Sauteed Wild Mushrooms

Wild Mushrooms come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. See Below.

White Button or Commercial Mushrooms (Used widely in the US.)
Chantarelle Mushrooms
Enoki Mushrooms
Morel Mushrooms
Oyster Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushrooms
Angel Trumpet Mushrooms
Wood-ear Mushrooms
Brown - Italian Mushrooms
Lobster Mushrooms
Bolete and Porcini Mushrooms
Portabella Mushrooms


Ingredients for Sauteing Wild Mushrooms:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Pound of Mixed Wild Mushrooms
1 Garlic Clove, minced well
1 Tablespoon Each of Minced Fresh Marjoram and Fresh Chives
1 - 2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar for tasting
Salt and Ground Black Pepper for tasting

How to Saute Wild Mushrooms:

Choose from a variety of wild mushrooms for excellent flavoring. You can use Chantarelle Mushrooms, Enoki Mushrooms, Morel Mushrooms, Oyster Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, Angel Trumpet Mushrooms, Wood-ear Mushrooms, Brown - Italian Mushrooms, Lobster Mushrooms, Bolete and Porcini Mushrooms, or Portabella Mushrooms. Feel free to throw in some regular White Button Mushrooms too. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Saute your wild mushrooms for about 4 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms. Stir in the garlic, herbs and vinegar. Cook for only 30 seconds more. Remove your wild mushrooms from the skillet and place on each serving dish. Add salt and ground black pepper for extra flavoring. Serve on grilled bread or bruschetta.

Grilled Tuscan Steak

Grilled steak can be difficult for some. IE...me. Me and the smoke detector are good friends now. With a different battery, he is not as loud anymore and I sometimes prepare the room by putting on the air condition, placing all fans in the direction of the kitchen, and opening the balcony doors.

For those of you, without a special relationship with your smoke detector, here is a great recipe for Grilled Tuscan Steak.

Ingredients for Grilled Tuscan Steak:
1 Porterhouse Steak - At least 1 1/2 inches thick or a tender cut
1 Teaspoon of black peppercorns, grounded well before use
Extra olive oil, porcini mushroom or herb flavored olive oil
Sauteed wild mushrooms

How to Cook Grilled Tuscan Steak:
Do not use a frozen steak, buy a fresh one. Take the fresh porterhouse steak out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking. Rub the ground peppercorns into both sides of the steak. Grab the grill and prepare the charcoal with fragrant hardwoods. Grill your porterhouse steak for 4 to 5 minutes for each side. If grilling rare, only turn the steak once. While the meat is cooking saute the mushrooms on a skillet on the grill. Use stove top if you have a small grill or wait until steak is done. Remove meat and drizzle with olive oil. Wait about 5 minutes before carving your Grilled Tuscan Steak. Waiting to carve your meat with allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the steak. Top your meat with the sauteed mushrooms.

Pasta with a Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Ingredients for Pasta with a Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce:
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1 Minced Shallot
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Cup of Heavy Cream
1 Cup of Plum Tomatoes
1 Tablespoon of Minced Fresh Basil
1/4 Cup Oil-Packed Sun-dried Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper for taste
1/2 Pound of Farfalle pasta or another pasta
Fresh Parmesan Cheese

How to Make Pasta with a Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce (Wicked Easy!):
Take your plum tomatoes and peel, chop and remove seeds. Also cut your sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips. At this time, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Take the shallot and saute it with garlic for 30 seconds or so. Constantly stir during those 30 seconds. Add your cream and tomatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer the pan for about 10 minutes. Stir in your basil, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Keep warm, while you cook your farfalle. Cook al dente if you prefer. Drain well and mix into your sauce. Divide your dish amongst 4 bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Homemade Chicken Soup With Escarole

When you or your loved one is sick, homemade chicken soup always tastes better than canned soup. However when in a pinch, I still go for Campbell's Double Noodle or Chicken Noodle Soup for myself. For those of you that want to take extra in making your chicken soup for a loved one or for a different kind of dinner soup, try our this recipe for Chicken Soup With Escarole.

Ingredients for Making Chicken Soup with Escarole:
5 cups of strong chicken broth, preferably homemade
1 bunch of fresh escarole
8 or 9 ounces of tortellini or pastina
Salt or ground black pepper for tasting
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make Chicken Soup with Escarole:
Rinse, trim and cut your escarole in half. Make sure your pasta is fresh or thoroughly thawed. Simmer your chicken broth in a large pot and in a another pot cook escarole in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain the escarole well and let it cool for a few minutes. Boil your pasta for 3 to 4 minutes or al dente if you prefer. Drain the pasta and add pasta to your chicken broth. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Add salt and paper for taste and serve with light grated Parmesan cheese. Homemade Chicken Soup for all!

Baked Tomatoes with Basil & Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients for Baked Tomatoes with Basil & Parmesan Recipe:
3 large vine-ripe tomatoes
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs, roughly 12 tablespoons
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
1/4 minced herbs, use basil, parsley, or marjoram
3/4 cup of shredded Parmesan or asiago cheese, roughly 12 tablespoons
6 tablespoons of olive oil
For taste, use salt and black ground pepper

How to Make Baked Tomatoes with Basil & Parmesan Recipe:
Cut your tomatoes in half. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your tomatoes into a baking dish that has been oiled. Place the tomato cut sides upward. Combine all of your other ingredients and sprinkle the mixture over each tomato equally. Bake for 30 minutes or until each is crusty. Your freshly baked tomatoes will soften but will still hold their shape. Baked Tomatoes with Basil & Parmesan can be made as a side dish or chopped into small pieces and served over pasta. You can also add 2 or 3 chopped anchovies for a Neapolitan taste.

Grilled Garlic Bread with Fresh Tomato Relish

Ingredients for Grilled Garlic Bread with Fresh Tomato Relish:
1 pound fresh tomatoes, sliced, peeled with no seeds
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or oregano leaves
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and ground black pepper for taste
Bruschetta or Crostini

How to Make Grilled Garlic Bread with Fresh Tomato Relish:
Take all your ingredients except the bread and mix in a bowl. Marinate your mixture for 30 minutes at room temperature. Grill bruschetta or crostini in the oven or you do not need to grill at all. Spread your fresh tomato relish over your brushetta and serve. This recipe makes 6 servings, but can be spread thinly over 8 or 10 servings. The above picture is of Fresh Tomato Relish on salmon. This recipe can be used with chicken, beef, salmon, bread, and eggplant.

The Fruit Orchard Recipe Blog consists of recipes supplied by employees, friends, and customers of Ruma Fruit & Gift Basket World.

Fresh Mozzarella with Herbs

I love eating fresh mozzarella, and there is nothing better than tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella with salt and pepper. Some people enjoy balsamic vinegar with their fresh mozzarella, but too much balsamic vinegar can ruin the taste for me. A great recipe to try out would be Fresh Mozzarella with Herbs Marinated.

Ingredients for Fresh Mozzarella with Herbs:

1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (I get the fresh mozzarella balls at the supremarket, but they have them prepacked too)
2 tablespoons fresh schredded basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper for taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Grilled bread or Crostini

How to Make Fresh Mozzarella with Herbs:

Drain the fresh mozzarella and slice each ball very thin or as desired. Overlap the fresh mozzarella cheese slices in a large dish or baking pan. Mix all ingredients to make a paste. Cover each mozzarella slice with the marinade. At this point, cover your dish tightly and put your fresh mozzarella creation into the refrigerator for at least two hours. Create serving sizes with the Crostini and place your marinated fresh mozzarella onto the Crostini. Serves 4 - 6 people. Enjoy!