King Oyster Mushroom Parmesan

I love chicken and eggplant Parmesan! And I think it's the one dish that almost everyone enjoys. The other day, I grilled up some king oyster mushrooms and they were so delicious, I immediately thought, "This needs to be Parmesan-ed." Juicy breaded meaty mushrooms, swimming in a good marinara sauce topped with bubbling hot cheeses placed on top of a oh-so-perfect mound of spaghetti. What's not to love? Such soul satisfying comfort food, on a chilly, almost autumn night. The only thing needed to complete the meal is a green salad tossed with an olive vinaigrette and a nice glass of wine. There is something bad about this meal, I gotta admit, you just want more of it, lol. It's just that good! Serves 6.

• 10 oz. king oyster mushroom, about 3, bottoms trimmed
• 1 25 oz. jar good marinara sauce, warmed through
• 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• canola oil, for frying
• 3/4 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente

Wipe your mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Next, trim the mushroom caps, lengthwise, so they are even with the stems, so it's easier to fry. You can reserve the trimmings for another use. You can toss them into a broth, soup or stew, to give it a little extra flavor. Cut your mushrooms lengthwise, so they are about 1/4 inch thick.

Dip your mushroom slices into the egg, followed by the bread crumbs. Have everything breaded and ready to go into the oil. Heat up your canola oil on low to medium heat. Fry the mushroom slices for about a minute to two minutes per each side. Drain on paper towels and move them onto a paper bag. Fry in batches, until all of them are done. Next, take half of the sauce and pour it into a heavy weight 13x9 inch baking pan. Arrange the mushroom slices so they all fit in one layer.

Top with the remaining half of the tomato sauce and the grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Place in the oven, about 6 inches away from the broiler, which is set on high. Broil for 8 minutes, until bubbly and browned on top. Every oven is different, so keep that oven light on and keep an eye on it, so it doesn't burn. Enjoy!

Checkerboard Tomato, Mozzarella & Ricotta Cheese Salad

One of the best things about summer are ripe juicy thin skinned tomatoes. Mmm...so end-of-the-summer-delicious when combined with mozzarella, ricotta cheese, basil and topped with a good extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground pepper and a good crunchy salt like Maldon. I like to serve this with a nice bread, extra olive oil, salt and pepper on the side. And if you want a little extra kick, you can serve a nice balsamic vinegar on the side also. I think this is a nice spin on a traditional Caprese salad and doesn't take much more effort. If you want, you can always omit the ricotta cheese and throw in more Ciliegine. This serves 2, so double and triple as needed. Enjoy and have a great weekend! :)

• 9 cherry size tomatoes, halved
• about 6oz. ricotta cheese
• about 1/2 a 8oz. container Ciliegine mozzarella, left whole
• a few basil leaves, minced
• extra virgin olive oil
• fresh ground pepper
• sea salt

This recipe is for the amount pictured so it can give you an idea of how much this makes. This is would be great for a party! I used a 1&1/4 inch cookie dough scoop to form the ricotta cheese balls. Once you are ready to scoop, alternate the rows between tomato and Ciliegine and tomato and ricotta cheese. Sprinkle the basil over the mozzarella and ricotta cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and ground pepper. Serve at room temperature.

*If you have any ricotta left over, June 25ths' post, "String Beans & Pennoni" is a great way to use it up. ;)
You can check it out here at: http://blisshousehappiness.blogspot.com/2012/06/string-beans-with-pennoni.html