Baharat Mushroom Piccata

My vegetarian riff on a classic Italian Meat Dish - Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms tossed and coated with Baharat & panko mix then fried until very crisp. Caramelized leeks, tarragon and garlic form the base to which chopped up marinated olives, lemon slices, white pepper and white wine are added. Then butter cubes are swirled in to finish an unctuous sauce. It was very aromatic, sprightly and an utter textural delight! Personally I like to serve with some wild rice or lightly spiced bulgur but I can’t think of reason why it won’t work on a Toast?!

*I have made the vegan and gluten free versions and they are wonderful; however I do think the flavor of dairy butter and soy sauce is quite unique and hard to replicate with substitutions. Unless you have intolerances or following a strict diet regimen I would recommend trying once as is to see what I mean

Ingredients (serves 2 as Main)

150g Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, quartered 

150g Oyster Mushrooms, roughly torn

2 tsp Baharat Spice Blend (sub Shawarma spice blend)

1 tsp Light Soy Sauce (substitute with Tamari for Gluten Free)

1.5 tsp Cornstarch

2 tsp Panko Breadcrumbs (substitute with Rice Flour to keep it gluten free)

3 tbsp Avocado Oil (substitute with Olive Oil)

100g Leeks (only white & light green part), thinly sliced

15g Chives, finely chopped

1 small Thai Chile, chopped (optional)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 Meyer Lemon, 1/2 of it thinly sliced into 6-7 rounds & other half juiced (substitute with regular lemon)

25-30g Marinated Green Olives, pitted & roughly chopped

1.5 tsp Ground White Pepper (substitute with black pepper)

2 tbsp chopped Tarragon

1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt

120ml Dry White Wine (substitute with vegetable stock to keep it alcohol free)

2.5 tbsp Unsalted Butter (substitute with vegan butter), cut into small cubes

Directions

🍄 In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients, mix well until mushrooms are lightly coated & spiced. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet, transfer coated mushrooms into skillet & fry on high heat until crisp & golden - about 8 minutes. Reserving any excess oil, keep the crisp mushrooms aside

🍄 In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp oil, leeks & Thai chile (if using). Fry on medium flame for 5 mins then add garlic and chives (reserving 1 tbsp chives for garnish). Continue frying for 3-4 mins. Now add olives, pepper, tarragon & salt, cook for a minute & add lemon slices. Cook for 30 seconds & add wine. Increase the flame to high & cook for 2-3 minutes

🍄 While it’s vigorously bubbling, add butter and continue swirling the pan constantly so that it’s well emulsified. Now transfer the crisp mushrooms & cook for a minute. Turn off heat

🍄 Finish with lemon juice and garnish with reserved chives. Enjoy!

Baharat Mushroom and Swiss Chard Hand Pies with Green Sauce

Even though I love making everything from scratch (lol!), but there are several occasions when I rely (rather prefer) on taking shortcuts and just buy. For example, the frozen Garlic Naans or Malabar Parathas from Trader Joe’s - they are as good as it gets so I have never really invested any time to make them from scratch. Similar story with good quality Puff Pastry - although I do feel the homemade one is better, (marginally though) the skill and effort required to get it anywhere close is a lot for an enthusiastic home chef. So, for untimely or timely pie cravings, here I have some posh little hand pies that come together quickly and hits the spot - especially if you are a pot pie lover! Baharat - the warm spice mix from the Middle East Region adds a wonderful depth to the umami notes from Mushrooms, vegetal earthiness from the chard and the creamy tang from yoghurt. If you can’t find it in your grocery store, then it’s quite easy to make your own blend at home - even though the ingredients vary across regions, here’s a fantastic blend that’s a good starting point and will quickly become your go to spice for marinades, soup & stew base, etc.

*Can be easily turned Vegan by following the substitution notes

Ingredients (makes 8-10)
18 oz or 520g Frozen Puff Pastry (I highly recommend all butter puff such Trader Joe’s or Dufour). To keep it Vegan, substitute with a vegan puff-pastry

Filling
335g Mixed Mushrooms of your choice, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Salted Butter (substitute with oil or vegan butter)
120g Red Onion, finely chopped
40g Scallions, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, smashed & chopped
110g Swiss Chard, stems and leaves separated. Stems thinly sliced into bits
1 tsp Ground Coriander Seeds
1.5 tbsp Baharat Spice Mix
165g Greek Yoghurt (substitute with Vegan Yoghurt)
40g Water
1.5 tbsp Cornstarch / Cornflour
1-1.5 tsp crushed black pepper
1-1.5 tsp Salt
Sesame seeds (optional)

Egg Wash
1 large Egg, Beaten
1 tsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Soy Sauce

*for vegan alternative whisk 4 tbsp Plant Based Milk + 1 tbsp Maple Syrup and a dash of Soy Sauce)

Sauce
25g Cilantro including stems, cleaned and roughly chopped
25g Garlic Chives (otherwise known as Chinese chives), roughly chopped (substitute with regular chives or scallions)
1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 tbsp Lime Zest
3 tbsp Lime Juice
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 tbsp Tahini
2 tbsp Water

Directions
🥧 Thaw the pastry overnight (move from freezer to fridge). Roll out each pastry sheet and cut into 8-10 equal rectangles (16-20 rectangles in total and each being roughly 10” x 8”). Arrange them on two lined baking sheets and refrigerate

🥧 In a deep bottomed pan, add butter, onions and scallions. Fry on medium flame for 5-6 mins or until translucent. Then add chopped chard stems & garlic, fry for 2 mins. Now add all mushrooms and fry for 5 mins or until they start releasing water and reducing in quantity

🥧 Whisk Yogurt, cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add 3/4 of this slurry into the pan along with chard leaves. Cook for 2 mins then add remaining slurry. Mix everything really well and turn off the heat. Let it cool to Room temperature (the texture should be slightly pasty not liquidy at all - if it’s too wet then cook for 2-3 mins and let it cool again)

🥧 Pre-heat oven to 425F / 210C and bring out the pastry rectangles from fridge. Now spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the middle of half of the rectangles (8-10 of those), cover it with another pastry rectangle. Press the two seams between fingers to seal the edges, then using the tip of a fork make indents to crimp and seal properly. Repeat this with remaining pastry rectangles to get 8-10 hand pies. Chill in the fridge for 10-15 mins

🥧 Whisk all egg wash ingredients & brush each pie with it. Sprinkle sesame seeds (if using), bake for 17-18 mins (may vary if using vegan pastry) or until very golden brown. While it’s baking, dump all sauce ingredients in a blender and blitz until a smooth sauce is achieved. Adjust seasoning and consistency with salt & water

🥧 Serve the pies along with sauce and a refreshing crunchy salad or the Slaw (in the picture). Enjoy!