Renaissance Fair and how it led to the making of Pidpenky (Mushrooms)

A few weeks back we went to a Renaissance Fair.  They have this tasty dish of mushrooms and garlic.  They also give you a bread stick to soak up the broth.    So when I was on this  website http://www.learnpysanky.com/  (because I have always  wanted to make Make Ukrainian Easter eggs) they had Urainian recipes and this was one of them.  It sounds just like what they served at the Ren Fair.  My picture is not as good as hers.  I also made sourdough bread sticks to dunk in the broth. 

Pidpenky

INGREDIENTS
approx. 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms 1 large onion, finely chopped 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup beef consommé (I use Campbell's Broth Consommé)		extra couple packets of dried beef broth, or more canned broth 1/4 cup red wine 3 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp melted butter 1 tsp lemon juice

1. Clean mushrooms well, trim and chop.
2. Put mushrooms, onions, garlic and wine in consommé in large pot. Bring to a boil, simmer for about an hour. You may need more liquid, if so, just add some more liquid broth, or water and powdered broth.
3. Add lemon juice, stir.
4. Melt butter in microwave - stir flour in till smooth, then stir slowly into mushrooms and bring to a boil, stirring.
5. And that's it! If keeping warm, keep on low heat and be sure to stir regularly so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a touch more liquid if necessary.

 

Sourdough Bread Sticks

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sourdough starter 2 12 tbsps water (needed) 2 12 tbsps olive oil 1 tsp salt Blend together the dry ingredients in mixing bowl; make a well in the center. Pour in sourdough starter and olive oil and mix on low; adding additional water and flour as needed. Knead for approximately 6-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove from bowl and form into a ball and place in a bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours (depending on your starter and the temperature of your kitchen). Turn dough onto floured work surface and gently pull (do not roll) into a rectangle approximately 16 x 8 x 1/2 inches. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 10-12 pieces. Place sticks 2 inches apart on pizza peel (or back of pizza pan) covered with parchment paper. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes(this will vary depending on your sourdough starter and kitchen temperature). Place baking stone in oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Brush tops of dough with olive oil and sprinkle with preferred topping. Bake for 12-15 minutes until bottoms are light brown. Serve warm So this is my version of mushrooms from the Ren Fair

 

I Really like the Pysanky website.  She has other Ukrainian recipes that I want to try and put on this blog.  Sadly I have no one in the area to teach how to make the Easter eggs.  I guess I will just have to splurge and by some already made.