The winners! The recipes that took all the ribbons in our annual reader contest

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 2004 by Alexandra Greeley

What do a risotto, strudel, quesadilla and savory stuffed bread have in common? Add richly flavored mushrooms to each, and you've got a winner. No big surprise since Americans have developed a passion for mushrooms: We eat about 742 million pounds a year, and that doesn't include wild types like porcini and chanterelles, which we're almost as mad for as portobellos, shiitakes and, of course, the familiar white button. But as impressive as the quantities we consume is the quality of recipes you submitted. There were mushroom chowders, fritters, pies, stuffings, stews ... your culinary creativity was amazing. Still, there were standouts: Every tester raved about the Wild Mushroom Risotto, which took first place this year. So, if you're only going to make one--!

FIRST PLACE: David L. Guimond

Wild Mushroom Risotto

SERVES 6

Although not a mycologist, David Guimond
of South Lyon, Michigan, has learned to
recognize at least several dozen edible
mushroom species, thanks to participating
in a naturalists' group led by a mycologist.
He is a self-taught cook, and he has refined
his cooking skills through travel and by
adapting classic recipes to a vegetarian
diet He especially enjoys hosting wild-mushroom
feasts served with selected
wines. Of this recipe, Guimond says, "I
make this two different ways. If I'm using
an elegant mushroom like morels or
chanterelles, I stick with stock and/or water.
However, if I'm using a heartier mushroom
like a blewitt or something from the
genus Agaricus, I may opt to add in a can of
diced tomatoes as part of the cooking
liquid." He also likes to serve the risotto
with a fresh, seasonal, green vegetable.

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 medium-sized onion, minced
About 3/4 lb. fresh wild mushrooms,
  coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
4 to 5 cups hot vegetable stock or
  water or both, as needed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  to taste

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over
medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent,
for about 7 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms, and cook over
medium heat until they give up their liquid,
for about 7 minutes. Add the Arborio rice
to the skillet, and stir. Add liquid I cup at a
time, stirring until all the liquid has been
absorbed, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Cook
the rice until it is just tender--avoid adding
too much liquid because the rice will become
mushy.

3. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, salt
and pepper, and serve.

PER SERVING: 120 CAL; 4G PROT; 4.5G TOTAL
FAT (2.5G SAT FAT); 17G CARE 10MG CHOL;
100MG SOD; 1G FIBER; 1G SUGARS

Wine Suggestions

A red wine, either a lighter one such as a Pinot
Noir, perhaps one from Byron Vineyards, or a
fuller-bodied Italian red would both be excellent
with this savory fall classic. The Ruffino
Reserva Ducale Chianti Classico would be a
very special treat for this dish.

SECOND PLACE: Cameni Williams

Twice-Baked Roasted
Mushroom-Stuffed Bread

SERVES 8

Cameni Williams, the creator of this mushroom
extravaganza, is a native of San Juan
Island off of Washington state. She has followed
her culinary passion all over the
world from New York to France to Southern
Mexico and back again. She has been
an avid reader of Vegetarian Times for the
past 10 years.

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  to taste
2 1/2 lb. portobello, cremini or wild
  mushrooms
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped sage
1/4 cup chopped rosemary
1 large round loaf of artisan bread,
  about 1 lb.
1 cup shredded low-fat Swiss cheese
2 large eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup
  nonfat milk

1. Combine the oil, garlic, salt and pepper in
a large bowl, and add the mushrooms. Marinate
them for at least 24 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 425F. Remove mushrooms
from marinade, and roast them for
45 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool
and chop coarsely. Set aside. Reduce the
temperature to 350F.

3. Heat the remaining marinade in a large
skillet over medium heat, and saute the
onion for 7 minutes, or until translucent. Add
the mushrooms and herbs, and cook for 5
minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.

4. Cut a hole in the top of the bread, about
1/2 inch down from the top, and hollow out
the loaf. Reserve the soft breadcrumbs in
small pieces.

5. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a
large bowl, and add about 1/2 cup of the
reserved breadcrumbs. Sprinkle in the
cheese, salt and pepper, and add the
eggs. Stir until the mixture is moistened
throughout.

6. Stuff the mixture back into the hollowed-out
bread, and wrap the loaf in foil.
Be sure that the loaf is totally covered to
prevent it from drying out.

7. Bake the loaf until the mixture is cooked
through, for about 45 minutes. Remove
from the oven, unwrap the foil and cool
slightly. Slice the loaf, and serve with a tart
green salad.

PER SERVING: 390 CAL; 11G PROT; 31G TOTAL
FAT (5G SAT. FAT); 17G CARB; 60MG CHOL;
115MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 4G SUGARS

THIRD PLACE: Michele A. Brusegard

Mixed Mushroom and
Roasted Red Pepper Strudel
with Chevre Cheese

SERVES 6

Michele Brusegard started eating mushrooms
about 10 years ago, but before that
she studiously avoided them in any
dish. She had prepared a similar strudel
recipe but didn't like the results. After some
thought, she developed this dish. "I use
mushrooms now fairly often," she says.

Filling

3 sweet red peppers
1/2 cup white wine or water
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  to taste
4 oz. chevre cheese

Strudel

1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms
8 sheets (1/2 lb. pkg.) frozen phyllo
  dough, thawed

Sauce

1 12-oz. can tomato juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. crushed dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 cup white wine or water
3 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 cup nonfat milk

1. Preheat the oven to broil.

2. To make the Filling: Roast the peppers
under a broiler, turning often, until the
skins are blackened, for about 20 minutes.
Place the peppers in a paper bag, and
steam them for another 15 minutes.
Remove the charred skins from the peppers,
holding them over a bowl to catch
the juices. Thinly slice the peppers, and set
aside the strips from 1 pepper to use as a
garnish. Reduce the oven temperature to
350F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

3. Heat the wine or water in a large skillet
over medium heat, and cook the onion and
garlic in the liquid for 5 minutes. Add the
mushrooms, and continue to cook until the
mushrooms are tender and the liquid is
almost evaporated, for about I0 minutes
more. Remove from the heat, and mix the
mushroom mixture and pepper strips together.
Season with salt and pepper, and set
the mixture aside.

4. To make the Strudel: Put the dried
mushrooms into a bag, and crush them
using a rolling pin. Spray one sheet of the
phyllo dough with nonstick cooking spray,
and spread some of the mushroom crumbs
on top. Place another layer of phyllo on
top, coating it with nonstick cooking spray
and mushroom crumbs. Continue to layer
the phyllo and mushroom crumbs until the
phyllo is used up.

5. Drain any collected fluid from the mushroom-pepper
mixture, combine it with the
reserved roasted pepper juice, and set
aside. Spread the filling on top of the
phyllo, and sprinkle with the crumbled
chevre cheese. Starting at the longer side
of the phyllo sheet, roll the strudel into a
log, and tuck in the sides. Carefully place
the strudel onto the baking sheet.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the phyllo
is golden in color. Remove from the oven.

7. Meanwhile, to make the Sauce: Put the
tomato juice, garlic and herbs into a
saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium
heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and
cook for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix
the wine, the reserved liquids from the
mushrooms and peppers and the cornstarch.
Slowly whisk the mixture into the
tomato juice, and took until thickened.
Whisk in the milk, remove from the heat
and keep warm.

8. To serve, spoon half of the sauce onto 6
individual plates, and cut the strudel into 6
portions, placing one portion on each
plate. Spoon the remaining sauce over the
strudel. Garnish with the pepper strips.

PER SERVING: 240 CAL; 9G PROT; 6G TOTAL
FAT (3G SAT. FAT); 33G CARB; 10MG CHOL;
473MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 7G SUGARS

Wine Suggestions

Earthy mushrooms, red peppers and an herby
tomato sauce call for a Pinot Noir such as the
Edna Valley, or an Italian red, perhaps the Sfida
Rosso, a spicy blend of three Italian grapes.