I’m of two mushroom minds: Occasionally, I prefer they blend in with the crowd, undetectable to the untrained eye, as in Jocelyn Ramirez’s vegan chorizo. But more often, I want them front and center, the belles of the ball.
While luxurious oyster and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms often inspire V.I.P. treatment, they aren’t the only varietals deserving of the spotlight. The omnipresent button or cremini mushroom can command a meal just as masterfully — with the right technique.
Take note of the strategy Yasmin Fahr employs in her recipe for garlicky mushrooms and herbs. The mushrooms are cooked in a hot, dry (that’s right, dry!) pan until they have released all of their moisture, which can take around 15 minutes. “Be patient, it will happen!” Yasmin writes. Only then is fat added to the pan — in this case, both butter and olive oil — for a sleek, luscious finish. A few aromatics and a spritz of soy sauce underscore the mushrooms’ umami factor.
Garlicky Mushrooms and Herbs
This technique yields perfectly caramelized mushrooms, whether cultivated, wild or a mixture of the two. Pile them high over creamy polenta or sliceable baked polenta; over toasted garlic rice; over mashed potatoes or cauliflower; over chewy noodles or on toast.
More mushroom magnificence from Yasmin: Her miso mushroom and leek pasta, a five-star recipe, gives cremini (or shiitake or oyster) mushrooms the star treatment by surrounding them with ingredients (white miso and sherry vinegar) that embolden them to be their most savory selves.
Hetty Lui McKinnon also leans on miso paste to jazz up adorably petite whole cremini or button mushrooms in her recipe for miso-butter mushrooms with silky eggs. It’s a dish reminiscent of one you’d find at an airy all-day cafe, but you can eat it in peace, without the threat of someone taking a Zoom call right beside you without headphones.
Somewhere in between the conspicuous mushroom and the secret mushroom are these mushroom poblano tacos from Kristina Felix. Button mushrooms don’t completely hog the limelight here — blistered poblano chiles and cherry tomatoes share the stage with them — but they are far from discreet. Sazón makes seasoning the filling a breeze, but you could also whip together your own blend of cumin, garlic, turmeric, coriander, pepper and annatto or achiote.
When I am craving a more low-profile mushroom, options abound. Fold them into a vegetable-dense ragù, as Anna Francese Gass does in her recipe for pasta al sugo finto, or hide them among slivers of eggplant in Sue Li’s recipe for vegan zha jiang mian. But wallflowers these are not!
Miso-Butter Mushrooms With Silky Eggs
Mushroom Poblano Tacos
Pasta al Sugo Finto (Vegetable Ragu)
One More Thing!
I’m going to keep this brief: It’s time for pie.
The incomparable Vaughn Vreeland has a bunch of new pie recipes for you to consider, and any one of them would stun on your Thanksgiving table. I was lucky enough to try all six when we shot this delightful YouTube video of him making them, and it’s tough to pick a favorite. But, wow, was the coffee and maple chess pie outrageous.
What about you? Are you team cranberry citrus meringue, sesame-swirled pumpkin, butterscotch banana cream, coconut caramel, pomegranate cardamom apple or coffee and maple? Let me know.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
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