We indulged in our feast for supper last night. It was a dinner fit for a king - steak, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and King Oyster Mushrooms. Sound yummy? It was! It was rich in every sense of the word. But tip if you want to feast like a king but on a smaller budget - ribeyes might be the most flavorful steak but can get a bit pricey. I highly recommend the Chuck Eye as a great substitute. It resembles the texture and flavor, but for about half the price. (As a meat manager's wife I feel I need to share a tidbit like that now and then :) And this meal was rich in flavor and calories and by no means is an every night kind of supper. It was a great night to try our newest find - King Oyster Mushrooms.
I enjoy mushrooms - especially cooked. I enjoy them on my salads raw but when heat touches those "fun guys" they just share a yummy aroma and a succulence with a meaty texture. I really love fresh thinly sliced mushrooms on a pizza where the ends start to curl from the blistering heat - divine! But don't fool me with canned mushrooms - they lose their papery crispness and carry a sogginess hard to render into a delightful chewiness. (Not to say I don't eat canned mushrooms from time to time - when cooked thouroughly with some flavor enhancers I can make do - but I will admit I am a tish of a mushroom snob.)
So what to do with these long stemmed mushrooms with a medium thick stalk and slight paper cap? Where do I turn; but my trusty "Google". I look up three easy and quick recipes - oven roasted, pan seared, or grilled? Together my husband and I chose the pan seared.
The recipe encouraged coin thick mushroom slices as we quickly broke down the mushroom stems. They also gave a hint to not add liquid into the pan and keep shaking the mushroom "coins" over high heat. I might have not shared all the details of the recipe as my husband questioned the method several times, especially as the bottom of our pan caked with blackness and the mushrooms quickly darkened as well. Live and learn in the kitchen, right? The recipe suggested that the high heat and continuous shaking would first make the mushrooms slightly squeak their delight. And after the heat and continued attention would begin to release their liquid and then hit with a flavorful butter and some seasons and voila - instant side with a pow of earthy rich flavor and a thick chewy bite for texture.
Our mushrooms didn't quite get the TLC they deserved and turned borderline black and then was hit with a so-so pat of butter instead of the flavorful butter they suggested. The mushrooms did have a great char flavor to play into our grilled steak dinner but I was disappointed that our mushrooms didn't quite have that delightful crispiness while offering a nice dark, rich meaty bite. But that is why it helps to pass on all of the details at the beginning of cooking dinner than instead of when I mentioned the tidbit during the after effect of our tasty dinner.
I would absolutely buy King Oyster Mushrooms again as they do have a variety of cooking methods to heighten their flavors And the next time we pick up King Oyster Mushrooms I might be tempted to follow all of the recipe and not just wing it - but actually peruse and follow the advice shared.
May your HealthFULL Journey offer moments to indulge while scaling back on the everyday item list.
'Til we meet again. . .
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