Mushrooms. They’re another one of those divisive little devils that can turn a dinner party on its head if you’re not careful. You might love them, fill your pastas with them and think they’re the cat’s pajamas. Or maybe, instead, you think of them as an all-too-close cousin of some sort of inedible invertebrate. If you do like the ‘shrooms, we should definitely go splitskies on a pizza some time. If not, I feel a little sorry for you. Then again, I won’t eat donuts, so I suppose we all have our quirks.
Like me, my dad is a mushroom fan, and on the rare occasion when Jared and I are back at my parents’ house and we do eat something with them in it (I say rare because as much as we like mushrooms, they don’t often appear in the regular meal repertoire), my dad always says something to the effect of: “I really like mushrooms. We should cook with them more often.” But somehow the moment comes and goes, until we’ve gone weeks or even months without a single mushroom crossing our kitchen’s path. ‘Tis a sad week when one hasn’t nibbled a mushroom. Alice certainly knows that; without them, her adventure wouldn’t have taken her very far.
One thing I have learned in my not-so-expansive mushroom-cooking history is that when you do decide to make something with mushrooms, you’re almost sure to have a few (or a few dozen) leftover. Then you’re once again faced with that what-on-Earth-am-I-supposed-to-do-with-these question. Well, such an occasion presented itself a few weeks ago, and Jared and I were up to the challenge. My dad was grilling pork chops that night, and being the resourceful husband that he is, Jared looked up a recipe for sautéed mushrooms to go along with them. If ever you find yourself in an ingredient-based conundrum, Food52.com is definitely the place to go. We whipped up this recipe in no time flat, and it was a hit with the whole table (minus my little brother and sister, who are the anti-mushroom sorts). With a zip of lemon and a bit of scallions, these sautéed mushrooms are a bit more interesting than your average bear. Or mushroom. You get the idea.
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Classic Sautéed Mushrooms
From nadiachristina at Food52.com
• 1.5 to 2 pounds mushrooms (any small-sized variety you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 5 scallions, chopped
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
Clean the mushrooms with paper towels, and slice coarsely. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add the lemon juice, mushrooms and scallions, and cook for a few minutes. Add the butter, and cook for a few more minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.
Season with salt and pepper, and let cook another few minutes. Plate the mushrooms, and serve immediately.
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What’s your take on mushrooms? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? If you are a fan, what’s your favorite mushroom-filled recipe? Do tell!
XO,
Katrina
Mushrooms make the world go ’round! 🙂 My mother used to sautee them with noodles, different kinds of vegetables, and sausages.
Indeed they do!