How Corning Ware Does Italian - Shells in Mushroom & Leek Cream Sauce

This is one of those base recipes that can be altered as needed....  While I will admit, it is a little bit on the "rich" side.  Simply substitute pre-cooked Chicken or Turkey for the Mushrooms and you are good to go.  It's even delicious with Crab Meat.

It's the Leek's fault, you know.  Leeks play well with everybody and everything.  They are the most affable of ingredients.  They even help bring ingredients together that would normally clash...   The great mediators of the culinary world. 

Lumaconi Al Porro y Funghi

(Little Snails with Leeks and Mushrooms)

2 TB Unsalted Butter
8 oz Leeks, halved and sliced
4 oz Shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
4 oz Cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp Kosher Salt
3/4 cup Chicken Stock
1 1/4 cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp Porcini Powder (Super Secret Weapon)
1/4 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
16 oz Lumaconi (small snail shells, but "regular" shells - Conchiglie - will work too)
Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
optional - finely chopped Italian Flat Leaf Parsley - for serving

 Lumaconi - Little Snail Shells

Corning Ware 4 quart (A-84-B) - This wide & low sided dish is excellent for tossing pasta (The P-84 is deeper)
Corning Ware 5 quart (A-5-B) - Gotta boil that pasta in something

Fill the A-5-B with 4 quarts of Water and bring to a boil over high flame.

Melt butter in the A-84-B, set over medium flame.

When the butter is hot, add the Leeks and Kosher Salt, sauteing until soft.

Add Shitake & Cremini Mushrooms cooking until they begin to give up their liquid.

Meanwhile, drop the Lumaconi into salted boiling water, reduce the flame to medium high and cook until al dente (about 9 minutes)

When the Leeks & Mushrooms are soft, add the Chicken Stock and let it reduce by half.

Add the Heavy Cream and reduce the flame, allowing the mixture to simmer for about 3 minutes.

Add Porcini Powder to the Heavy Cream and simmer for 1 minute more.

Remove the A-84-B from the flame and season the sauce with Cracked Pepper (and salt, if necessary).

Drain the Lumaconi and add them to the sauce in the A-84-B.

Toss until well coated and the sauce thickens a little more, due to the free starch on the outside of the pasta.

Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and chopped parsley if desired.....

Where is your Corning Ware??
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Time For Thai With Corningware - Green Curry Squash Soup

My most used piece, lately, has been my P-84-B 4 quart Sauce pot.  True it holds the same amount as the P-34-B 4 quart Dutch Oven.  But the bottom of the P-84 Sauce pot is thicker than the Dutch oven.

In many ways, the Dutch Oven is designed more like the Roasting Pans (P-21 & P-76)  

In fact, the Dutch Oven originally came with a chrome grill for the bottom.  Just like the Roasting Pans did...  A hint from Corning, no doubt, that the Dutch Oven, though it can be used on the stove top, really lends itself better to oven cooking of roasts.  

Thus, when making soups, I much prefer the actual 4 quart Sauce pan/pot.  It just seems to be the perfect size for soups.  Just wait until I make my infamous Lentil soup.  But first, a trip to Thailand with a decidedly American ingredient.

Squash is everywhere this time of year. But whether disguised as the more familiar "pumpkin" or not, usually these squash derived dishes are sweet.  I challenge that.  I get tired of sweet squash stuff all the time.  There is so much more that Winter Squash can do.  It's not a one trick pony.  You can bet that the Native Americans weren't cooking up sugar laden squash dishes.  That is one of the reasons I love this Lime and Ginger laced soup.   It just hits the spot.  Don't let the Green Curry scare you; of all the choices in the world of Thai cuisine, Green Curry usually has the least amount of heat.  It's very name (Gaeng Kiaw Wan) means "sweet" curry.

Golden Nugget is a deliciously creamy tasting, fine grained squash, similar to a Butternut, but much less sweet.  This helps it fair better in more savory applications.  Another good squash for this soup it Red Kuri, which normally stars in my Squash Risotto.

Now a warning about the Golden Nugget.  It's a tough squash to crack.  So don't be surprised if, unlike the Butternut, you cannot simply use a potato peeler to remove the skin.  It's a bit of a pain to cut the meat off the tough skin, but your patience and time will be rewarded with deliciousness.

 Green Curry Squash Soup

2 TB Coconut Oil (or Olive Oil)
1 1/2 lbs peeled & cubed Golden Nugget Squash (Red Kuri is nice too)
1 small Sweet Onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 inches Ginger, peeled & grated on a zester
3 cloves Garlic, minced
4 cups Chicken Stock
2 TB Thai Green Curry Paste
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
14oz can Coconut Milk
Juice of 1/2 a Lime
Salt and Pepper

Corningware 4 quart Sauce Pot (P-84-B or A-4-B) though you can probably use a 3 quart (A-3-B)

Spoon the Coconut Oil (or Olive oil) into the Saucepot and place over medium flame to melt.

While you are waiting for things to heat up, go ahead and crack open the Squash.

Scoop out the seeds, peel with a knife and cut into cubes.

When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute until it begins to soften.

Add the Ginger & Garlic and saute 1 more minute.

Add the Squash and Cilantro, stirring to combine.

Pour in the Chicken Stock and the Coconut Milk.

Spoon in the Green Curry Paste.

and the juice of half a Lime.

Bring the whole thing to a simmer....

Then cover and reduce the flame to low.

Simmer the soup for about 35 minutes (or until the squash is fork tender)

Serve with more chopped Cilantro and a slice of Lime.

Where is your Corningware??
~~