{"id":24326,"date":"2018-02-13T09:58:22","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T14:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=24326"},"modified":"2018-02-13T09:58:25","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T14:58:25","slug":"meatless-meals-make-for-mouthwatering-dishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=24326","title":{"rendered":"Meatless meals make for mouthwatering dishes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli,<\/strong>\u00a0Food Correspondent, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A baked mushroom pasta casserole can entice eaters to give meatless meals more than one try.<\/p><\/div>\n

Local chefs I interviewed recently on top 2018 food trends cited farm-to-table and hyper-local eating as among the top locally enduring preferences for the coming year. Indeed, the most readily available ingredients featured at farmers markets are local produce.\u00a0 In addition, many local restaurants grow their own produce or obtain it from neighboring gardens.\u00a0 National pundits caught this trend too but called it a push for \u201cplant based\u201d food.<\/p>\n

They must have meant meatless.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More and more of us are practicing meat-free eating, often more than one time per week.\u00a0 According to recently published market research 31% of Americans practice frequent meat-free eating. For instance, Meatless Mondays are the perfect antidote for a weekend filled with too many rich, often luxurious meals.\u00a0 And, meatless meals in general are ideal for those who are health oriented or wish to lighten up, which are key benefits of incorporating plant-based ingredients.\u00a0 Then there are Lenten practices which call for avoiding meat-based dishes during that season.<\/p>\n

There are endless meatless recipes to choose from.\u00a0 Meals centered around such recipes can be fun, delicious and so easy to eat that they make meals delightful and enjoyable for the entire family.<\/p>\n

Here in Chester County, home of the mushroom capital of the world, it\u2019s easy to get carried away with mushrooms.\u00a0 They often are the focus of meatless eating in this area.\u00a0\u00a0 Their variety seems endless \u2013 reliable white buttons and criminis; flavorful shitakes; exotic oysters, trumpets, enoki, hen of the woods \u2013 you name it.\u00a0\u00a0 And to top it off, all those varieties are readily available at local grocers and specialty shops.<\/p>\n

No matter what the variety, mushrooms offer a perfect foil for these meatless dishes.\u00a0 Their earthy, almost-meaty taste and rich textures complement the other, more forward elements in a dish.\u00a0 Mixing and matching makes for plenty of flavorful combinations.<\/p>\n

Baked mushroom pasta casserole is just such a dish.\u00a0 Easy to make, delicious and fine to be prepared in advance, it\u2019s perfect for weeknight suppers when everyone in the household is on the run.\u00a0 Choosing a short pasta shape such as penne, fusilli or gemelli insures that the lovely sauce permeates the entire dish. \u00a0\u00a0If you\u2019re really in a hurry, simply serve from the platter without baking.\u00a0 It\u2019s mouthwatering that way too.<\/p>\n

So hop on down to the local grocery, grab a bag of mushrooms, a box of pasta and prepare to enjoy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Baked Mushroom and Fettuccine Casserole<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/u><\/p>\n

1\u00bd pounds mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced<\/p>\n

2 sprigs each fresh rosemary and thyme<\/p>\n

1 large onion or several shallots, diced<\/p>\n

7 tbs unsalted butter<\/p>\n

5 tbs flour<\/p>\n

1\u00bd cups heavy cream<\/p>\n

2 tsp kosher or sea salt<\/p>\n

\u00bd tsp ground black pepper<\/p>\n

1 32-oz carton of low-salt vegetable broth<\/p>\n

1 pound fettuccine, cooked 1-2 minutes less than manufacturer\u2019s instructions<\/p>\n

\u00bd cup grated Romano cheese<\/p>\n

\u00bd cup thinly sliced Fontina cheese<\/p>\n

Preparation<\/u><\/p>\n

Melt 5 tbs butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.\u00a0 When bubbling, add flour.\u00a0 Whisk until mixture begins to brown like roux, about 3 minutes.\u00a0 While whisking slowly pour in vegetable broth.\u00a0 Continue until mixture thickens.\u00a0 Stir in cream and add herbs.\u00a0 Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tbs butter in a large skillet.\u00a0 Add onions.\u00a0 Cook till softened, about 3-5 minutes.\u00a0 Add mushrooms and cook till they are tender, about 5 – 8 minutes.\u00a0 Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.\u00a0 Set aside.<\/p>\n

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pasta according to directions.\u00a0 If baking the dish, undercook pasta by a few minutes.\u00a0 After draining, put pasta back into the large pot.\u00a0 Stir in mushroom mixture.\u00a0 Toss in Romano cheese.\u00a0 Pour into casserole dish and top with Fontina cheese.\u00a0 Bake ~30 minutes.\u00a0 The baking step can be omitted with the dish being served right after the pasta mixture is added if desired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli,\u00a0Food Correspondent, The Times Local chefs I interviewed recently on top 2018 food trends cited farm-to-table and hyper-local eating as among the top locally enduring preferences for the coming year. Indeed, the most readily available ingredients featured at farmers markets are local produce.\u00a0 In addition, many local restaurants grow their own produce or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[10161,6269,10160],"class_list":["post-24326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-ash-wednesday","tag-featured","tag-meatless-meals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24327,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24326\/revisions\/24327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}