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Mushroom Flatbread with Fontina and Balsamic Reduction

Placing cuts of flatbread on a big cutting board is nice way to present. Place the salad greens on there as well. Shards of crispy prosciutto, grated parmesan and balsamic drizzle… MANGIARE!

(each flatbread serves 1-2, recipe is for 2 flatbreads)

For red onion “jam”:

3 red onions, thinly sliced
1/3 C olive oil
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t dried thyme
Several cranks of black pepper

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C sugar
1 t mustard seeds
3 bay leaves
Zest of half an orange

In a preheated skillet, add oil, onions, salt, thyme and black pepper. Sauté until onions begin to soften. Add garlic. Continue to sauté onions are very soft and garlic is fragrant.

Add remaining ingredients and continue to sauté over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and a thick, syrupy consistency is achieved.

Remove mixture to a bowl and allow cooling. Once cooled, remove bay leaves and pulse onion mixture in a food processor until a smooth, spreadable consistency is achieved.

Red onion jam will hold for several weeks in the refrigerator. Great on a sliced pork sandwich, turkey, ham etc…Also great on a BLT. A schmear on a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon is pretty awesome too. Many uses!

For mushrooms:

2 – 8 ounce containers of Baby Bella mushrooms (wiped clean, stems removed, caps cut into 6 pieces)
2 t Herbs de Provence
1 salt
Several cranks of black pepper
Olive oil

In a preheated skillet, place a generous amount of olive oil (1/3 C). Add mushrooms, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Allow mushrooms to sit a bit before stirring. Allow some color to develop and for the mushrooms to render out their liquid. Remove for later use.

These make a great choice for their moist and meaty texture.
Choose mushrooms that have not separated from the stem.
Only 2 t on Herbs de Provence. The video indicates something different!
An herb mix that contains: savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano and lavender.

For balsamic reduction:

1 C balsamic vinegar
1 T honey

In a small sauce pan, combine vinegar and honey. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Continue to monitor until you see a thickening on the bottom of the pan. The mixture will reduce by at least half. Once vinegar is thickly coating bottom of pan, remove it from the heat and allow cooling.

Assembly:

Invert a cookie sheet and place into a cold oven. Set oven temperature to 425 degrees. Allow it to fully reach temperature and an additional 10 minutes.

Brush both sides of Naan with olive oil.

The smooth side will go down. On the top side, spread a nice coating of onion jam. Arrange mushroom pieces evenly over onion mix. Then, top with a generous amount of grated Fontina cheese.

Place flatbread into oven for 12 minutes of baking. Carefully remove. Cut into 4 pieces. Garnish with Parmesan Reggiano, crispy prosciutto (optional), salad greens and a generous drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Fontina is a semi-hard cheese with mild, nutty flavor. It melts beautifully.
Naan makes a good flatbread. They are usually found in the deli areas of a grocery store. Costco sells them in smaller versions too.

Place prosciutto slices on a baking sheet. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven for about FIVE minutes only. The slices will get crispier as they cool. Break into pieces for topping of the flatbread.

Dear followers of highmadefood.com:

You receive in your email all of the latest posts if you signed up to follow our blog. It’s important to click on the recipe title in that email. This will provide you with the full recipe, instructions, pictures and instructional videos. FYI! The email version is abbreviated. CLICK ON THE RECIPE TITLE. We have video footage now!!!

 

Enjoy the flavors!

 

 

Posole Rojo

(serves 6-8)

For posole corn:

1 – 12 ounce package of white corn posole
1 T salt
Water

Allow posole corn to soak overnight in a bowl of water. The next day, drain water off and place corn in a large pot. Add salt and cover with water by at least 2 inches. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 2- 2 1/2 hours adding additional water to maintain the coverage by 2 inches or so. The final texture will be “toothy” but tender. Drain. Reserve cooking liquid.

For chile puree:

1/3 C vegetable oil
5 Ancho Chiles (stems removed, seeded and torn into smaller pieces)
7-8 Chile Arbol (stems removed, seeded and broken into smaller pieces)
1 yellow onion, diced
6-8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 corn tortillas (each cut into six pieces)
1 T cumin
1 T dried oregano
1 box of chicken stock

In a preheated skillet, add oil. Once shimmering, add remaining ingredients and sauté until chiles, onion and garlic have softened. Moderate your heat to prevent burning on the bottom of the skillet. Enjoy this process! The fragrance is heavenly. Once softened, allow cooling. Slowly, puree mixture in a blender using chicken stock. Adding stock slowly forces a “grinding” of the ingredients. The puree will look like mole. A very silky texture is what you’re looking for.

Chile Ancho – Chile Arbol
Remove stem end and shake out seeds.
Break into smaller pieces.

For pork:

2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into chunks
1/4 C vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

In a preheated Dutch oven, add oil. In batches, brown pork pieces seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.

I used pork tenderloin. Pork shoulder, pork loin are acceptable of course.
Season pork pieces with salt and pepper just before browning.

Final cooking:

1 carton chicken stock
2 t salt
Several ladles of posole cooking liquid

Combine posole corn, chile puree, browned pork, chicken stock salt and posole liquid into the Dutch oven. Mix well, cover and place into a preheated 275 degree oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Remove and allow cooling for about 20 minutes, uncovered.

Ladle into bowls and top with traditional garnishes.

Traditional garnishes:

Pass these garnishes at your table. They all add a distinctive punch. Don’t forget the squeeze of lime.

Thinly shredded green cabbage
Radishes, small dice
White onion, small dice
Cilantro
Dried oregano
Lime wedges
Crispy tortilla wedges

Cut corn tortillas in half. Brush with oil. Spritz with chili powder and salt.
Bake for 15 minutes at 325.

The combination of the deeply rich, flavorful broth with the raw garnishes is so delicious. This can be made three days out. It also freezes well for later use. It’s a journey but SOOOO worth the effort. There are times when you need a quick meal on the  table and there are times when a process is just as rewarding as the meal itself. This recipe represents the latter. Tightly focus on each step and you will be rewarded with a heart-warming bowl of goodness.

It’s been awhile…

Have you been through the entire recipe catalogue?

I will not even attempt to make excuses for the long absence of posting. Jerry is sniffing out new recipes that are sure to entice. We will start with a Winter Wonderland Salad, followed by Ganzo Banzo, Mushroom Flatbread, and Frito Pie.

What a year. And it’s not over. When all seems too much, get in the kitchen and make some COMFORT food. Focus on the process, enjoy the smells and savor the flavors. It will restore a sense of normalcy. Do this for your own sanity and delight.

Here’s to better times ahead.

Brent

COMFORT food sounds perfect when this is your view!

 

Comfort Table 2018….DON’T MISS!

HIGH’S CAFE & STORE
presents

OVER 30 PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS FROM ALL OVER THE STATE GATHER TO
PRESENT AN EVENING DEDICATED TO

“SACRED SPACES”

ORIGINAL POETRY BY DOUGLAS SKRIEF, HEAVENLY VOCALS BLENDED, IVORIES EXPERTLY PLAYED AND SPECIAL GUEST MELISSA GIVENS WILL TRANSPORT YOU TO A SACRED SPACE.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKET TODAY. THE CONCERT ALWAYS SELLS OUT.
IF YOU WAIT, YOU RISK MISSING THIS INSPIRING EVENING.

FOLLOWING THE CONCERT, COME TO HIGH’S CAFE & STORE WHERE A JAZZ TRIO WILL KEEP THE GOOD FEELINGS GOING AS YOU ENJOY SOME TASTY NOSH AND WINE.

BE A PART OF THIS YEARLY EVENT THAT NO ONE SHOULD MISS!

A Sneak Peak

FOLKS, we are counting the days until the debut of our long-awaited cookbook arrives. Keep your eyes on your email as we will throw a book signing bash in November. Date to be determined. For our friends out-of-state or out-of-area, we will have an online store at highscafeandstore.com where you can purchase as many books as you want and we will ship them to you! Thank you for your patience in this endeavor. On behalf of our team, Denise and I thank you for your support and patronage. 

We are grateful!

8th Annual Comfort Musicale!

It’s that time of year again! Our annual  musicale, which brings together musicians from all over the state, is Monday July 24, 7 PM.

Tickets can be purchased at High’s Cafe & Store during normal business hours. We are unable to process a credit card transaction. Checks made payable to The Comfort Table or cash will be accepted for payment.  Generous underwriting allows for 100% of the ticket price to go to the table and pantry. Following the concert, the good feelings continue with wine and nosh at High’s. The after party is a great time to greet and thank the various performers. This year, a string group from The Austin Symphony will join 22 professional singers,  a pianist, guitarist, oboist, and bassist along with our word maestro Douglas Skrief from International Falls, Minnesota.

Many audience members have come year after year for the gathering. In the intimate venue of Spinelli’s (former Gaddis Methodist Church), you literally are surrounded in sound. Allow the music and the poetry to transport you to a “better place”.  If you have never been, YOU ARE MISSING SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL.

Get your tickets today. The event is always sold out. Only 175 seats are available.