I have been craving mushrooms. I don't know what that means, I just have. So today I went to a local market that has wonderful produce and bought four different kinds of mushrooms: regular white button mushrooms, shitake, oyster and cremini. All but the oyster mushrooms I purchased already sliced, because it was late in the day and I was trying to save time. I don't usually do this because I am bothered by paying someone else to cut up my food. Call me cheap. I also bought some Brussels sprouts.
When I got home, the first thing I did was to turn on the grill to high. I then put a 3 slices of bacon in a pan to cook. While they were cooking, I washed the Brussels sprouts, trimmed the ends off, picked off any yellow leaves and cut them in half lengthwise. Always choose small sprouts as they are less bitter. I then put the Brussels sprouts in a microwave safe bowl and cooked them for three minutes on high in the microwave. I took the bacon out of the pan and set it aside on a paper towel. I then put in the partially cooked Brussels sprouts into the pan with the bacon fat and just sautéed along with two cloves of garlic that I ran through the garlic press right into the pan. I sautéed them for a minute or two. I then put them in an oven proof pan with a lid, added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and set them aside.
I then scrubbed four potatoes, poked holes in them and put them in the microwave for 10 minutes. While these were pre-cooking, I prepared my boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I rinsed them, patted them dry, and trimmed off any fat. I brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides. Now I am ready to go outside. I bring out the potatoes, chicken and pan of Brussels sprouts. Everything goes on the grill. Chicken on one side, potatoes and Brussels sprouts on the other.
I come back inside and wipe out the pan I used for the bacon. I then put two tablespoons of olive oil and two table spoons of butter in the pan and turn the heat on medium. I rinse the mushrooms, and cut the stems off of the oyster mushrooms. All the mushrooms go into the pan and I raise the heat to high. I go outside and give the Brussels sprouts a stir and check the chicken, not quite ready to turn. It needs at least eight minutes. Don't try to turn it too soon, or it will stick to the grill. When it is ready it will lift easily. I come back and check on the mushrooms, a few quick stirs. They are giving off a lot of liquid. I want this to all cook away.
Back outside to pick some rosemary and chives, flip the chicken and give the Brussels sprouts another stir. They are nearly done. I also check the potatoes; they are also nearly done. I come in and chop the herbs and set aside. The liquid is pretty much dissolved from the mushrooms. They have been cooking on high for about ten minutes. I run three cloves of garlic through the garlic press right into the mushroom pan, add the rosemary and turn the heat to medium. I add about 1/2 cup of white wine and let this reduce. I go back outside and turn off the side of the grill that has the potatoes and Brussels sprouts. My grill has four burners and I love this feature. Everything will stay warm while the chicken continues to cook.
Back inside. This sounds like a lot of running around doesn't it? Not really, my patio is right off my kitchen and my house is quite small, so it's only a few steps each time. I now check the mushrooms and add 1/4 cup of heavy cream about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir and reduce the heat to low. Back outside to get everything. The chicken has cooked a total of 15-18 minutes. These were pretty thick breasts, cook them less time if yours are thin. I transfer the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and add the bacon which I have crumbled. I add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan that had the Brussels sprouts and throw in a quarter cup of chopped walnuts and cook over medium heat. The chicken goes onto a platter and mushroom sauce on top. Baked potatoes will be served with butter, sour cream and chives. Nuts come off the stove and go into the Brussels sprouts. Dinner is done. From start to finish that took about 45 minutes and everything was great!
I only had two pans to wash, and since it was a warm day, I didn't heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven for the potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I know this wasn't an actual recipe, but a run through of my dinner preparation. Sometimes it's easier for me to explain it this way, since I didn't actually have recipes for what I made. I had leftover heavy cream, so I thought I would throw it into the mushrooms, another night, I might just make them with the wine. This is how I usually cook, on the fly. Once you get accustomed to what tastes good with what, you can do the same thing! Practice makes perfect! Good luck! And most importantly, have fun!
Happy Cooking,
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
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