One of my favorite mushroom experiences in life (and no I don't mean the phsycadelic kind) has definitely been with button mushrooms. I was 16 and on one of my summer vacations visiting my bestie Charllain. We decided to go for lunch at her mom's work (Pietro's pizza). Charllain had ordered sauteed mushrooms to which I raised my nose in the air and said in a valley girl tone, "Uh, yuck! Mushrooms are disgusting", to which Charllain replied... Ok well I don't exactly remember what she said, but it was something like, "well I think they're good so I'm ordering them". I just sat there in disagreement waiting to see what these mushrooms were all about.
When they arrived sizzling and drenched in wine and butter, I couldn't resist trying one. The taste was savory, they were loaded with flavor and the texture was firm yet slightly tender. I never knew that mushrooms could taste this good. I ended up eating most of them, to which Charllain had to point out, to prevent me from eating all of them. I think she got a few ;) To this day I still think about those mushrooms, the flavor, the texture and just being amazed that something I thought I hated, could taste so delicious.
The other day when I happened by the mushrooms in the grocery store, my eyes instantly fell to the baby button mushrooms. The rest is history... I didn't know exactly what was in the original recipe, but I had a good idea. The result was a bowl of piping hot mushrooms in a bubbling wine and butter sauce top with Parmesan cheese. I now have two favorite mushroom experiences. Whether you are a mushroom fan or not, I encourage you to gives these a try.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: about 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups baby (small) button mushrooms - scrubbed and ends of stems trimmed or stems removed all together (whichever you prefer)
3 tbs butter
1/3 cup semi-dry white wine - Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonay or Dry Reisling
pinch of salt and white pepper
1 tbs basil - finely chopped
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a medium sized saute pan, add 2 1/2 tbs butter and cook until melted and bubbling, do not let brown, add mushrooms and saute for about 2-3 minutes until heated through. Add salt, pepper and wine; simmer until reduced down - about 3 more minutes. Add in remaining butter and basil. Cook just until butter melts. Remove from heat, top with cheese and serve. This would be a great accompaniment to the Ricotta Gnuddi recipe I recently posted or any other pasta or salad dish you prefer. Enjoy!
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