There are many elegant, yet simple, recipes that every home cook should master; for example, frittata, pasta with olive oil, garlic, and parsley, tomato salad, etc. Sauteed mushrooms is another home cook essential that is easy to master after a few attempts and will make consistent appearances on your dinner table.
Our sauteed mushrooms utilize any mushroom variety but we suggest cremini which have a bit more flavor than the associated white, button, mushrooms and are worth the extra price. You can also use shitakae though they’ll be a bit more expensive than cremini. There are countless mushroom varieties and if you have access to any of them then we suggest you include them in your everyday cooking, however we don’t advocate spending lots of money on exotic mushrooms at the market. If you’re lucky enough to know a mushroom expert then foraging for wild mushrooms is the most economical way to enjoy the wild variety.
Pan sauteing mushrooms includes using a very hot pan, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, Kosher salt/black pepper, and the herb of your choice (we suggest thyme or parsley). The trick to great pan cooked mushrooms is to allow the heat in the pan to force the moisture out of the mushrooms – don’t keep adding olive oil to your pan, just have a bit of patience and the heat and mushroom will work their magic.
- 2-3 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
- 1-2 packages of mushrooms
- olive oil
- thyme
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- in a large pan, heat olive oil. Mince garlic and hot pepper flakes and add to hot pan and quickly stir. Add mushrooms and generous amount of salt. Stir well. Let cook (don't worry if all the oil is absorbed quickly after a few minutes the mushrooms will be begin loosing their moisture and cook down well). Cook 5-7 minutes and add thyme and black pepper. Mix well. Add a bit of fresh olive oil if necessary,
