The Accidental Chef is back!  Not that I have had any time off from nightly KP Duty but somehow got hung up n the fact that I never seem to have my camera handy when I’m at my most creative moments in the kitchen.  No picture meant no recipe posted for you to enjoy.  Good thing I got over myself

So I’m back in my virtual kitchen ready to share my experiments with you.  Enjoy!

My neighbor plants a garden every year and I’m often the beneficiary of the overflow.  Leek is in season!  And there is plenty to share.

Nothing tastes better than vegetables fresh from the garden.  I went over this morning (in the rain) and harvested four stalks of leek for the potato leek soup I have been craving all week.

The side tonight was stuffed mushroom caps, suggested by my honeyman.  I had never made stuffed mushroom caps but figured my kitchen was ripe for an accidental recipe so I set to work.  You’ll find some unique ingredients listed, I used what I had on hand rather than searching for a recipe for stuffed mushrooms.

Fresh From The Garden Leek Soup

4 large stalks of leek, cleaned and dark green sections removed
5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cleaned and chopped into 1-inch cubes (peeling is optional)
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
A dash of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon of chopped chives

Melt the butter in a 6-quart pot.  Chop the leeks and sauté  with the spices for approximately five minutes, taking care not to burn your spices.  Add the chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat.  Cover and let gently simmer for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours or until potatoes have softened and the broth has thickened from the starch from the potatoes and the broth has reached your desired consistency.

Traditional potato leek soup is pureed until smooth at this point and a cup or two of heavy cream is added to the puree.  I prefer my potatoes left whole and no other flavors dampening the flavor of the leeks.  To add the cream, turn off the heat and puree the potatoes with an immersion blender until smooth.  Stir in the cream.  Taste and adjust seasonings as required.

Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve.

Virgin Mushroom Caps

1/2 pound large mushrooms
3 tablespoons of butter
2 whole shallots, finely diced
1/4 cup pepperoni, finely diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped baby spinach
1/4 cup gluten free rice crumbs (or 1/2 cup bread crumbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup old cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Wash the mushrooms. Pop stem out.  Chop stems and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoons butter; brush over mushrooms.  Spray a shallow baking dish (about 8-inch square, or one which will fit mushrooms in one layer) with butter-flavored spray or grease with butter.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet.  Chop green onions; combine with reserved chopped mushroom stems, pepperoni and garlic. (Note: I used pepperoni because it was what I had on hand.  My original thought was to use bacon but I did not have any.) Add to skillet along with the spinach; sauté until tender.  Remove from heat and transfer to small mixing bowl.  Add bread crumbs (or rice crumbs if you require a gluten-free variant), salt, and pepper and cheeses to vegetable mixture; stir well.

Fill each mushroom cap with a little of the stuffing, mounding up.  Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes, until mushroom caps are tender.