My husband has a host of vegetables he doesn’t like, and mushrooms top the list. Last week, he was out-of-town for work, so I did what I usually do when he’s gone, cook something he’d hate. And let me tell you, he really missed out on this one. I slowly sautéed cremini mushrooms with a chopped shallot and minced garlic and then, let them cook slowly in some wine. The resulting product was so good I found myself eating seconds straight out of  the pan. 

If you like mushrooms too, try this recipe soon. I ate mine over some polenta topped with a fried egg and Gruyère cheese. It would also be great over roasted chicken, folded into risotto or tossed with pasta. Truthfully though, this dish stands on its own, so feel free to serve it by itself as a side dish.

Sautéed Mushrooms

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. finely chopped shallot

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp. evoo

8 oz. baby bella or cremini mushrooms sliced

1-2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 c. rose or red wine

Juice from half of a lemon

Heat about 2 tbsp. of evoo in a pan over low to medium low heat.

Add the finely chopped shallot. Slowly cook the shallot until it is translucent. This should take at least 5 minutes.

Prepare the mushrooms while the onions cook. First, clean them using a damp cloth or paper towel.

Then, twist off the stems and thinly slice the caps.

Add the minced garlic. Cook for a minute or two, being careful not to brown the garlic. Next, add the sliced mushrooms to the pan. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. The salt will help them release their liquids.

Stir the mixture and then, add the red wine vinegar. At this point, you may need to turn up the heat to reduce the vinegar. When the vinegar has evaporated, pour in the wine. I didn’t measure it, but instead made sure I had enough wine to just cover the mushrooms.

Let the mushrooms cook for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally, letting the wine reduce. The mushrooms will cook down and release their liquids.

When the mushrooms are cooked through and the liquid is reduced to a few tablespoons, remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the juice from half a lemon. You could add some fresh parsley or thyme to this, if  you’d like it have some color, but it’s not really necessary.