I believe mushrooms are truly a gift from nature and they are precious to the vegetarian cook, with their earthy robust flavors and meaty texture.

Fresh wild mushrooms are sometimes difficult to find and fresh porcini nearly impossible. While some of you may be wary of dried mushrooms, after trying this recipe, you’ll realize how absolutely delicious and bursting with rich flavor they can be.

Look for dried Porcini of high quality, preferably those imported from Italy or France. The sliced caps should be dark brown and at least 2 inches in length.

Ingredients
POLENTA
2-1/2 c. quick cooking Italian polenta
6 c. water
1/2-1 t. salt
4 T. butter or 1/4 c. olive oil, optional
1/2 c. Fontina cheese, optional

MUSHROOM TOPPING
3 c. Porcini mushrooms (dried & reconstituted, see below)
3 c. mixed fresh mushrooms such as button, shitake, or crimini
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 c. chopped plum tomatoes, skinned
1/4 c. dry white wine, optional
1/2 c. chopped mixed fresh herbs — parsley, basil, thyme, & tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare Polenta:
Bring salted water to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan. Slowly sprinkle polenta meal into water, stirring constantly. Lower heat, then continue to stir and cook until polenta thickens and pulls away from sides of pan, about 4-5 minutes. Now add butter or olive oil and cheese if you want.

Spray a 9 X 13 inch cake pan with water, then pour polenta into pan and spread to corners with the back of a wooden spoon. If mixture sticks to spoon, simply spritz polenta with a little water.

Allow polenta to set up — 45-60 minutes — before cutting and using. You can also wrap with plastic tightly and refrigerate until ready to use. Polenta will keep in the fridge for about a week and can be used for our fabulous fried polenta appetizer.

To prepare Mushroom Topping:
Rinse dried mushrooms under running water to clean, then soak in warm water to cover about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile clean and slice fresh mushrooms and set aside. In a small saucepan, boil water. Drop tomatoes into boiling water one by one. After a few seconds skins will pucker and begin to loosen. Remove immediately from water and slide skins off. Chop peeled tomatoes roughly and set aside.

Heat oil in a wide saute pan and add garlic and onions. Saute until just beginning to soften, then add fresh mushroom and continue to saute.

With your hands, squeeze broth from reconstituted dried mushrooms and add them to saute pan. Stir, then add 1 cup of reserved broth, and simmer. Any leftover broth can be saved for stock.

When sauce thickens, add tomatoes and half the herbs. Simmer another 10-15 minutes. Sauce should be thick and rich. Add some of the reserved mushroom broth if mixture seems too dry. If desired, now add wine. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then remaining herbs.

To assemble:
Slice polenta into 1/2″ wide slices and place in individual portions on a baking sheet greased with olive oil.

If desired, then drizzle with additional olive oil.

Bake at 475 degrees for about 10 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Spoon mushroom topping over individual servings, dress with additional fruity (Sicilian) olive oil, and serve hot.

Note: Only needing a rinse to clean them, soaking dried mushrooms in water for less than half an hour prepares them for cooking. Make sure to reserve the rich “broth” soaking creates, as it makes an excellent base for soups and sauces and is impossible to achieve with fresh, cultivated mushrooms.

Toni caters lunch for Willard Beach, The Real Story, a sharp and funny web series posting weekly 3 minute episodes

Serves 4-6

Inspired by the $5 “grab bags” of vegetables sold by one of the vendors at our local farmer’s market, this variety of late season vegetables combined with woodsy Cremini mushrooms is equally scrumptious for lunch or dinner served alongside tofu “steaks” or a veggie burger, or simply spooned over whole wheat pasta or brown rice.

Ingredients:
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped into 1/2” dice
3 large cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 1/2 t. coarse Kosher salt
3 carrots, chopped into 1/2” dice
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced down the middle, then cut into 1/4” half-rounds
2-3 small to medium-sized potatoes, chopped into 1/2” dice
1 pint cherry tomatoes, any variety, rinsed, whole
1 cube Organic Gourmet bouillion dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
8 oz. Cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, sliced into halves
Handful of fresh sage, basil, and parsley, coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Hot pepper flakes, to taste

To prepare:
Heat a wide skillet over medium heat and add olive oil, followed by chopped onion and garlic and a half teaspoon of salt. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, being careful not to scorch garlic, until onion is just beginning to be translucent. Add chopped carrots and squash to the pan and continue to toss and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, until vegetables are beginning to soften. Now put potatoes and whole tomatoes into the pan and stir to combine the vegetables – add the dissolved bouillion.

When the mixture begins to simmer, add the mushrooms and chopped fresh herbs, lower the heat, and cover the pan tightly. Allow the mixture to cook for 10-15 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and other vegetables are tender, but not mushy. When everything is cooked through, season the mixture with the remaining salt, the black pepper, and the pepper flakes. Taste and correct seasonings as needed.

Oh so many years ago when we first became vegetarians, in order to get a decent, tasty vegan pizza, you had to make it yourself. While it’s still a wonderful thing to DIY – check out Toni’s amazing Potato Sage Pizza – it’s also nice to know that from Boston to Seattle and in a growing number of cities in between, you can find pizza parlors who have mastered the fine art of vegan pizza making.

T.J. Scallywaggles – Boston, MA
Pizza Plaza – Oakland, CA
Pizza Pi – Seattle, WA
The Rudyard Kipling – Louisville, KY
Viva Herbal Pizzeria – NYC
Gianna’s Grille – Philadelphia, PA (check out their veg specialties too!)
Este Pizzeria – Salt Lake City, UT
Tomato Joe’s – Valencia, CA
Bobby G’s Pizzeria – Berkeley, CA (vegan pizza by the slice!)

If you’ve ever planted more than one “hill” of zucchini squash, you know that at some point in the season, the output of this reliable plant can be somewhat overwhelming.  Here’s a tasty and scrumptious solution for using this prolific vegetable that is sure to remind you why you planted it in the first place.

Serves 8

This cake is vegan and simply scrumptious – sweet and with a lovely, pudding-moist texture. I like to top this cake with fresh fruit (such as raspberries or cut up peaches) and a squirt of Soyatoo.  Or simply cool, sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over the top, and serve as is.

Ingredients:
1 c. unbleached white flour
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. turbinado or organic sugar
1/3 c. coarsely milled walnuts
1 ½ t. non-aluminum baking powder
½ t. soda
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. soy, rice, or hempmilk
2 c. shredded zucchini flesh (skin and all)

To prepare:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all dry ingredients and stir to combine with a fork.  Add vegetable oil and milk and stir just until combined – don’t overstir!  Fold in shredded zucchini.  The batter will be thick.  Scrape batter into a 9″ round or square prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool completely before cutting and serving.

The following list is just a small sample of our favorite summer fresh vegetables for stir frying: green beans, peppers, onions, eggplant slices, carrots, zucchini, pattypan or yellow squash, chard, sugar snap and snow peas, asparagus, and of course sweet corn. Use your imagination when combining vegetables for a stir fry and never be afraid to experiment.  Summer is the best time of year to enjoy all the flavorful benefits and easy preparation of vegetarian food.  So, go on…stir fry!