Yakityak's Classic Dry Sautéd Mushrooms
This is more of a technique than a recipe - it's one of the best ways to prepare mushrooms, be they chanterelles, trumpets or portabellos. But you have to know... it's not intuitive.
Mushrooms feel dry to the touch but when heated they release water. While it's tempting to put a splash of wine in the pan, you will wind up with sogginess if you do. Save the wine to make a separate sauce if you want that flavor. You'll get the best flavor out of the mushrooms if you don't add any additional liquid (other than butter at the end). Do use a timer to get the timing right until you have gotten this down pat. Note that times are approximate - different mushrooms hold different amounts of water. Chanterelles hold more than trumpets, for example. But trumpets can hold up to browning very well.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. of chanterelles or other mushrooms
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tblsp fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Method
If you cannot brush the mushrooms clean with a mushroom brush, rinse the mushrooms under cool running water to remove any dirt. Briefly dry on paper towels, then cut the mushrooms into equally sized pieces.
Heat a heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread the mushrooms out in an even layer in the pan. Sprinkle the salt over the mushrooms.
Cook, stirring often to prevent the mushrooms from sticking, until the mushrooms start to release their liquid.
Continue cooking the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes until the liquid has fully evaporated from the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and and the butter, garlic, and thyme to the skillet. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chanterelles are golden brown.
Season with black pepper and more salt to taste before serving.