Mushroom stew

Name: Mushroom stew - Ruxanda H.
Ingredients: 500 g mushrooms (champignon) 3 medium onions 1 red and yellow bell pepper 1 tablespoon of flour 4 tablespoons of milk butter salt pepper fresh parsley fresh dill sour cream

Salad - Mushroom stew by Ruxanda H. - Recipia

Mushroom ciulama is quite simple to make, using just a few basic ingredients. Onions and peppers are first sautéed in butter, then cooked together with the mushrooms in their own juices. Finally, milk mixed with flour thickens the sauce, while herbs add a specific flavor. It is served warm, with sour cream and polenta. Quick info Total time: not specified in the original recipe Preparation time: not specified Cooking time: not specified; the ingredients are cooked on low heat, covered, until tender Servings: unspecified Difficulty: easy Recipe type: main dish with dairy? No, the recipe contains butter, milk, and sour cream; it is a traditional mushroom dish suitable for lunch or dinner Ingredients 500 g champignon mushrooms 3 medium onions 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper 1 tablespoon of flour 4 tablespoons of milk Butter, for sautéing the vegetables Salt Pepper Fresh parsley Fresh dill Sour cream, for serving Polenta, for serving Preparation method 1. Wash the onions and peppers, then slice them into julienne strips. The strips don’t have to be perfectly even, but it’s best if they are roughly the same thickness so they cook at the same time. 2. Place the onions and peppers in a pot with 2-3 cubes of butter. Cover the pot and let the vegetables sauté. The heat should be moderate to low, allowing the onions and peppers to soften without burning. 3. Meanwhile, wash the mushrooms and slice them. If they are very large, you can cut them in half before slicing. There’s no need to cook them separately. 4. Add the mushrooms over the onions and peppers. Sprinkle a little salt, cover the pot again, and let everything cook on low heat. The mushrooms will start to release liquid, and the ingredients will cook together in their own juices. 5. Check the mixture from time to time. If the liquid reduces too much before the vegetables and mushrooms are cooked, add a splash of hot water. The amount should be small, just enough to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the pot. 6. When the mushrooms, onions, and peppers are cooked, prepare the thickening mixture. Dissolve the flour in the cold milk, stirring until there are no lumps left. 7. Pour the milk and flour mixture into the pot over the mushrooms and vegetables. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes while the sauce begins to thicken. Continuous stirring is important at this stage to ensure the flour is evenly incorporated. 8. Turn off the heat once the ciulama has thickened slightly and season with pepper. Add the finely chopped parsley and dill. Adjust the salt at the end, depending on how much you added initially and to taste. 9. Serve the ciulama warm, with sour cream and polenta. Why I make this recipe often It’s a simple dish with easily accessible ingredients and no complicated steps. The mushrooms, onions, and peppers are cooked in the same pot, and the sauce thickens quickly at the end with flour and milk. For me, it’s the kind of dish that’s perfect when I want something warm and hearty but don’t need an elaborate recipe. The taste changes slightly depending on how long the onions and peppers are cooked, but the base remains the same. The polenta and sour cream are added at serving, not in the pot, so everyone can adjust their portion to their liking. Tips Mushrooms should be allowed to cook in their own liquid, on low heat and covered. If you add too much water, the ciulama may turn out too watery, and the flavor of the vegetables will be less concentrated. Add the flour only after the mushrooms and vegetables are cooked. The flour and milk mixture should be prepared separately in cold milk to blend more easily before reaching the pot. After pouring in the milk and flour, stir continuously for 1-2 minutes. The sauce thickens quickly, and this step should not be left unattended. Add the parsley and dill at the end, finely chopped. This way, they remain more noticeable in the dish. Substitutions Champignon mushrooms are the ones indicated in the basic recipe. The texture and cooking time may vary if you use other types of mushrooms, so no equivalent substitutions are specified here. Butter can be used in the amount mentioned in the recipe, meaning 2-3 cubes for sautéing the vegetables. No exact weight is specified, so it’s better to start with a moderate amount. Milk is used cold to dissolve the flour. No alternative is indicated in the original recipe, and changing it may alter the texture of the sauce. Variations You can keep the proportion of onions and peppers from the recipe and only adjust the amount of salt, pepper, and herbs. These are the elements that can be most easily tailored to taste. If you prefer a thicker sauce, follow the exact amount of flour and mix well during the 1-2 minutes after adding it. It is not recommended to increase the flour without adjusting the liquid, as the ciulama may become too thick. For a more pronounced herbal flavor, parsley and dill can be finely chopped and added together just before serving. The recipe does not specify other spices, so the basic flavor remains that of the mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Serving ideas The simplest serving is with warm polenta and a spoonful of sour cream. The sour cream can be placed directly in the bowl, on top of the ciulama, or alongside. The ciulama is served warm, immediately after the sauce has thickened. Polenta is the recommended accompaniment in the basic recipe and helps make use of the sauce on the plate. Frequently asked questions Are the mushrooms added raw over the onions and peppers? Yes. After being washed and sliced, the mushrooms are added directly over the sautéed onions and peppers. They cook together, on low heat, covered, in their own juices. Do I need to add water over the mushrooms? Not at first. The mushrooms release liquid during cooking. If the juice reduces too much and the ingredients risk sticking, a splash of hot water can be added. When is the flour added? The flour is dissolved in the 4 tablespoons of cold milk and is added only after the mushrooms, onions, and peppers are cooked. After pouring, the mixture is stirred continuously for 1-2 minutes. Can I put the sour cream directly in the pot? The recipe indicates serving with sour cream, not incorporating it into the ciulama. The simplest way is to add it to the plate, alongside the dish and polenta. What can I serve if I don’t want polenta? In the original recipe, ciulama is served with polenta. No other accompaniment is indicated, so to keep the dish according to the recipe, polenta remains the recommended option. Nutritional values The values below are estimates and may not be accurate, as the amount of butter and sour cream used for serving is not specified. The estimate refers to the ciulama itself, without polenta and sour cream, divided approximately into 4 servings. For one serving, the ciulama may have approximately 170-220 kcal, depending on the amount of butter used. Protein: approximately 6-8 g Fat: approximately 7-11 g Carbohydrates: approximately 22-27 g Fiber: approximately 4-6 g The added polenta and sour cream increase the total calorie and carbohydrate intake, as well as the fat content. For a more accurate calculation, the exact amounts of butter, sour cream, and polenta, as well as the number of servings, would be needed. Storage and reheating Leftover ciulama should be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container. Since the original recipe does not specify a storage term, it is best consumed as soon as possible after preparation. When reheating, warm it gradually and stir to re-homogenize the sauce. If it has thickened too much after cooling, the texture can be adjusted with a splash of liquid, but the recipe does not specify an exact amount. Polenta and sour cream should be stored separately and added at serving, not reheated together with the ciulama.

Mushroom stew

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