Mushrooms

You will find that I use mushrooms a lot in my cooking. Most people “sweat” their mushrooms, rather than pan-sear, which brings out as much of their flavor as possible. Below is my method for pan-searing. I use pan-seared mushrooms in recipes like my savory fried rice, oven roasted fish, and as a garnish in soups like the sunchoke and potato soup.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil starts to smoke, add sliced mushrooms, making sure not to crowd the pan (cook in batches if needed). Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the mushrooms and let sear undisturbed for a minute or two. Stir around and let cook another minute. Remove from heat and set aside. Repeat until mushrooms are all cooked.

Oyster mushrooms caramelizing

A couple of notes on mushrooms:

* When you get them from the supermarket, remove them immediately from any plastic wrapping and put them in brown paper bags — this prevents them from getting overly moist.

* Do not wash your mushrooms — they will soak up the water and all you will be doing is sweating them when you cook them. If they need cleaning, wipe them with a towel.