The Family Cookbook
Culinary Heirlooms
sauteed mushrooms
by Doug Anderson
Reprinted from Bulletin 75, December 7, 2003
If you have ever been in Don and Patty's beautiful kitchen, then you don't need to pay attention to today's recipe because you have already read it on their wall. If that confuses you, you will just have to go to their kitchen and see what I am talking about. I am afraid my limited verbiage will simply NOT do it justice, so you will have to see it for yourself, as is true of many of the beautiful things in life.
Anyway, this is a very versatile recipe, with many practical uses, so enjoy:
2 shallots, minced
4 Tbsp. butter
16 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
10 oz. dry Marsala
4 oz. chicken stock
8 oz. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
dash nutmeg
Saute shallots in butter until soft. Add mushrooms and saute 5 min more. Add thyme and wine and turn heat to med high. Reduce liquid until almost gone (about 10 min). Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to med and reduce this mixture by half. Stir in the cream and seasonings, cook until thick -- approximately 15-20 minutes.
To make mushroom toast, spoon about 1 Tbsp. of this mixture onto toasted 1/2" thick slices of french bread and set under broiler until bubbly. To make a fabulous sauce for steaks or pork, slice mushrooms instead of chopping them and thicken mixture in last step to a more gravy like consistency. For mushroom soup, use chopped mushrooms and add equal parts "half and half" and chicken broth (about 1 pint each) to finished mushroom recipe along with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Heat through until cheese melts -- do not boil!
TIP: If you eat this by the spoonful directly from the cooking pot you don't have to count the calories.
Okay, so this version is a little more detailed than the one that is stenciled so beautifully on their kitchen wall, so maybe you should be taking notes. Thanks, Don and Patty, for another superb entry in our book of family cuisine! Bon appetite!