I am ecstatic to have another contributor to The Ranting Chef. Naomi is a friend from high school (eons ago) and after she put this post out on Facebook, I pestered her to let me put it up. Naomi brings another view as she eats both vegetarian and kosher. Please welcome Naomi.
Let the festivities begin! And cleaning and cooking!
This week my daughters came home and asked my husband, Rob, why he had bought so many cans of mushrooms; he told them it was the first round of Pesach (Passover) shopping. The mushrooms are for one of our favorite recipes – mushroom dip – that has been in our family for a long time.
When I was a teenager at Mira Costa High School, my friend Jim… used to host a New Year’s Eve party every year. He would serve a delicious artichoke heart dip (served warm) with toasted pieces of homemade bread. When Rob and I got married, Jim gave us the cookbook with the recipe, Horn of the Moon Cookbook: Recipes from Vermont’s Renowned Vegetarian Restaurant by Ginny Callan.
At some point in the early years of our marriage, Rob suggested we make it with mushrooms. I was skeptical at first, but it came out delicious, and thus was born one of our favorite recipes. We make it for special occasions and has made its way into many friends homes. With one simple modification of matza meal for bread crumbs, the recipe can also be made kosher for Passover.
Mushroom Dip
Ingredients:
15 ounces canned mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain the liquid from the mushrooms. Blend or process the mushrooms and garlic. Add the lemon juice, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, mayonnaise and cream cheese. Mix well. Put it in a small oven-proof pan. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Found in Hoboken Cooks: Favorite Recipes from the Mile Square City, compiled by the United Synagogue of Hoboken
