Cans of Mushrooms

Years ago we only used canned mushrooms, because fresh mushrooms didn't fit our budget. Now we can afford - and prefer the taste of - fresh mushrooms. However, we do keep some canned ones on the pantry shelf. This month the next "Aisle One" item at Costco was - you guessed it - canned mushrooms, so for the next little while I need to use a can a week. It might be fun to resurrect some of our old recipes just for the sake of nostalgia.

Stovetop Rice Casserole: Combine cooked rice, canned mushrooms, canned tuna (or salmon) and a sauce. (In the past we'd use a can of cream of mushroom soup; this version was some leftover alfredo sauce.) Quick and easy and filling.

Turkey Tetrazzini: One of my earliest "favorite" recipes, and the perfect use for leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Chicken Marsala: Quick and easy, just sauté some chicken breasts (or pork chops) and mushrooms in olive oil and butter until cooked through (add some onions and garlic if desired), then drizzle with a splash of Marsala (or the liquid from the canned mushrooms) and cream.

Pizza: Kind of self-explanatory. This time it was a topping ingredient - along with sausage, pepperoni and black olives - on a version of Stuffed Crust Pizza.

Mushroom Gravy: Add mushrooms to White Sauce, using the liquid from the can in place of some of the milk. Serve over chicken, beef or pork. Or over mashed potatoes, rice, or toast. Or even inedible Ham Rellena!

Chinese-Style Garlic Shrimp with Mushrooms: This recipe called for fresh mushrooms, but I used canned instead, and we quite liked this dish. We didn't do our usual "Friday night Chinese take-out" this month, because we had Wayne's birthday dinner at Okeechobee Steakhouse earlier in the week. However, I felt in the mood for something Chinese, that also used shrimp and leftover linguine. This was the result. We'll have it again someday.

It's a basic stir-fry with onions, bell pepper, broccoli, mushrooms and shrimp, seasoned with dried chili peppers, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and chicken bouillon. There's not much of a sauce - just the liquid from the can of mushrooms and a drizzle of olive oil - but it coated the pasta nicely. Give it a try and let me know what you think!