mushroom ragout
In the past, I’ve committed horrible culinary crimes against even the humblest of mushrooms. Bruising them. Letting them get all slimy in the fridge. Cooking them on heat that was too low. Adding salt to the pan way, way too early and watching the mushrooms simmer in their own extracted juice. At last, I think I may have gotten it right. Months ago, Diana and I showed up at a Whisk & Ladle dinner with some MilkMade goods to share. The guest chef from Studiofeast cooked up some crazy delicious trumpet mushrooms, served to guests with a consomme but perfect for snacking on with nothing but lickable fingertips. The secrets, he told me, were 1. patience (don’t move them around the pan and wait and wait and wait for them to get really caramelized), and 2. lots of butter and olive oil. And there was some sticky balsamic vinegar in there at the end. I’ve yet to re-create that night’s addictively delicious dish, but the advice got me back into mushrooms. I’ve been patiently preparing them here and there ever since.
This stuff is delicious on polenta, in a quinoa salad with more herbs and vegetables, smothered all over a piece of chicken, or maybe just about everything.
1 pound mushrooms, cut into bite-size pieces (any slice-able kind you want! or like, a mix)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small shallot bulb, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
splash of white wine (optional)
about 1/2 cup broth (I used chicken broth, but vegetable works too if that’s your thing)
splash of balsamic vinegar
some thyme
salt and black pepper, as usual
a few tablespoons of heavy cream or creme fraiche (optional)
Add butter and olive oil to a heated pan. Add sliced mushrooms and leave them alone for a little while on medium heat (at least 5 minutes). When they start to brown, toss them around so the other mushroom surfaces can get brown. After 5 more minutes or so, add shallot and garlic. Let cook for another few minutes, or until everything is soft. Add white wine and scrape up all the slightly burnt pieces stuck to the pan. Add broth, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper and let simmer until liquid has reduced. Add cream or creme fraiche at the end.
