Balsamic-Roasted Mushrooms

Updated February 23, 2016

Chef

Cookbook

Without Reservations: How to Make Bold, Creative, Flavorful Food at Home

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

Chefs know that roasting vegetables is a great way to concentrate their flavors. Tomatoes, small onions, and mushrooms are roasting favorites. Here, sweet-tangy balsamic vinegar balances the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. You can use accompaniments like this one to dress up simple pan-roasted or grilled meats. As an added bonus, this can be made up to two days in advance, refrigerated tightly covered, and warmed just before serving. When possible, I like to combine at least three varieties of farmed and wild mushrooms in this dish for the most complex, woodsy flavor.

Makes4 servings

Cooking Methodsauteeing

CostInexpensive

Easy

Total Timeunder 15 minutes

Make Ahead RecipeYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party, Cooking for a date

Recipe Courseside dish

Dietary Considerationegg-free, gluten-free, low carb, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free, vegetarian

Mealdinner

Taste and Texturegarlicky, herby, savory, tangy, umami

Type of Dishvegetable

Ingredients

1 pound assorted wild or farmed mushrooms
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Brush any dirt from the mushrooms. Pull off and discard any tough stems. Chop large mushrooms into thick slices; leave small ones whole. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with a little salt, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until they begin to soften, adding a little more olive oil if needed.
Add the shallots, garlic, and thyme and continue to cook until the mushrooms are tender. By this time they should have exuded their juices and begun to caramelize as some of the moisture evaporates and the mushrooms reabsorb the rest.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar to taste and cook a minute or two longer. Stir in the parsley and butter and season with salt and pepper.