Cheesy Grilled Mushrooms

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 8 Pieces

INGREDIENTS
8 Medium Button Mushrooms
4 Cheese Slices
2 tbsp Boiled Peas
2 tbsp Boiled Corn
4 tbsp Diced Bacon*
1 tsp Oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the stems of the mushrooms and clean well and leave them aside.
2. Heat a pan and add the bacon. Fry them a little in their own fat.
3. Once the bacon is slightly brown, remove from heat and mix the peas and the corns.
4. Divide into 8 equal portions
5. Cut the cheese slices into halves.
   
6. Take a mushroom, and place it upside down. Now place a piece of cheese slice and then a portion of the bacon mixture on top. Press this in a little and seal it up with the cheese slice itself. Repeat for the rest.
   
   
   
7. Heat a griller or pan and smear the oil.
   
8. Grill the bottoms mushrooms for 5-7 mins on medium. Now place it in an oven and grill the top until they are browned. **

NOTES
*Optional. You can also use shredded chicken instead.
** I prefer not to bake the mushrooms in an oven as they become slightly too soft by the time the browning is done.

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Macaroni, Bacon and Mushroom in Cheese Sauce

Difficulty: Difficult | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 2-3 Servings

INGREDIENTS
50 gms Macaroni
100 gms Bacon
100 gms Mushrooms
1 Large Red Chilli
1 Large Pod of Garlic
½ tsp Dried Oregano
½ Pepper Powder
½ cup Mlilk
2 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

For the Cheese Sauce
50 gms Cheese
2 tbsp Flour
1½ tbsp Butter
1 cup Milk
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Take a heavy bottom pan and put it on low heat.
2. Add the butter and let it melt.
3. Add the flour and stir it well so that the butter and the flour is mixed well with each other.
   
4. Now ensuring the heat is very low add about ¼ cup of milk and start stirring immediately. Stir continuously till you get to a very thick consistency and there are no lumps remaining. Now add another ¼ cup of milk and repeat the process, but this time the sauce would be a lightly lighter in consistency than before. Once again add the remaining milk and keep stirring constantly till you get a smooth white sauce without any lumps in it. If required you may take the pan away from the heat while stirring from time to time. In case the heat is too much the lumps will tend to form more easily.
5. Keep the heat very low and continue to stir occasionally.
6. Add about ½ tsp of salt.
7. Grate the cheese and add it to the sauce.
8. Let the cheese melt, remove from heat and leave it aside.
9. Cook the macaroni in a pan full of boiling water. Make sure that you let the water come to a boil before adding the macaroni and also add about 2 tsp of salt. Cook on medium heat till just done. Drain the water, wash the macaroni with cold water. Mix 1 tsp of oil and leave it aside.
10. Cut the garlic into juliennes, chop the chilli, with the ends cut diagonally.
11. Wash the mushrooms well and slice them.
    
12. Chop the bacons into small square pieces.
13. Heat a pan and melt the butter first.
14. Now add the mushrooms and garlics. Stir fry till the mushrooms are soft and lighly brown at the edges.
15. Add the bacon till the bacon is also fried a little.
16. Now add the macaroni and the red chillies.
17. Also add the pepper powder and oregano and about ½ tsp salt.
    
18. Saute' the macaroni with the other ingredients for about a minute.
19. Add the cheese sauce and the milk. Stir for a minute, check seasoning and remove from heat.

NOTES
*You may increase the quantity of these if you wish to make the fries spicier.

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Mushroom & Peas Soup

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Yield: 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Button Mushrooms
½ cup Peas (Boiled)
½ Small Onion
1 Green Chillie*
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Creame**
½ tsp Pepper Powder
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Thoroughly wash the mushrooms in warm water and thinly slice them.
2. Slice onions and chop the green chillie.
3. In a pan melt the butter and then add the mushrooms and the onions.
4. Saute' till the onions and the mushrooms are lightly fried.
5. Add the peas and the green chillie. Stir fry for about 2 mins.
6. Add the pepper powder and the salt according to taste.
7. Now add 2 cups of water.
8. Pour this mixture into a blender. Blend this till it is almost a smooth paste and not a fully smooth one. This gives a better taste to the soup.
9. Pour this mixture back into the pan.
10. Add another cup of water and let it come to a boil.
11. Add the cream, stir and remove from flame.
12. Serve hot with bread rolls.
    

NOTES
*If you prefer your soup not to be too spicy them you may not add the chillie at all. Or to make it spicier, you may add 2 green chillies.
**Instead of creame, you may add milk which would serve the purpose well.

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