Mushrooms in Parsley Sauce
Having just returned from a glorious vacation in Costa Rica, I was faced with an empty fridge and little inspiration. I went off to the supermarket without a plan (not something that I recommend but hey, life happens) and came home with a motley selection of whatever I didn’t realize I was craving. There was no rice nor beans in my cart–anyone who has visited a Latin American country knows that while delicious, rice and beans are served with breakfast, lunch and dinner–but plenty of vegetables. Mushrooms were on sale, so I bought two pounds and since they go bad the fastest, I decided to start with those.
Put a plate of sautéed mushrooms in front of me and watch them disappear. The most simple variation, cooked in a pan with a little olive oil and chopped garlic is plenty good. Throw in a splash of white wine and some chopped parsley and you’re golden.
This recipe for Mushrooms in Parsley Sauce from New Tapas: Culinary Travels with Spain’s Top Chefs by Fiona Dunlop is a slightly elevated version of sautéed mushrooms. They required one extra step but tasted several steps above the norm. They would be fantastic speared with toothpicks and eaten as part of a tapas spread but were also perfect served alongside a seared steak.
Enjoy!
Mushrooms in Parsley Sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- leaves from a small bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 c white wine
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 red chili pepper or 2 dry cayenne peppers
- 2 lb fresh white mushrooms, cleaned, halved or quartered depending on their size
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbls all-purpose flour
- Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Pour the olive oil into a heavy saucepan, add the garlic and sauté over low-heat until tender.
- Add the chili pepper and mushrooms and increase the heat.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the juice has been drawn out of the mushrooms. Season and continue to simmer on a moderately high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the juice has evaporated.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat and slowly add the sauce ingredients, stirring it in thoroughly.
- Return the pan to he heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for five minutes, until you have a fairly thick sauce.
- Serve hot.