Mushrooms have been with us since time immemorial. As the years go by, so do the styles of cooking them. Mushrooms make a great side dish, and they can be baked, fried, or made into a soup. The list is endless when you are using mushrooms. One of the things you need to look out for is getting mushrooms that are in season. Getting them at this point ensures that you get them when they are freshest. You can freeze them up or dehydrate them and store them for future use.
One of the best ways to cook mushrooms is to fry them. It leaves them crispy on the outside with a chewy melt-in-your-mouth texture in the middle. Here is one classic way to cook your mushrooms that will leave an impression for days to come.
Sauteed Mushrooms: the Ingredients
- 1lb white or brown mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup white wine (optional)
- I sprig fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic
- Chives for garnish (optional)
Procedure
- 1. Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a paper towel. If the mushrooms have some bit of dirt on them, you can wash them under running water with a mushroom brush. Since mushrooms retain a lot of moisture, do not dip them in water.
- 2. Slice the mushrooms into quarters. The mushrooms will shrink up when they cook, so do not slice them too thinly.
- 3. Add your butter and oil to a skillet over medium-high heat, and let the butter melt.
- 4. Quickly toss the mushrooms and soy sauce together in a bowl. Care should be taken not to do this ahead of time as it removes too much moisture from the mushrooms.
- 5. Add the soy sauce-coated mushrooms into the pan, and toss them around. Do not stir. Let them cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Doing this will ensure that they brown on both sides.
- 6. If you plan on using white wine, add it at this point. Give it time to evaporate. Add garlic and thyme, and cook for another 3-4 minutes while occasionally stirring until they are cooked.
- 7. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and remove them from the heat.
- 8. Garnish with chives and serve.
Mushrooms make a great accompaniment for most meals. You can use them with garlic bread or with rice. They also go well with vegetables like asparagus, shallots, and loads of tomatoes. You can also mix them in when cooking meats like chicken, beef, bacon and fish. And you can use them in your omelets.
The good thing with mushrooms is that you can experiment with them in different flavors. With the variety of mushrooms available almost every season, you will never run out of what to prepare. Next time you go grocery shopping, find out which mushrooms are in season and stock on those. They make a great and different addition to your daily diet.
