I adore mushrooms, I'll confess that right now. They adorn my pizza, they lurk in my stews, they sometimes sneak their way into salads. Some folk do not have the lust for mushrooms that I do - and I feel vaguely sorry about that, while I gobble up their share.
If you're like me, you need to cook these right away. But be warned! Even those who are generally indifferent to mushrooms find these mushrooms enticing, no, addicting. These mushrooms may change your life.
They are everything that mushrooms should be - fragrant, delicious, sizzling. Roasted well, their texture firms; they are chewy. They go together quickly enough that they can be made on the spur of the moment, and they're dead easy besides, so they're a feature in my kitchen. And quite possibly soon, in yours.
Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic Butter
Adapted from gourmet.com
1 pound mushrooms, halved or even quartered if they are large
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
several grinds of pepper
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice [optional]
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat oven to 450˚ with the rack in the middle. Toss mushrooms with oil, garlic, and salt and pepper in a 1 1/2 to 2 quart shallow baking dish. Dot the butter over the top.
Roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden, and a bubbly garlic sauce has formed in the bottom of the dish - this takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, if you like it and also the parsley.
Serve immediately, with crusty bread to sop up the juices, and be ready for squabbling about who got a bigger portion.