We really appreciate mushrooms. They’re what we call a “bonus” food: extremely low in calories and a versatile ingredient in cooked foods from omelets to rice pilaf to meat loaf to sauces.

They’re also delicious raw. Our marinated mushroom salad is very popular (recipe below) and we typically serve mushrooms with other crudités and dip. But we were newly inspired by this mushroom carpaccio from Qunciple.com (a produce delivery service like a CSA, but representing the best of many farmers).

A beautiful presentation, you can make a large platter for a buffet or to pass at the table, or prepare individual plates.

RECIPE: MUSHROOM CARPACCIO

Ingredients For 2 Servings

Preparation

Ideally use a mandolin, which makes uniform slices and can cut them as thin as possible.

If you don’t yet have a mandoline, it’s a good excuse to get one. They don’t take up much room, and if you cook regularly, you’ll appreciate the convenience it provides in slicing fruits and vegetables, including crinkle and waffle cuts; as well as cheese and chips. You want one that’s slip-free, has multiple attachments (to make different shapes), and the indispensible hand guard. This mandoline has it all.

1. HOLD each mushroom by the stem and use the mandoline to cut very thin slices off the top of the mushroom cap. Stop before you reach the stem. Remove the stems (they will still have some of the cap attached); you can add them to grains, omelets, sauces, soups or stocks.

USING A KNIFE: If you don’t have a mandolin use a large, sharp knife. Lay each cap flat on a cutting board and trim one edge, slicing off 1/8″ or so. Turn the cap on its edge so that the cut side is flush against the board and the mushroom is steady on the board. Slice the mushrooms as thinly as you can.

2. ARRANGE the mushrooms on one or two plates in overlapping concentric circles (start at the outside and work your way to the center). Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, finish the plate(s) with a generous squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve.
 

Top: Marinated mushrooms in a lettuce cup;
photo courtesy Taste Of Home. Bottom:
Marinated mushrooms with a side of dressed
greens. Photo courtesy A Shifted Perspective.

RECIPE: RAW MUSHROOM SALAD

This recipe is so flexible, you can add whatever you like: baby corn, capers, fennel, etc. You can also use other than white mushrooms, and it’s even more interesting with an assortment of mushrooms. Check out the options in our Mushroom Glossary.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CLEAN the mushrooms and pat dry. Place in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the sea salt. Toss to coat thoroughly. Let stand for about 30 minutes so the salt can remove excess water from the mushrooms. Brush any remaining salt from the mushrooms with a mushroom brush or a paper towel.

3. COVER the bowl refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend (we often let it sit overnight). Taste and adjust the seasonings.

4. SERVE as desired. We enjoy marinated mushrooms as a salad course, along with dressed greens.

Overnight oats are trending. According to Pinterest, there were 5 million overnight oats pins in 2015, a whopping 211% increase over 2014.

If your goal is to eat a better breakfast and more whole grains, here’s how it can be ready for you to eat each morning. You can eat the oats at home or grab the jar on your way out the door. It’s that easy!

Check out the recipe below.
 
 
WHAT ARE OVERNIGHT OATS?

Overnight oats are a way of preparing oatmeal by soaking the oats overnight, instead of cooking them. Raw oats are soaked overnight in your choice of liquid: drinkable yogurt or kefir, milk or nondairy milk (almond milk is splendid), water, yogurt/water mix, or whatever.

The soaking turns oatmeal into a cold breakfast cereal, although you can certainly heat it.

You can use rolled oats, steel-cut oats, and even instant oatmeal; although given that the latter is ready in a minute in the microwave, we’d focus on the first two.

The mixture sits in a lidded jar overnight (or for at least 6 hours) as the oats absorb the liquid. When it’s time for breakfast the next morning, the oats are plumped up, soft, and ready to eat, cold or heated, plain or with the toppings of your choice.
 
 
RECIPE: OVERNIGHT OATS

There is no right or wrong ingredient or proportion: It’s how you like your oats. Here’s a guide for your first batch; you take it from here.

Ingredients For 1 Serving

 
Preparation

1. MIX the oats and liquid in the jar with the optional peanut butter. Tamp down with a rubber spatula or a spoon so that all the oats get moistened.

2. PLACE the jar in the refrigerator overnight. It’s ready to eat in the morning. If using peanut butter or other nut butter…

3. BLEND the peanut butter briefly before refrigerating, just enough so that you’ll have swirls of it the next day. (We whisked it briefly.) When you’re ready to eat…

4. ADD the sweetener, microwave if desired, and add your toppings of choice.

[1] One of our favorites: strawberry overnight oats. Here’s the recipe from A Pumpkin And A Princess.

[2] Chocolate overnight oats (photo © Ella Olsson | Unsplash).

[3] Blackberry overnight oats (photo © Micheile Dot Com | Unsplash)

Add Your Own Touches

You can customize the flavors with your favorite ingredients, by adding anything from nut butter to fruit purée to the jar. For example:

 
Don’t like sweet foods? Experiment with savory recipes, from caraway seeds to red chili flakes.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

For National Soup Month, here’s an easy recipe from Davio’s Boston, one of several locations in the excellent Davio’s Northern Italian Steak Houses in Atlanta, Manhattan, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and later this year in Los Angeles.

A side of goat cheese crostini turns the soup into a first course or a sophisticated “soup and sandwich” lunch.

RECIPE: HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients For 6 To 8 Portions

______________________________
*While butter adds a nice flavor note, you can substitute oil if you’re avoiding cholesterol, want a vegan option, etc.

†You can buy the tomatoes crushed or whole. Steve buys them whole and hand crushes them.
 
Preparation

1. MELT the butter in a stock pot; add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for 1 hour.

2. ADD the cubed bread and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until cool. Purée until smooth with an immersion blender or in a regular blender or food processor. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

3. SERVE: Bring the soup to a simmer. Plate and garnish with the optional yogurt, then with the basil and parsley. Serve with the crostini.

Goat cheese crostini are delicious with soup
or a glass of wine. Photo courtesy Wines Of
Sicily.

RECIPE: GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. TOAST the baguette slices.

2. BLEND together the goat cheese, dill and minced garlic. Spread evenly over the toasted baguette slices.

3. GARNISH with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some lemon zest and fresh-ground black pepper.
 
DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRUSCHETTA
AND CROSTINI?

In Scotland, January 25th is a national holiday that celebrates the birthday of the great romantic poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). On Burns Night, family and friends gather for an evening of good food and company. A traditional Burns’ Supper is served.

This year, instead of cooking a traditional Burns Supper (smoked haddock, beef pie, haggis, colcannon, tatties), we’re taking the sweeter road:
 
 
BURDICK SCOTCH WHISKY CHOCOLATES

Available for only three weeks each year, this special box of chocolates blends Scotch whisky into every piece.

There are ganache-filled chocolates made with some of the finest whiskys, including Highland Park, Macallan, Springbank and Talisker. They are accompanied by Glenfarclas bonbons and Lagavulin and Whisky Honey truffles.

The chocolates are available now through January 28th. Get an extra box for Valentine’s Day, at BurdickChocolate.com.

 
 
OTHER WAYS TO CELEBRATE BURNS NIGHT

 
Here’s more about Burns Night.
 
 
WHISKY VS. WHISKEY

Whisky is the Scottish spelling of whiskey, a term that originated in Ireland. The alternative spelling was chosen to differentiate the Scots’ national product from Irish whiskey.

The “whisky” spelling is used in Canada, Japan and Wales, as well as Scotland.

In the U.S., a 1968 directive from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms specifies “whisky” as the official U.S. spelling. However, it allows the alternative spelling, “whiskey.”

Most U.S. producers prefer to include the “e,” as do we. Without it, it looks like something is missing.

[1] What a way to celebrate Burns Night: with Scotch whisky chocolate (photos #1 and #2 © L.A. Burdick Chocolate).

[2] You can pair the chocolates with glasses different Scotch whiskys.

[3] The poet himself: Scotland’s Robert Burns (photo Wikipedia).

Ironically, distillation was discovered in the 8th century in Persia—a country that has not permitted the sale and consumption of spirits since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Here’s a brief history of whiskey.
_________________________________

*The mouse honors the famous Burns poem, To A Mouse.
  

Top: Blistered chiles, particularly padróns
and shishitos, have become a hot side dish
(no pun intended). Here’s the recipe. Photo courtesy Good Eggs | San Francisco. Bottom: Start your chile adventure with a good book, like this one from Melissa’s.

Chiles originated in Central and South America, where they have been cultivated for more than seven thousand years. They were first used as a decorative item, then became a foodstuff and a medicine.

Christopher Columbus encountered them in the Caribbean Islands and brought them back to Europe, where they were used as a substitute for pricey black pepper from India.

Ferdinand Magellan is credited with introducing chili peppers into Africa and Asia on his voyages. Now, chiles are grown on all continents, and incorporated them into world cuisines.

Here are ways to use five popular chile varieties: chiles in adobo, habanero, jalapeño, poblano and dried chiles.
 
HOW TO BUY CHILES

Here are some tips from Whole Foods Market:

 
Dry Your Own Chiles

For a fun project, dry your own fresh chiles; then grind them into chili powder as needed. You can hang them in the sunlight to dry (the most fun) or use the oven or a dehydrator. Here are instructions.

If you garden, you can grow your own chiles as well.

GET A BOOK

The best way to add more chiles to your meals is to start with a book that shows all the possibilities. Our favorite cookbook in the category is The Great Pepper Cookbook, a thorough guide to choosing and cooking with peppers.

From mild to hot and hotter, the book explains how to choose, prep and cook 37 varieties of fresh and dried chiles. The recipes are splendid and the photos are gorgeous. They make you want to prepare every recipe.
 
EASY MILD CHILE RECIPES: CHILE VERDE WITH CHICKEN & CUBANELLE CHILES

To start you off, here are some pairings with mild chiles that favored by Steve Lindner, Executive Chef and Founder of Zone Manhattan.

Chef Steve uses the cubanelle chile to make a version of Chili Verde, a stew from northern Mexico. Originally made with pork, it can be made with chicken as well. Serve it with a whole grain and vegetable sides.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CUBE the chicken and sear in a pot. Add the onion and garlic.

2. COVER with the wine and vinegar. Simmer until soft. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Serve with garnishes.

PEPPERONCINI RECIPE: COCONUT & SHRIMP CEVICHE

You can do much more with pepperoncini than add them to a Greek salad. Coconut and shrimp are a popular combination, but you can make ceviche with scallops or any fish. Here’s more about ceviche.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the first four ingredients and marinate for several hours or overnight. Taste and add salt as desired.

2. TOP with the coconut and serve with the garnishes.
 
IS IT “CHILE” OR “PEPPER?”

Chiles were “discovered” in the Caribbean by Christopher Columbus, who called them “peppers” (pimientos, in Spanish) because of their fiery similarity to the black peppercorns with which he was familiar.

However, there is no relationship between the two plants (or between chiles and Szechuan pepper, for that matter). “Pepper” is a misnomer, but in the U.S., it seems to have taken over. Some people use “chile pepper,” a bit of a correction, still not accurate.

Here’s more on the history of chiles.
 
IS IT CHILE, CHILI OR CHILLI?

The term “pepper” is not used in Latin America. There, the word is chili, from chilli, the word in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. The original Nahuatl word is chilli. The conquering Spanish spelled it chile.

In the U.K., chilli is the popular spelling. In the U.S., many people use chili, a seeming middle ground between chilli and chile.

Top: Cubanelle chiles are so mild that you can add them to almost any sandwich. Simit + Smith combines them with feta, lettuce and tomato. Bottom: Chiles en Nogada, poblano chiles with walnut sauce, are another mild chile dish. Here’s the recipe from Pom Wonderful.

Now that you know, the choice is yours. We choose “chile” because it’s the spelling by which Europeans were introduced to the chilli, and the best variant of that word.

How many types of chiles have you had? Check them out in our Chile Glossary.