Mustardy Mushroom and Kale Stronganoff + Bittman’s Dinner for Everyone Cookbook Review
When it comes to family dinner recipes, my bar is high. For a recipe to make it onto our regular dinner rotation, it needs to be: 1) easy, 2) packed with vegetables, and 3) delicious. That’s why I was thrilled when Mark Bittman’s latest cookbook arrived on my doorstep.
Dinner for Everyone: 100 Iconic Dishes Made 3 Ways — Easy, Vegan, or Perfect for Company features 300 simple, straightforward, flexible recipes that make it easy for busy parents to get dinner on the table. It solves that nagging question, “What’s for dinner?”
I gave Bittman’s Mustardy Mushroom and Kale Stroganoff a try and it was a winner at our family table. First, it was delicious and everyone enjoyed the same meal. Second, it’s loaded with kale and mushrooms and makes clever use of cannellini beans (instead of cream) to create a delicious sauce. Finally, it was easy to make and helped me get dinner on the table in just 30 minutes. Thank you, Mark, you made my week!
The recipes in Dinner for Everyone are everything I’ve come to expect from Bittman. They are written in his signature to-the-point style and rooted in his philosophy of using efficient cooking techniques, fresh ingredients, and basic equipment to get delicious meals onto the table. Add this cookbook to your shelf. It will fast become one of your favorites.
If you’d like to win a free copy of Dinner for Everyone, head on over to my Amazon giveaway page to enter.
Mustardy Mushroom and Kale Stroganoff | Mark Bittman’s Dinner for Everyone
Makes: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes
Salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
Pepper
1 large or 2 small leeks, trimmed, well rinsed, and chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1½ pounds lacinato kale, rinsed and chopped (stems included)
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup dry white wine or water
2 cups vegetable stock, or water, or more as needed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
12 ounces wide, flat whole wheat pasta
1½ cups cooked cannellini beans, with some of the cooking liquid
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid and the pan begins to dry, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the leek and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and paprika, toss to coat, then pour in the wine and cook, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan, until the wine has reduced by half, just a minute or 2.
3. Add the stock and the mustard and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale stems are soft and the leaves are silky, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then start tasting. When the pasta is tender but still has some bite, scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
5. Put the beans in a food processor with a spoonful or so of the cooking liquid from the pot; puree until smooth. When the kale is ready, stir in the beans. If the mixture is too thick, add more stock ¼ cup at a time, stirring after each addition. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is warmed through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve hot, spooned over the pasta.
Reprinted from Dinner For Everyone. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Bittman. Photographs copyright © 2019 by Aya Brackett. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
- Salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
- Pepper
- 1 large or 2 small leeks, trimmed, well rinsed, and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1½ pounds lacinato kale, rinsed and chopped (stems included)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup dry white wine or water
- 2 cups vegetable stock, or water, or more as needed
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 12 ounces wide, flat whole wheat pasta
- 1½ cups cooked cannellini beans, with some of the cooking liquid
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid and the pan begins to dry, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the leek and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and paprika, toss to coat, then pour in the wine and cook, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan, until the wine has reduced by half, just a minute or 2.
- Add the stock and the mustard and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale stems are soft and the leaves are silky, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then start tasting. When the pasta is tender but still has some bite, scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
- Put the beans in a food processor with a spoonful or so of the cooking liquid from the pot; puree until smooth. When the kale is ready, stir in the beans. If the mixture is too thick, add more stock ¼ cup at a time, stirring after each addition. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is warmed through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve hot, spooned over the pasta.
