Mushrooms a la Grecque

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a new one from Rosemary Zwick:

Having just completed my training as the hospital's switchboard
operator, I was reasonably confident that I knew all the codes for
emergencies: Code Blue for cardiac arrest, Code Red for fire, etc. My
first night on the job alone, however, a nurse phoned and asked me to
page a "Code Brown, Room 214."

I had no idea what that was. I called the page, then searched
frantically through my emergency manual, but I couldn't find any
description of it anywhere. Stumped, I finally called the nurse back and asked her about it.

"Relax," laughed the nurse. "Code Brown is what we page when a patient
is discharged and leaves behind an unfinished box of chocolates."

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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"A la Grecque" is a French term referring to the method of pickling and
then serving in the cooking liquid, as with this classic recipe.

Mushrooms a la Grecque

8 oz (225 g) fresh mushrooms, wiped clean
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine
1 Tbs (15 ml) balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 Tbs (15 ml) lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) minced fresh parsley
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh tarragon leaves, or 1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried tarragon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) dried thyme
1/4 tsp (1 ml) dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive pan and bring to a boil.
Boil for 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and place
in a non-reactive bowl. Continue to boil the remaining liquid until it
is reduced to about 1 cup (250 ml) in volume. Pour the remaining liquid
over the mushrooms and chill for a minimum of 2 to 4 hours, or for as
long as 4 days. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.
Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Mar 30 07:35:51 2010