A meal made from mushrooms!

Using up leftovers, common pantry items and a fresh market purchase. 

Tonight's meal was inspired by these beautiful mushrooms I collected at our Italian-style market. I saw them from across thee aisles and made my way to them like a moth to a flame.

I got home and put away all the groceries except for the mushrooms. I washed them and put them in a bowl and set them on the table, determined to use them. And nothing occurred to me. So I did what any home cook does in this situation. I googled the bejeezus out of it. After my eyes had glazed over from mushroom overload, I decided to close the computer and open the fridge. I am on my own episode of Chopped. I popped off the stems and chopped them up. I pulled out feta, parsley, and green onions. From the pantry, I grabbed lemons, olive oil, dried thyme, rosemary and sage. I put a bit of each into a mixing bowl and started stirring... (Just a reminder, I don't measure anything...)

I brushed each of the caps with some melted butter for extra yumminess and then filled each one with this delicious filling and put them in the oven at 400 degrees.

After 20 minutes, I added a sprinkling of parmesan cheese to the top of each and let them cook for a few more minutes.

Next, I decided to invent a mushroom soup recipe. I grabbed the largest of the mushrooms and grated it down nearly to dust. I threw it in a pot with a few entire chopped green onions, parsley, shredded carrot and some chopped up mushroom stems. I added the chicken stock, a few pinches of salt and let it go! After about 15 minutes, the mushrooms were the perfect tenderness.

So where are we then? I have a soup and a side dish.... I have some poached chicken in the fridge and today is probably the last day I dare eat it so let's figure something out here! I shredded the chicken, put it in a bowl and I headed to the pantry. I came back with a can of organic pinto beans and got the idea to make a ragout. I diced up some red onions, red bell peppers and garlic and cooked them until they were tender. I added the pinto beans and salt and turned the heat down low.

When my rumbling tummy could no longer stand the wait, I added the shredded chicken to a sauce pan with melted butter, parsley, lemon, salt and pepper. After scooping a healthy portion of the ragout onto my plate, I topped it with this delicious repurposed chicken!