Caramelizing is a cooking technique that brings the natural sugars in the foods to the surface. It can naturally make foods extremely sweet and flavorful, without adding any sugar.
This is a very easy way to turn a mushroom into a delectable treat! It doesn’t take very long and is absolutely delicious mixed in pasta (see my recipe for Gluten-Free, Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese). It’s also very tasty spooned over a piece of chicken, steak, or crusty Italian bread!
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound thinly sliced Crimini or Button mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
Makes 1 1/2 cups
In a very large saute pan, cook the mushrooms over high heat with the oilve oil. Stir from time to time and cook until the mushrooms begin to shrink, about ten minutes. Add the herbs and continue to cook until the mushrooms begin to stick to the pan and are becoming very brown, about ten more minutes. The mushrooms should be stirred every few minutes during the second period of twelve minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the sherry. Return the heat to high and use a wooden spatula with a flat edge to loosen any mushrooms from the pan. Cook until the sherry has completely evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
An additional note:
The herbs and sherry make the flavor of the mushrooms more complex, however, the mushrooms are quite delicious on their own — so you can skip the herbs and use water instead of sherry. Don’t skip the salt and pepper, though!
