Believe it or not…mushrooms are one of the easiest veggies to cook…and, they are good for you…as long as you don’t only prepare them with butter! I love mushrooms…I love them in risotto, pasta, sauces, on pizza and just as a side dish. Last night I made a side dish of sauteed mushrooms with shallots, herbs, garlic, olive oil and a little butter. They were incredibly flavorful and cooked to perfection…not to mushy. It made the perfect side to my Tilapia that was simply prepared baked with salt and pepper and a little lemon.
Sauteed Mushrooms
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 package of organic button mushrooms or baby bellas. I like the Forest brand.
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 large shallot, minced
- Chives or Parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions
- The most important step in the process is making sure you clean the mushrooms properly. Do NOT throw them in a strainer and run water over them. You will water log them and they will not cook properly and they will end up soggy. You want your mushrooms to be completely dry before you cook them.
- Take a damp paper town and clean each mushroom individually. This may seem tedious, but why ruin your wonderful batch of organic mushrooms?
- There are a few ways you can chop your mushrooms. If your button mushrooms are small enough, they can be sauteed whole. I used baby bellas, which are larger. I took off the stems (you can leave them on if you wish…) I then chopped the caps into quarters. This makes a nice hearty bite.
- In your heavy skillet, heat the oil and butter until the foam has disappeared from the butter. This means it’s hot enough to add your mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and saute continuously for about 5-6 minutes. Do not crowd the mushrooms in the skillet or they will steam as opposed to saute.
- You will see that the mushrooms have absorbed all the fat from the oil and butter and will start releasing their natural liquid. At this point, take the mushrooms off of the heat.
- Add your shallots and garlic and saute and extra 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, and not mushy.
- Season with salt and pepper and chive or parsley. Serve hot!
The Simple Elements 