I went a little overboard...

So, I finished the GRE! Hooray! I did well! Double hooray! As a result, Mike and I went out to Il Villaggio in the North End to celebrate with a cheesy fancy dinner. I had Penne with Mushrooms in a Creamy Tomato Sauce and Mike had Mushroom Ravioli with Chicken in a Cream Sauce. Soooo good. The chianti we got was great too, but I forget the label. I then decided to go on a cooking spree on Sunday, to make up for all the not-cooking I have been doing lately. Most of the stuff I made was great. Some, not so much. I made Wild Mushroom Stew with Herbed Dumplings from Vegetarian Planet, Buttermilk Rye Bread and Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies from Desert Culinary, and Pumpkin Pie Squared from Baking Sheet. The stew was yummy and I had fun making the dumplings. I used basic vegetable stock instead of making the one she suggests, but I put the full recipe down here. The rye bread is delicious and I am obsessed, because I love bread. I am equally in love with the cookies, because oatmeal cookies are my favorite and I love butterscotch. As usual, I left out the nuts. Yuck. I did not like the pie thing as much as I thought I would. I think I messed it up somehow, but it just did not taste right. Maybe more sugar? Who knows.

Wild Mushroom Stew with Herbed Dumplings
Quick Stock:
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
1 tomato, cut into large chunks
1 fennel bulb, cut into large chunks
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1o cups qater

1/2 cup Madeira
1/3 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

DUMPLINGS:
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (any combination of rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, or tarragon) [I used thyme and tarragon]
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whole or low-fat milk

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mushrooms (any combination of shitakes, portobellos, hen-of-the-woods, cremini, chanterelle, or white button mushrooms), sliced [I used portobellos and white buttons]
1 large carrot, cut into small rounds
[I added 1 1/2 onions, diced, here]
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or chopped fresh sage
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon truffle oil (available in specialty food stores; optional) [I am too poor]

1) Make the quick stock: In a large pot, combine all of the ingredients. Bring them to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat to low. Simmer the stock for 30 minutes. Strain out the vegetables, and save the stock. You should have about 8 cups.
2) While the stock simmers, heat the Madeira with 1/2 cup water in a small pan until the liquid begins to simmer. Add the porcini, turn off the heat, and cover the pan. Let the mushrooms steep for at least 15 minutes.
3) Make the dumplings: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and herbs. Add the butter in small pieces, and, with a pastry cutter or fork, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. Add the eggs, then the milk. Stir the mixture with a spoon until it just comes together. Add a bit more milk if there are dry spots.
4) In a 4- quart saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced mushroom and carrot (and onions), and sautee them over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. The mushrooms will quickly absorb all of the oil, but continue to cook them for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Add the garlic, and saute 30 seconds more, stirring. Then add the 8 cups stock and the soaking liquid from the porcini mushrooms. Bring the stew to a gentle boil, add the thyme or sage, and season the stew with salt and pepper. (At this point, you can cover and chill both the dumpling batter and the mushroom stew for later use.)
5) Using a soup spoon, drop dumpling batter by the spoonful into the simmering stew. If the dumplings seem crowded, don't worry; just poke them with a spoon from time to time to make sure they aren't sticking together. Roll the dumplings over after 4 to 5 minutes. When the dumplings have cooked for at least 10 minutes, ladle the stew into large bowls. If you have some truffle oil, drizzle it over each bowl of stew just before serving.
Serves four.


Buttermilk Rye Bread
2 cups whole rye flour
1 cup bread flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh grated orange zest
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1) Preheat oven to 350
2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, molasses, egg and orange zest. Add this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Stir in the caraway seeds and melted butter.
4) Scoop batter into a 9 x 5" loaf pan lightly coated with nonstick spray. Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched in the center or a toothpick comes out clean when placed in the center - about 50-60 minutes.
5) Remove and set on a wire rack, leaving the bread in the pan, for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and let sit on a wire rack to cool completely.


Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon hot water
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and allspice.
2) In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each. Mix in hot water and vanilla.
3) Add flour mixture, in two batches, beating just until combined - be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the oats and mix until blended. Using a wooden spoon, fold in butterscotch chips and walnuts. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours.
4) Preheat oven to 375
5) Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until the middle looks just set and the edges begin to turn a light golden - about 8-12 minutes. Remove and let sit on the sheet for a minute. Move cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Makes about 48 cookies.


Pumpkin Pie, Squared
Crust:
2 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar
Filling:
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 - 15-oz. can pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk (any kind)

1) Preheat oven to 350F.
2) Combine all crust ingredients into a medium bowl and stir to combine. Press into the bottom of an 8-in square baking pan and bake for 12-14 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the corners.
3) Set aside to cool completely.
4) Turn up oven temperature to 425F.
5) In a large bowl, beat eggs until slightly foamy, about 1 minute. Whisk in all the remaining ingredients, except the milk, and beat until smooth. Then whisk in the milk.
6) Pour mixture into cooled pie crust and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pie jiggles only slightly and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
7) Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting and refrigerate if storing leftovers.
Makes 9 good-sized pieces.