[Jamestown1630]

This week: A very hospitable appetizer, an unusual seed, and some culinary history!

(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping list, please send a private message.)

-JT

[Twotone]

So...is this a party thread or a Thanksgiving thread? :-)

Let’s party first, as I’m so happy to have a President Trump!

Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms

8 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
½ cup onion, finely chopped
¼ lb raw shrimp, cleaned & finely chopped
4 tbsp butter, divided
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
Lemon juice

Clean mushrooms & remove stems. Place mushroom caps stem-side up in baking dish. Drizzle lemon juice in each cap. Chop mushroom stems. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in skillet; add stems, celery & onions. Sauté vegetables until soft. Add shrimp & sauté until shrimp are done. Add bread crumbs & mix well. Spoon this mixture into prepared caps. Melt 2 tbsp. butter & drizzle over the filled mushrooms. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

[Liz]

A couple gluten-free tips.

<><> Make a rich Béchamel for Italian dishes using cr/cheese/parm/milk.

<><> Make a pesto using sunflower seeds (the seeds are also a good nut substitute for those allergic to nuts).

<><> Try thickening sauces and gravies w/ dry potato flakes.

[thesligoduffyflynns]

put me in the pot please

[Ellendra]

Lambsquarters is a form of wild quinoa that grows over most of North America. I purposely let some grow in unused corners of my garden, and harvest the seeds. I’m still working on better ways to winnow it though, that’s dusty work!

[Ellendra]

Last week I made a pumpkin streusel that was pretty good. I started with roughly 3 cups of pumpkin. (It was home-grown, and frozen. I kind of eyeballed how much to thaw out.) Then I added:

1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 eggs
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp maple extract
brown sugar to taste (Depending on how sweet the pumpkin is. I grow super sweet ones.)

After mixing, I pureed it with an immersion blender to make it smooth. I poured the puree into a 9x13 pan, and topped it with a quadrupled batch of cinnamon-pecan streusel. Well, actually, I started with a single batch of streusel, but it got absorbed into the pumpkin as it baked, so I whipped up some more to make a crunchy top.

Everyone who tasted it loved it!

(Note: if you like nutmeg, you can include it. I really hate the taste of nutmeg, so much so that for years I thought I hated pumpkin. Up to you.)