Our No-Fail Method for How to Cook Mushrooms in a Skillet
Our method works with all kinds of mushrooms — in our photo below, we’ve added baby bella (or cremini) and shiitake mushrooms. Slice them — or tear them if they are small and tender. Grab a wide skillet add olive oil and heat over medium heat. When hot, scatter the mushrooms in one layer across the pan. If there are so many mushrooms that they start crowding each other, stop adding mushrooms and instead cook them in two pans or in two batches. We want the mushrooms to brown — crowding them will prevent that. Stirring them too often will, too. So once the mushrooms are in the pan, leave them until you start to notice the first side is browned. When most of the mushrooms have browned on one side, flip them so the second side browns as well. When both sides have some color, season with salt and stir in a little butter, fresh thyme, garlic and lemon zest. After a minute or two they are done and unbelievably tasty. For the crostini, smear some mascarpone cheese onto sliced and toasted bread then top with some of the sautéed mushrooms, chives and a light sprinkle of truffle salt. Truffle salt is something we use in our kitchen quite a bit — truffle salt popcorn anyone? You can find it in local spice shops or online — here’s the one we go back to most often. We shared this recipe in the maché magazine’s Holiday issue, in fact there are a few more recipes using these same mushrooms. Recipe updated, originally posted December 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 tablespoon butter 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest Juice of half a lemon 1 baguette, cut into 3/4-inch slices and toasted 8 ounces mascarpone cheese or cream cheese Truffle salt, optional Chopped fresh chives, optional 2Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, without moving them until browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir then cook another 3 to 5 minutes or until mostly golden brown on all sides. 3Season with the salt then stir in butter, thyme and garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the butter absorbs into mushrooms, about 2 minutes. Take the skillet off of the heat and stir in lemon juice.
