By It’s been a hot minute — or two — since I’ve posted a recipe. No, this doesn’t mean we’ve gone to eating prepared foods and are no longer experimenting with recipes (we are). In fact, I have recipes and pictures piled up from many yummy dishes (most are now out-of-season so I’ll wait until next year for those) but I just haven’t dedicated the time to share. This week, however, we slaved away over a ridiculous recipe that I just had to share. Plus, I really need to start getting all of the recipe photos off of my phone or there isn’t going to be room for anything else.
This week’s recipe celebrates the season of warm, comforting foods. And, while it’s true that mushrooms can be divisive, if you are in the pro-mushroom camp (and have a bit of extra time to spend in the kitchen), this recipe is for you.
One time-saving step you can take is to use store-bought broth. We chose to go all out and make our own mushroom broth with dried porcini and I highly recommend that route. We made a bit extra and used it as a base for a chicken-and-dumplings recipe we made later in the week.
What I love about this recipe is the “meatiness” of the mushrooms without the meat. It’s herbaceous and aromatic and, well, just wonderful. We modified a bit by adding celery (because we had it), which provided a welcomed crunch. We also included about an extra 1/2 pound of mushrooms.
MUSHROOM STEW
Adapted from NYT Cooking
Total time: 60+ minutes / Serves 4 to 6
The What
- 1 ½ pounds cultivated brown mushrooms, like shiitake, cremini or portobello
- ½ pound pale wild mushrooms, like chanterelle (or use King trumpet or oyster)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- Salt and pepper
- Three ribs celery
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped sage or rosemary
- Pinch red pepper flakes or cayenne
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 small ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Porcini broth, heated, or use chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
The How
- Clean mushrooms, keeping colors separate, and trim tough stems. (Save stems for stock.) Slice mushrooms about 1/8-inch thick.
- In a wide skillet, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until onion has softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add 1 more tablespoon oil and turn heat to high. Add brown mushrooms, season lightly and stir-fry until nicely colored, about 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Add thyme, sage, red pepper, celery and tomato paste. Add tomatoes, stir well, and cook for 1 minute. Season again with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour, stir to incorporate and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in reserved onions.
- Add 1 cup mushroom broth and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1 more cup broth and cook for 2 minutes. Sauce should have gravy-like consistency; thin with more broth if necessary. Adjust seasoning. (May be prepared to this point several hours ahead and reheated.)
- Just before serving, put butter and 1 tablespoon olive in wide skillet over medium high heat. When butter begins to brown, add chanterelles, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 2 minutes, until cooked through and beginning to brown. Add garlic and parsley, stir to coat and cook 1 minute more. Add chanterelles to brown mushroom mixture and transfer to a warm serving bowl. Accompany with polenta or pasta if you wish.
- Enjoy!
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