Shitake Mushrooms with Cheese Tortillini

A mushroom walks into a bar. The bartenders says, "We don't allow your kind in here." The mushrooms says, "What do you have against me? I'm a fungi!"

I told that joke as an intro to a presentation on fungus in college. Yes, I have a biology degree and all I remember is that joke.

I saw this recipe on Everyday Foods. I stopped getting the magazine and pretty much stopped recording the show but I happened across one of the Everyday Food chefs making this and thought I'd give it a try. Turns out it's almost the exact same recipe that we make with green peas instead of mushrooms (a recipe from an old Everyday Foods magazine...imagine that) .

Ingredients:

1/2 lb shitake mushrooms (sliced)

2 cloves garlic (minced), this was pretty garlicy

flat leaf parsley (a lot, chopped)

3 tbsp grated parmesan (more for top)

1 tbsp butter

1 package cheese tortellini

Heat a bit of oil in a pan, add mushrooms and soften, add garlic, stir, add 3/4 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Let reduce for 5 minutes.

Make tortellini per package instructions.

Add cooked pasta, parsley, parmesan and butter. Toss and serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.

Linguine with Shrimp, Tomatoes and Feta

The only thing easier than blogging is making this dish.

I cut the recipe in half and used half a bag a non-name brand frozen shrimp from Fiesta ($5.00)that were actually the best frozen shrimp I've ever bought (read: not tough). I used the little bit of basil that has survived from the plant I bought last fall. Fresh basil made it that much better and I can still taste it and smell it on my fingers from dicing.

This recipe takes no time. 10 minutes for prep, 1 hour chiling in the fridge, and then another 20 outside to let the mixture reach room temperature while you heat up the linguine. The only thing I'd recommend is to make sure the tomato/shrimp/feta sauce is no longer cold when you add the noodles because the only heat you're adding is noodles and you want the dish to be warm.

1 pound medium shrimp (about 40)
2 pints vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
4 large garlic cloves
1 bunch scallions
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta (about 6 ounces)
1 pound dried linguine

Shell shrimp and, if desired, devein. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook shrimp until cooked through, about 1 minute, and drain well. Halve tomatoes and mince garlic. Finely chop scallions. In a large bowl stir together all ingredients except linguine with salt and pepper to taste. Chill sauce, covered, 1 hour. Let sauce stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. In an 8-quart kettle bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil and cook linguine until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta water and drain pasta. Add pasta to sauce and toss well, adding enough pasta water to reach desired consistency. (This recipe is from Gourmet magazine.)