Hearty Mushroom Dishes

Next to meat, and cheese, turkey and pumpkin soup, mushrooms are Bobby Flay's favorite thing. Mushrooms can be cooked in almost any way imaginable and since they're at their peak right now, Flay's mushroom recipes thought it a good idea to make a few dishes that are both winter cozy and flavorable.

The following are his recipes:

Penne with Wild Mushroom Broth & Pecorino Romano Cheese
Serves: 4

4 tablespoon olive oil
1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped
12 button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
8 cups homemade chicken stock or low sodium canned broth
2 lbs assorted wild mushrooms (Portobello, crimini, shiitake, oyster, porcini)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 pound penne, cooked to al dente
Grated pecorino Romano cheese
Chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the button mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the stock and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a strainer into a bowl and discard the onion and mushrooms.
2. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and their liquid has evaporated, season with salt and pepper.
3. Place a medium stockpot on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and cook until melted. Add the flour and cook until lightly golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the stock and cook until the stock has thickened slightly then stir in the sautéed mushrooms and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place a few cups of the mushroom sauce in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add 1/4 cup of pecorino Romano and chopped parsley and toss to combine. Transfer to large bowl or platter; ladle more of the sauce over; serve immediately.

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
2 lbs assorted wild mushrooms (Portobello, crimini, shiitake, oyster, porcini)
4 cloves roasted garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons freshly chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
12 6-inch flour tortillas
1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/4 cups grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese, or parmesan
4 teaspoons white truffle oil
Thyme sprigs, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the roasted garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool slightly.
2. Place 8 of the tortillas on a flat surface. Combine the Monterey jack and fontina together in a bowl and divide it among the tortillas. Divide the mushroom mixture over the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stack half of the tortillas over the remaining half to make four 2-layer quesadillas. Top with a final layer of tortillas; brush the tops with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the asiago cheese. Place on a large baking sheet and bake until the quesadillas are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the truffle oil over the top of each. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

5 tablespoons olive oil
3 lbs assorted wild mushrooms (Portobello, crimini, shiitake, oyster, porcini), chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped
12 button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
8 cups homemade chicken stock or low sodium canned broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups canola oil
8 slices of serrano ham, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/4 pound wild arugula, (if you can't find wild arugula you can use regular arugula)
White truffle oil

1. Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large stock pot over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and their liquid has evaporated, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.
2. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the stock and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a strainer into a bowl and discard the onion and mushrooms.
3. Place the stockpot that you sautéed the mushrooms in back on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and cook until melted. Add the flour and cook until lightly golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the stock and cook until the stock has thickened slightly then stir in the sautéed mushrooms and cook for 15 minutes.
4. While the soup is cooking, heat the canola oil in a high sided sauté pan over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Carefully add the ham in batches of 3-4 and cook until crispy, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Drain the slices on a plate lined with paper towels.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls, add a handful of arugula, top with a slice of the crispy ham and drizzle with a teaspoon of white truffle oil.

Chef Bobby Flay is the host of the new Food TV program "Boy Meets Grill" and Host of the TV Food Network program "Food Nation." He is the author of four cookbooks: "Bold American Food," "Boy Meets Grill," "Bobby Flay's From My Kitchen To Your Table," "Bobby Flay Cooks American."
He is also the chef/owner of Mesa Grill and Bolo restaurants.