It seems as though… if you put biscuits on it… someone will profess their love to you.
It’s a strange phenomenon. It’s totally true.
Put biscuits on it… people will fall in love with you on the quick.
We’re dealing in comfort food here.
It’s like a food hug.
Get into it!
Everything good starts with biscuits.
These biscuits are studded with black pepper and chopped chives.
Butter and buttermilk make these biscuits my go-to biscuit situation.
Nothing is more perfect.
Little bitty cremini mushrooms are the meaty element to this vegetarian dish. They get caramelized with olive oil and butter and turn out robust and flavorful. Simple food is good food.
Sliced carrots, diced sweet potatoes, and frozen peas.
We’re going to add dried thyme too.
Onions and garlic meet caramelized mushrooms and sweet potatoes.
We’re going to toss in flour and mushroom broth and make a thick gravy.
Gravy and biscuits. I don’t know what more we could possibly want from life.
Caramelized Mushrooms and Dumplings
makes 9 biscuits and 1 8×8-inch dish
For the Mushroom Mixture:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound small cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut into bite size chunks
1 medium purple onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 cups diced sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups mushroom, vegetable, or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
dash of balsamic vinegar (optional)
For the Biscuits:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (depending on how spicy you like your biscuits)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
To make the biscuits:
Start by making the biscuits. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, black pepper, and chopped chives.
Add butter to the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to quickly incorporate the fat into the flour. Break up the butter with your fingers until some of the fat is the size of oat flakes and some of the fat is the size of small pebbles.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg and buttermilk.
Make a small well in the center of the fat and flour mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture. Using a fork, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Try to moisten all of the flour bits with the liquid. Dump the shaggy biscuit dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead together until dough forms a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.
Use a round, 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut biscuits. Gather the dough scraps, knead for a few turns, and cut out more biscuits until no dough remains. Place biscuits on a small cookie sheet and place in the fridge until ready to bake.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
The make the mushroom filling:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter into olive oil. Add mushrooms in a single layer in the pan and allow to cook, without disturbing, for about 4 minutes. Add a hearty pinch of salt and black pepper. Toss mushrooms every once in a while until softened and golden brown. Remove mushrooms from the pan.
Add a touch more olive oil and sautee onions until softened and transluscent. Add garlic and toss for one minute. Add carrots and sweet potatoes and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, softened the potatoes slightly. Add thyme. Return the mushrooms to the pan. Turn heat to low and add flour. Toss together. Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly until thickened. Add peas.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in Worchestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar.
Pour mushroom mixture into 8×8-inch pan. Place 9 biscuits over the filling. Bake for 20-23 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Mushrooms and dumplings will last for up to 4 days, well wrapped, in the refrigerator.
Jay @ Local Me
Thanks for sharing this technique for biscuits. I love how they nestle in the stew. I’m thinking some cheddar cheese mixed in would be lovely as well.
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
You’ve combined 2 of my favorite foods: mushrooms & biscuits, I’m in love.
piccola
This looks lovely! But if you’re looking to make it vegetarian, cut the Worcestershire…
TerriSue
There are several vegetarian Worcestershire’s. It is worth finding them as they do add a lot to the finished product. I have found Annie’s Naturals at my local Kroger but I am sure that Whole Foods would have it. No anchovies and very tasty.
Sara
I think everyone might be craving a meatless dish after all the turkey we’ve had the last few days! I really like the idea of using bisquits rather than puff pastry. It seems simpler and quicker – and I like that you’ve added the spices to them. I’m sure you could divide the recipe out into individual portions and then cook them right? How would that affect the cooking time? More beautiful photographs too!!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
You got it! Anything with biscuits will melt friends heart. Love this!
Tertia
Yay mushrooms! Yay biscuits! This looks really nice. Sometimes meat stews can become too much, so it’s nice to have a similar thing without the meat!! :) xx
Katie
Ah, bicuits. My mama’s favorite and my Achilles heel (along with caramelized sugar..woe!). In my dreams, I’m able to whip together warm, light, fluffy biscuits – all full of buttery happiness. In reality, no dice. One day I shall defeat the biscuits. In the meantime, I’ll leave it to you, Joy.
Catherine
This looks gorgeous. I have been making dumplings with half flour, half cornmeal. No egg. Thanks for posting!
Savorique
Yes simple food is good food! I notice there are only 8 baked dumplings left in the cute baking pan, who ate #9, heheh?! ;)
It would be nice to have a summary of total preparation and cooking times along with your recipe so we know how much time we need to make it like you.
kang li
I’m gonna make some of this the moment I get to cook dinner all by myself.
Linda
Joy! Where did you get that baking pan? It speaks to me….
mary
ugh i’m hungry now!!!!
erin
Joy! I’m so happy that you posted a “meaty” vegetarian dish. I miss stews in winter but now I can make this! (except I’m in Australia so I have to wait about six months. Duly bookmarked.)
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
Joy it’s beautiful! Love the shot of the little shrooms. You’re right, Nothing is more perfect. Well, maybe chocolate but that’s another story…
And the brown/orange color contrast..and then with the pop of green from the peas and the thyme..stunning in both flavorful and visual eye candy.
And you have *the best* dishes. Can I come to your garage sale if you ever have one? :)
Kimberly
Joy’s Online Garage Sale… good idea!
Hannah Baias
Ive actually never made biscuits before. I love eating them but for some reason they seem more daunting than puffy pastry. This recipe just may force me to get in there and do it. It looks spectacular and I cannot resist something flavored with so much black pepper and chives. yumm.
Sierra
Oh Hannah they’re so easy! Toss everything in a bowl, mix it up, and you’re good to go. Try it! :)
Anne
Best part about biscuits is that the less you do to them, the better. Just get the ingredients in the bowl and mixed just enough so that they stay together and you don’t have huge clods of unmixed ingredients, then STOP mixing and bake. Seriously easy. You’ll be amazed. Enjoy!