffhangerness” of the $750.00 story… Well, suck it up and quit complaining. It’s coming…

    HOWEVER…

    Well… You saw THAT coming, right? I know I did…

    As it happens, March 26 is way more than just a two and a six in a square on a sheet of paper. Never mind that the two and six would only add up to eight, which is way less than 26. Unless you then multiplied the sum by three and added two. But this isn’t supposed to be a math lesson. It’s actually supposed to be a March lesson, sans drums, hares, and, well, marching…

    Suffice it to say, March 26 is a couple of things besides just a date on a page:

    1. Earth Hour Day – if you don’t know about Earth Hour day, then go here and find out: EARTH HOUR – We here at La Casa De La Pelirrojas will be on candle power this evening to show our support. Feel free to join us (in the whole candle power thing, not showing up at our house. Do that and we might have to shoot you…)
    2. National Make Your Own Holiday Day – Srsly. (Details)

    Soooo, since March 26th, every year, is National Make Your Own Holiday Day, the staff of Brainpan Leakage – the staff in question being Moi… and… well… E K, because she’s the supervisor and I have to do what she tells me to do… But anyway, here at Brainpan Leakage we… I… she… us… Whatever… thought it might be a good thing to toss some ideas out there for folks, just in case they are having problems coming up with a holiday…

    POSSIBLE HOLIDAYS FOR NATIONAL MAKE YOUR OWN HOLIDAY DAY

    National Make Your Own Porn Day (Be sure to share)

    National Do Whatever E K Says Day (24/7/365 for me already)

    National Read A Rowan Gant Investigations Novel Day

    National Chuck A Woodchuck Day

    National Simonize Your Car Day

    National Eat Sushi Day

    National Hit Someone In The Face With A Pie Day

    National Just Say No To Microsoft Day

    National Velvet Day

    National Eat Some Vienna Sausages Day

    National SPAM On A Stick Day

    And… You know me… The list could go on, and on…

    So there you have it. It’s National Make Your Own Holiday day, so make yourself a holiday and celebrate it every way you can. But when the festivities are over, remember to turn out the lights, shut off the TV, and maybe just read a book by candlelight. Because no matter what holiday you invent, it’s still Earth Hour day, and we’ve only got one Earth – it has to last us a while…

    Besides. You’ll save some cash by not using all that electricity, and then you can afford to run out and buy some more books by that M. R. Sellars guy…

    More to come…

    Murv