SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Simply sautéed mushrooms make a delicious and versatile side dish. But white mushrooms tend to shrink quite a bit when sautéed, so what looks like plenty when raw seems to shrivel away to nothing when cooked. We wanted to develop a quick sauté method that resulted in a big enough quantity to make an ample side dish. We discovered that overloading the skillet and extending the cooking time allowed the mushrooms to give up just enough liquid to eventually fit in a single layer and cook properly without shrinking away to nothing. They browned very nicely after we added a little butter to the skillet, and from there it was easy to enhance the dish with shallot, thyme, and Marsala—a classic flavor combination for complementing mushrooms. Halve small (under 1-inch) mushrooms, or quarter medium (1-to 2-inch) or large (more than 2-inch) ones.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if medium or large
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- ¼ cup dry Marsala
- Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in butter, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are dark brown, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in shallot and thyme and cook until shallot is softened, about 3 minutes. Add Marsala and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to platter. Serve.
VARIATION:
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS WITH SESAME AND GINGER
- Substitute 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for butter
- 2 tablespoons mirin and 2 tablespoons soy sauce for Marsala
- Omit shallot and thyme.
- After browning mushrooms in step 2, stir in 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and sprinkle with 2 thinly sliced scallions after seasoning with salt and pepper to taste in step 3.
