The 'Shroom:Issue 177/The 'Shroom Staff Recipe Book

The 'Shroom Staff Recipe Book Written by: The 'Shroom Staff Art by

Just like the staff of any other newspaper in this day and age, we here at The 'Shroom are always looking for new avenues that will allow us to offset shrinking budgets with additional sources of Power Moon revenue. As we searched for some lucrative projects that a team of newspaper staff could work on, we discovered the rich world of cookbooks. We here at The 'Shroom are committed to using every resource we have... and writing our own cookbook sounded like a great way to squeeze out some extra value of the five-star quality kitchen we installed on the second floor a few years back.

So, in celebration of Yoshis, their voracious appetites, and the delectable fruits that grow on Yoshi's Island, we've decided to write a little recipe book for all of you aspiring chefs out there. Yes, we opened up our kitchen, had the staff enter one at a time, and told them not to come out until they had made a dish and written down their experience so we could add it to the book! Our project proved more successful than we could have hoped. Not only did our staff provide recipes, but we even had a submission from the veritable Elvin Gadd.

Whether you're looking for a dish to serve this holiday season or want something to make when summer comes around and you need to cool down, you'll find it in our recipe book. Take a look at our dishes celebrating Yoshis, and, if you're tempted, try making them yourself!

Yoshi Cookie Apple Salad
Written by:

Hello, friends! Thank you for stopping by today! If I haven't said so already, I'm from the American Midwest, where everything is dunked in ranch dressing and served with a side of "ope, lemme squeeze right past ya!" But, if there is one thing that Midwesterners are very good at, it's making very interesting foods. I've gotten a lot of the recipes I love from close to home- community cookbooks that are a massive amalgamation of different contribution of recipes. My family has a handful of these cookbooks that my grandmother added recipes to, and I have one of my own that I picked up at a community lending library for cookbooks. If you want to get recipes that have been tested a million times and have been loved, you should seek out a community contribution cookbook- often times, they will be in velo binding or a three-ring binder, and they will usually be themed around a group: a classic car club, joint members of a bank or church, or maybe parents and family members of children at a school. Look for them at garage sales, lending libraries, or used book sales.

Here, I'll be contributing a salad recipe. Now, I've seen fun salads and I've seen horrifying salads (a cursed family Christmas recipe involves lime jello, cottage cheese, and carrots.) Today is very much the former- I adapted a recipe that involved Snickers bars to fit our Yoshi theme! It's my favorite type of Midwestern salad- one that uses apples in a lettuce role. Whenever I go out to pick apples in the fall, I make an apple salad (among other things like pies, applesauce, and pastries, but I'm getting off-track.) There's no lettuce here, and aside from some chopping, it's a very easy recipe to make. Let's get started, shall we?

For this recipe, you will need:
 * one block of creamy cheese
 * one cup of snow sugar
 * one tub of white whip
 * 4 large or 6 small apples (use a crunchy variety like Fuji or Pink Lady, I used Evercrisps here)
 * 8-10 Yoshi cookies

This recipe will serve 3-4, depending on where you serve it. If you're serving it to your family in bowls as is, expect 3-4. If you plop it on your holiday table with 5-6 other sides and salads, it'll stretch longer. Or you could leave it in your fridge and eat it over a few days. One thing to note, though, that we are using fresh cookies here, so either eat this salad the day you make it, so they don't get too wet and soggy, or add them when you want to eat it so they can stay crunchy. And now we salad! 1. Blend the creamy cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Blend in your snow sugar until combined, then fold in your white whip with a spatula.

2. Core your apples, then chop into bite-sized chunks. I like to cut mine on the bigger size so they're easier to scoop up with a spoon or stab with a fork.

3. Cut your cookies roughly the same size as your apples. For mine here, I cut them on the diagonal so the colors would contrast still.

4. Fold your apples and cookies into your dressing carefully, then serve, or chill until cold.

This is the easier of my two apple salad recipes (the other requires cooking and tempering and straining- ugh!) Definitely a salad for a special occasion- especially if you're making the original recipe where you chop up whole Snickers bars! If you want something salty to balance out that sweetness of the dressing and cookies, you can smash up some salted peanuts and mix those in with your apples and cookies to give it a nice, salty crunch. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and have a lovely holiday!

Alfreno Chuck's Shelled Slushy
Written by:

Greetings, beautiful ‘Shroom readers! As you might recall, during this last summer I took a family vacation to Isle Delfino, where I was able to relax for over a week on the waterfront. I really had a wonderful time on the island, and a large part of that was its cuisine. With a bit of restaurant touring, I was able to try all sorts of meals and desserts, and graciously I was given many learning opportunities regarding their food’s history. Though I didn’t receive recipes for every meal I ate, I had the chance to sit down with a dessert vendor on Ricco Harbor after trying one of his specialties: shelled slushy. Despite its prominence on Isle Delfino, I was interested to learn that the dessert actually has roots on Yoshi’s Island! He shared with me his recipe, and I transcribed it as thoroughly as I could, so, with his permission, I’ve decided to share it with all of you!

Please, if you ever visit Isle Delfino, make sure to stop by the Ricco-Sweet Pop-Up at the southern docks, and say hello to Mr. Alfreno Chucks for me! Ricco-Sweet is an independent, local business, and the tourism scene is one of his greatest boons. Support small businesses!

Without further ado, I introduce you to…

Alfreno Chucks’ Shelled Slushy



Ingredients
 * 1 ice watermelon
 * 10 cups of assorted fruits (recommendation: 4 cups apples, 3 cups red grapes, 2 cups papaya, 1 cup cantaloupe)
 * 1 pineapple
 * 1/2 cup sugar
 * 2 cups water
 * 3 Yoshi Eggs

Instructions

Firstly, prepare your ingredients. Start by slicing all of your fruit. The ice watermelon should be carved in half, while the assorted fruits cut into smaller chunks to allow for easy mashing. Cut your pineapple into clean, circular slices. The Yoshi Eggs should be cracked and emptied, but not thoroughly washed out; the rich protein layer inside the egg adds nutrients and additional flavor to the slushy.

Next, in a very large bowl, begin to mash together your cups of fruit until they are in a thin consistency. Pour one cup of water into the bowl, followed by the 1/2 cup of sugar.

Carefully scoop the insides of one half of the ice watermelon into the bowl. Ice watermelon will cause the fruits and water to freeze too quickly if not monitored, so continuously stir the bowl while scooping the watermelon into it. Once filled, quickly pour the second cup of water in. Stir until the slushy has a semi-frozen consistency.

Leave three pineapple slices pristine, but take any remaining slices and squeeze them over the bowl, adding as much juice as you can with your hands. Restir the bowl once more.

Set up your empty Yoshi Egg shells so they can be easily spooned into. Fill each shell to near capacity. This recipe should make enough slushy to fill three shells total. Take the preserved slices of pineapples and place one on the rim of each shell.

Garnish with any decorations you choose, and enjoy!

Feel free to incorporate other sweet treats as toppings. At his stand, Alfreno offers add-ons such as pop rocks, whipped cream, and Gummy Bloopers, so have fun experimenting with toppings of your choice!

Fire & Ice Watermelon Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
Written by:

This recipe is fairly easy, and can be easily tweaked and modified to whatever you desire! For my purposes here, I’ve made Fire & Ice Watermelon Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies, inspired by fire watermelon, ice watermelon, and the cookies in Yoshi's Cookie



I don’t like listing prep times as it varies based on attention, focus, availability of specialized tools, and many other factors. I will say, though, that this complete recipe from prepping the jams to placing the cookies on a cooling rack took me a total of about 1 hour of focused work, and about 2 hours if you include cooling times.

Yields: ~30 cookies

Tools Needed/Recommended/Dishes You’ll Need to Wash
 * Medium pot
 * Medium bowl
 * Large mixing bowl
 * Stand/hand mixer
 * Whisk
 * Measuring cups and spoons
 * Knife
 * Spoon
 * Cutting board
 * Non-slip silicone pastry mat
 * Thumbprint cookie cutters
 * Cookie sheets
 * Cooling rack

Ingredients Watermelon Jam Fire Watermelon Jam
 * 2 cups watermelon pulp, pureed
 * ¼ cup lemon juice
 * 2 cups granulated sugar
 * 1.75 oz (1 packet) powder fruit pectin
 * 1 teaspoon lemon peel
 * 2 red chile peppers, minced

Ice Watermelon Jam
 * 2 cups watermelon pulp, pureed
 * ¼ cup lemon juice
 * 2 cups granulated sugar
 * 1.75 oz (1 packet) powder fruit pectin
 * 1 bunch (.5 oz) fresh mint, chopped finely

This amount of jam will be way more than you will need for the amount of cookies this will make, but the fact of the matter is that it’s not a very good use of time to make ¼ cup total of jam to strictly use for the recipe. At the very least with this, you will have plenty more jam to use in a variety of ways for the next couple weeks.

Cookies
 * 2 cups all-purpose flour
 * ¼ teaspoon salt
 * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
 * ⅔ cup granulated sugar
 * ½ teaspoon almond extract

Directions Jams 1) Cut a medium-sized watermelon, removing the outer rind and dicing the pulp into smaller pieces. 2) Puree the watermelon pulp in either a blender or food processor. 3) Pour the pureed watermelon, lemon juice, and sugar into a pot. -At this time you may also add extra ingredients, such as the mint, or the lemon peel and chile peppers -Optional: mix in a small amount of gel food coloring to achieve a desired appearance. 4) Bring mixture to a boil with medium-high heat, then reduce to low temperature. 5) Add the pectin, whisking or stirring immediately to avoid clumping. 6) Bring mixture to a boil again with medium-high heat, then reduce to low temperature, stirring frequently for 25 minutes. 7) Carefully pour mixture into a jar or container, and let cool.

Cookies 1) Add the flour and salt into a small bowl, then whisk to combine. 2) Add the butter, sugar, and almond extract into a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until the mixture is creamy, smooth, and homogeneous. 3) Reduce the mixer speed to low, and pour the dry flour mixture into the butter mixture slowly until well blended, keeping sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough should appear crumbled. 4) Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. 5) Preheat oven to 350℉/175℃. 6) Sprinkle some flour on a smooth and flat prep area, and roll out the dough until it is about ⅓ of an inch thick. Press the thumbprint cookie cutter into the dough and transfer the shape onto a greased cookie tray 2 inches apart. Fill each thumbprint indent with jam of your choice. 7) Bake for 12-18 minutes or until the edges appear lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let stand for 1 minute before moving to a cooling rack.

Tips and Comments
 * Cutting the watermelon into smaller pieces will allow it to process into a puree easier.
 * Be sure there’s ample space in the pot as the liquid bubbles and expands, and can boil over easily
 * Pretty much any fruit will work with the jam recipe, and any jam can be placed in these thumbprints!
 * The jam will stay fresh in your fridge for 1 month.
 * While I used specialized thumbprint cookie cutters, this recipe can just as easily be done with any other cookie cutter or rolling the dough into small balls and pressing your finger halfway into the center of the dough.
 * A tabletop mixer is not necessary, and a hand mixer does the same trick. You may mix by hand, if you so wish, but this will add considerable time to your prep period and will give you phenomenal muscles.
 * The dough is best when chilled, but if the dough is too hard to work with after removing from the fridge just simply keep it at room temperature to warm up some.
 * Be careful not to overbake! The cookie can get burned and crumbly easily.

Professor E. Gadd's Research Journal
Written by:

12: Celebrating a resolved predicament
After Luigi and his friends left, and with the ghosts back in a friendly state, I could continue with my research! However, this milestone cannot go uncelebrated, so perhaps I should treat myself and the friendly ghosts to something nice before I continue. What would be the perfect way of celebrating? A sip of my Lunoman Greenie coffee blend gives me the perfect idea: a cake! Where would I be without my Joe?

Of course, as renowned owner of the Starbeans Cafe franchise, I have plenty of publications in my library about pastries that go well with coffee. Especially for special occasions like this! I immediately made my way to my treasure trove of knowledge, and find Pâtisseries by Dominique Licieux, a classic cookbook for all things cake and pastry.

Of course, the real challenge is finding the most exquisite recipe to use amongst the rich variety offered. As I leaved through Licieux' pages, my eye was quickly caught by a cake of grand couleur: a layered Yoshi cake! Pictured tastefully green, like my Lunoman or a Greenie, so a perfect fit!

Reading through the recipe, it occured to me that it should be fairly easy to produce. However, I was missing one key ingredient: eggs. The recipe is sure to note though, that one shouldn't use Yoshi eggs for this baked good (and for the better, that would be pretty cruel to do!).

A lack of eggs shall not be an issue however! There are plenty of products that can be used in their place. Applesauce, bananas, yogurt, the possibilities are endless! So let's go to work!

I had all the ingredients ready, butter, sugar, flour, and as Yoshis like fruit a lot, I have opted to use a combination of applesauce and bananas as a replacement for the eggs. Everything lines up perfectly. Time to preheat the oven!

While I was composing the mixture for the layers, the unthinkable happened! As I refreshed myself with a cup of Lunoman Greenie blend just after whisking the batter, history repeated itself. One of those jolly Greenies once again snuck onto me and tried to scare me, and half of my cup fell into the batter!

Of course, I initially was furious! But then I reminded myself of how this same accident led me to discover Goo, so I swiftly calmed down and took a new look at my batter, and discovered that it, just like the ghost energy, had turned the same green as my exquisite beverage. This might just end up being a blessing in disguise! I decided to move forward with it and put it in the oven.

While the two layers baked and I was preparing the icing, the most wonderful scent started coming from my oven. It was the sweetest combination of cake and Lunoman I had ever smelt! Any remaining doubt about my decision has completely faded away. When I finally got them out of my oven, it was the most perfect piece of cake I had ever seen before! I couldn't wait to taste it!

As I quickly put the icing in between and on top of the layers, there were already multiple ghosts assembling in my kitchen. If even the ghosts were attracted by the smell, this must surely point towards an excellent bake. If it didn't need to cool down first, this cake would surely be gone in minutes!

The moment of truth had arrived. Finally we could taste my baked Lunoman Greenie Yoshi cake. The ghosts and I all took a bite at the same time, and goodness gracious! This truly is the best pastry I had ever tasted! I will rewrite the recipe by mr. Licieux, and amend it with the greatness that is Lunoman Greenie coffee. This cake will shake the world!

 Ingredients - 170g butter - 170g caster sugar - 170g self-rising flour - 100g applesauce - 1 banana - 100ml Lunoman Greenie coffee blend

Icing - 230g icing sugar - 80g butter - 20ml Lunoman Greenie coffee blend Steps  
 * 1) Preheat oven to 180 °C, butter two Yoshi-shaped tins
 * 2) Whisk the butter and sugar, then add the applesauce and mashed banana, followed by flour
 * 3) Add the Lunoman Greenie coffee blend and whisk until even
 * 4) Spread in the tins and bake for 25 minutes
 * 5) Make icing by whisking all ingredients until fluffy, set aside until cake is baked
 * 6) Spread each half of the icing on each half of the cake, then stack

With thanks to a reference from BBC Good Food

Gulai Ikan Spray Fish
Written by:

Let's admit it. No matter how wonderful a time it is, the holiday season is a demanding and stressful time. When the neighbor is getting their child a Chain Chomplet as a present and the twins down the street are getting a brand-new, top-of-the-line Bros. Block to play with, when old relatives from Dry Dry Outpost are stopping in on their way up to Shiver City's Festival of Light and Crystal, and when the shopping malls are packed from Rogueport to Chaos Town (or, well, what's left of it), we could all use a helping hand as we strive to impress guests with nicely-decorated homes, fancy gifts, and, of course, grand holiday meals.

What meal might someone make to wow their guests, to leave them with a holiday memory that they won't soon forget? Why not make something with a tropical taste and prepare gulai ikan Spray Fish? With two simple recipes, you can blend the cuisine of Dinosaur Land and Isle Delfino and wow your stressed-out holiday guests while whisking them away to a far-off paradise. The health-conscious among your guests will appreciate this dish's focus on fruit and fish, and you'll appreciate hearing "I didn't know you could cook a world-class meal," and "where did you learn to cook like that?".

Gulai Ikan Spray Fish: The Basics

Before you get started, you might benefit from a primer. Gulai is a dish consisting of meat, usually chicken or fish, in a rich sauce. A reasonable translation for the name? Curry. Gulai ikan is fish curry, and you can append your fish of choice to the name to specify which fish you're using as our base. Hence, you're making Gulai ikan Spray Fish, and now you won't be caught at the dinner table unable to explain the name of the dish you're serving.

Now, take caution. This is a dish with a kick to it. Gulai is on the hot side. This recipe will turn the heat down a bit, but if your family or guests can't handle spice, you may want to adjust the recipe further.

For your meat of choice, you'll want to go with a staple of Dinosaur Land cuisine and use Spray Fish. It's not uncommon to use Lunge Fish for this dish, as it does hold up slightly better against acidity, but Spray Fish holds up well enough, is more tender and flavorful with its fatty deposits, and, importantly, is cheaper. You'll save yourself a bundle of coins opting for this import over Lunge Fish.

To really complete your dish, though, you're going to want to incorporate some Delfinian durians (the favorite fruit of Yoshis on Isle Delfino, according to recent work by W. P. Hoodington) in the form of tempoyak, a pungent but somewhat sweet condiment made from fermented durians. This will add a more complex flavor to your dish and should temper some of the spiciness. What you'll want to do is prepare the tempoyak first and set it aside so that you can bring it out when you serve your gulai ikan Spray Fish.

Preparation

Tempoyak

'PREP TIME: 3 days (tempoyak'')


 * 1 cup of Delfinian durian
 * ½ tablespoon of salt
 * (Proportional, per cup of tempoyak made)

You need to prepare your tempoyak in advance, so allow at least three days before dinner to give it time to ferment. In a large bowl, measure out as many cups of your Delfinian durian (substitutes are fine, but keep in mind that the Delfinian durian is the sweetest widely-available variety, and avoid Keelhaul Key durians) as you want cups of tempoyak and mash it well. After mashing, add one tablespoon of salt for every cup of durian, then mix. Let the mixture sit in an airtight container at room temperature for at least three days and allow the durian to ferment. You can allow it to remain out to ferment for up to a week and a half. Refrigerate after a week and a half if you want it to keep for a longer period. After at least three days of fermenting, serve with your dish of choice.

Gulai Ikan Spray Fish

PREP TIME: 45-60 minutes (gulai ikan Spray Fish)
 * 2 Spray Fish, both cut into three pieces
 * 2 Smelly Herbs
 * 1 tablespoon Mushiyoke Sō
 * 1 ½ teaspoons salt
 * ½ teaspoon lime juice
 * 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
 * 500 ml coconut milk
 * 200 ml, coconut milk, thickend
 * 3 tablespoons oil for sauteing
 * About half a gram of red onion
 * 5 cloves of garlic
 * ½ teaspoon pepper
 * 2 teaspoons ginger

When you're ready to make the main dish, begin by cutting up your Spray Fish, cutting each Spray Fish into three pieces. Take half a teaspoon of your salt and your half teaspoon of lime juice (Dry Dry Desert limes may sound more exotic, but save your money and go for a cheaper option) and coat your Spray Fish with both. Set the Spray Fish aside to allow it to stand for ten minutes.

With your fish started, begin preparing the sauce by heating your oil to begin sauteing. Add your onion, your garlic (you don't want to substitute this, so find your nearest Garlic Dispenser and give them a good punch if you have to), your pepper, your ginger, and your Smelly Herbs. You'll need to add some Mushiyoke Sō at this step; you might have heard it colloquially referred to as "Insecticide Grass." Saute all of these ingredients until you strongly bring out their scent and don't be afraid to chop up an orange peel if the odor of the Smelly Herb overpowers you (after working with durian and Smelly Herb, you might consider chopping up orange peels or baking a batch of Yoshi Cookies to make your abode smell fresh).

Once you've brought out the scent of your spices, add your sugar, your remaining teaspoon of salt, and your coconut milk. You want unthickened coconut milk at this stage. For the best results, get your hands on a Delfinian coconut and prepare fresh coconut milk from it. For the budget-conscious, a Keelhaul Key coconut will suffice. For the time-conscious, you can use pre-made coconut milk here. For those of you who want even more spice in your recipe, you might consider mixing a Fire Flower with a coconut to prepare a Coconut Bomb and preparing the milk from that dish. Whatever your source of milk, bring it all to a boil.

Once you have your sauce boiling, add in your pieces of Spray Fish. Cook it until you're pleased with how well-done it is. Now, take your thickened coconut milk (canned is fine, here) and pour it over the dish. Bring it to a boil one more time. Remove from heat, let stand, and serve.

You'll come out with enough gulai ikan Spray Fish to serve six. Don't forget to serve your tempoyak with the dish!

With that, you're done. You can confidently serve a dish that would make a Yoshi salivate, a dish sure to make you look educated cosmopolitan in front of your guests and that will fill bellies. Mind the odor of some of the ingredients, and adjust the spice in the recipe as needed, and your cooking skills will be such a hot subject of discussion around the dinner table that all the talk could melt a Freezie on a cold mountaintop!

Worst Smoothie Ever
Written by:



Installing new parameters...



New task received.

Hopefully you've enjoyed the recipes included in our little book. Perhaps you've gone on to try making one or two of these yourself, or perhaps you plan to share these with your family and friends. If you're hooked on the staff's favorite recipes, keep an eye out for the release of Cooking with The 'Shroom: The Expanded Guide to World Cuisine, releasing in bookstores on February 31st, 2022 for only ninety-five Power Moons a copy. Written by the seasoned newspaper staff you trust, sampling food from all over the world, and filled with lavish illustrations by the one and only Waluigi Time (you might note that he contributed illustrations for Alfreno Chuck's Shelled Slushy, gulai ikan Spray Fish, The Worst Smoothie Ever, and the Mistake at the top of the page), this cookbook will be a perfect pick for anyone in your life who enjoys cooking and baking. Don't miss it!