Crimini Sliders

Yes, it's that time of the month again, i.e. my regular craving for vegetarian fare. I wanted something barbecue-y and brown crimini mushrooms, also called baby portobella, are the perfect substitute for beef because they have a smokey meaty flavor. I cooked them in a skillet with a tablespoon of water, added KFC bottled barbecue sauce, then I filled the cavities of the mushrooms with grated Gouda, topped with sauteed onions and served in 2½-inch mini burger buns. These are very good barbecue mushroom sliders. For regular size buns, you can use the very large portobellas. And for added smokey flavor, cook then on the grill.

Crimini Sliders
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium Vidalia or yellow onions, sliced thin
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
12 brown crimini mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1 tablespoon water
½ cup barbecue sauce
grated Gouda
12 mini hamburger buns, grilled or toasted

• In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute onions and salt until onions are translucent. Add the herbs and stir fry for 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• In the same skillet, simmer, covered, the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon water until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce and stir until the mushrooms are fully coated with the sauce. Turn the mushrooms and fill the cavities with enough Gouda, flip the mushrooms and cook until the cheese has melted. Put one mushroom on the bottom half of each mini bun, and top with onions and cover with the top half of the bun. Enjoy!

The white bread recipe is here. To make mini burger buns, scale 1 - 1½ ounces of dough. Brush the risen buns with egg wash and top with sesame or poppy seeds just before baking.

Beef Tongue In Mushroom Sauce

beef tongue with fresh crimini mushrooms

Ox, beef, or pork tongue stew is a popular dish in the Philippines because Filipinos love their offal. When I first saw and tried this dish as a child I was freaked out; it felt like I was eating my own tongue. I never ate nor cooked the thing again until about 5 years ago and this is only the second time I made this dish. I sliced the meat and fried them a little before briefly cooking in the sauce as opposed to stewing the whole tongue in the sauce.

It takes a long time to boil the tongue but it came out very tender and delicious with baby portabella/crimini mushrooms. Next time I'll pickle some pork tongues for Italian style sandwich.

Beef Tongue In Mushroom Sauce
1 beef tongue
water
1 medium onion, quartered
1 small carrot, scraped and sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups sliced crimini
1 bay leaf
2 cups reserved stock
salt and ground black pepper to taste
a few sprigs fresh thyme leaves

• Rinse tongue in water, brush well, and place in a large pot, then add water to cover. Turn heat to high and boil tongue for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse the tongue again in water. Rinse the pot, put back the tongue and add water to cover. Boil tongue with onion, carrot, bay leaf, salt, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 - 3 hours or until tender. Transfer the tongue to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil and set aside to cool. Strain and reserve the stock.
• Peel and discard the tongue's skin. Cut the meat into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and fry the slices until light brown.
• Melt the remaining butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bay leaf and saute 2 minutes longer. Add the flour and stir fry for 2 minutes. Slowly add the reserved stock, stirring frequently. Then add the tongue, reserved stock, and thyme. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with steamed rice.