Let’s be clear: Mushrooms and I have a long and adversarial
relationship. I’ve never really been a fan. When I was a kid my stepfather
would call me “Microsurgeon” based entirely on how meticulously I would pick
every single tiny bit of mushroom (and onion, and green pepper, and olive) off
my pizza before I would touch it. My anomalous love of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup aside, I’ve spent most
of my adult life avoiding mushrooms in all their various incarnations. Stuffed
mushrooms? I’ll pass. Sauteed over a steak? Plain meat is fine. And a grilled
Portabello is not just like a burger, fer cryin’ out loud! It’s not the taste
so much as the texture, that rubbery slide-off-your-teeth feeling. Which,
clearly, only indicates that I was served poorly-prepared mushrooms for far too
long, because even mushroom haters can be converted to mushroom meh by this
dish (Anna: “Wow, Mom. I didn’t even hate these.”). And if you don't hate mushrooms you'll probably really like right out of the gate, no tentative nibbles required.
Don’t be daunted by the ingredient list – if you’ve ever made
Indian food or baked, odds are good you have most of these on hand. If not,
please allow me to take this opportunity to extol the virtues of buying your
spices in bulk. Lots of fruit markets and higher-end grocery stores have a bulk
spice section and it will save you a ton of money when you only have to buy a
tiny amount of something you’re not likely to use often. Ethnic grocery stores
are also great for this. Bonus: you’ll go through small amounts of spices much
faster, so your spices will generally be fresher when you use them. Double
bonus: the proportions here are pretty forgiving so you can fiddle a bit if you
run out of something. Triple bonus: this recipe scales up infinitely. You could
make a whole container of this mix and have it available whenever you need a delicious
side or appetizer or something a little different to top the steak you just
pulled off the grill.
Another thing to not be daunted by? The volume of the
mushrooms. Believe me, they shrink right down; I was a little concerned that 18
cups of mushrooms was not going to be enough for this entire crowd. But I can
also see that most people aren’t going to be nuts enough to make a new recipe
for 30 people without testing it out first. Just sayin’.
From the marvelous 100 Perfect Pairings by Jill Silverman
Hough. Please, go buy it.
Balsamic Mushroom Melange
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1 pound mixed mushrooms, larger ones cut in half, stems removed
from shiitakes (about 8 cups)
3 tablespoons crumbled feta, about 1 ounce (optional, but
who wants to skip feta?)
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 450.
Combine the olive oil and all the spices in a bowl. Add the
mushrooms, tossing to coat evenly. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and bake
about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the feta and
parsley.
About the wine: I paired this with Domaine Berrien Cellars
2013 Merlot. Mushrooms and Merlot are a nice pairing – ignore everyone who
tries to sell you on Pinot Noir with this, because everyone loves Pinot Noir just
a little bit too much. The wine is made in an Old World style, with lots of
earthiness and not a lot of fruit, so it’s just right for spice and mushrooms.
I spent a long time drinking Merlot that I didn’t really enjoy – I ordered it
at restaurants because I was 100% sure I could pronounce it correctly – and this
wine is making me rethink my general anti-Merlot stance.
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