Mushrooms have become a common item in most food establishments. Whether in department stores, trusted stores or local markets, these mushrooms have become a constant in many people’s baskets. But it’s very likely that once you have them at home, you won’t know what to do with them. Browning them in a pan with a little garlic and parsley is a good strategy to extract all their flavor, but you risk quickly getting tired of cooking them like this. Luckily, most mushrooms are very versatile in their preparation, so you can get many uses out of them while surprising your taste buds. Whether as protagonists of your dishes, as a garnish or as a substitute, there is a wide variety of mushrooms that should often be found in your kitchen.
Before knowing how to prepare your mushrooms, it is important to pay attention to their origin. If you extract them from the natural environment yourself, make sure you have the necessary knowledge to do so. If you doubt whether a mushroom is inedible, throw it away. Finally, carefully cut the mushroom at the base of the stem, so as not to compromise the integrity of the mycelium growing in the substrate. If it is damaged, you will stop flowering the following year.
With mushrooms purchased from trusted establishments, you will feel more comfortable. In general stores, mushrooms are generally placed in trays, wrapped in plastic film. We recommend choosing mushrooms with a completely dry container, with no water vapor adhering to the inside of the plastic covering. You should also make sure that they are not selling you old mushrooms. The way to check it varies depending on the mushroom we buy. For example, the mushroom provides many signs: if this mushroom appears wrinkled or with black spots, it is likely that it has not been dug for too long. In short, wherever you buy your favorite mushrooms, make sure you’re getting the best kind possible.
Mushrooms as a main dish
If you’re running late and don’t know what to cook, you can prepare a quick and delicious dinner in just a few minutes. Mushrooms stuffed with cheese are easy to prepare and withstand even the most inexperienced cooks. For this dish, choose your favorite mushrooms, but keep in mind that they must have a wide and deep cap, so you can stuff them without problems. Porcini mushrooms or mushrooms will be your best allies. To make this recipe easier for you, we will teach you how to make it depending on the mushrooms you need to cook:
- large cap mushrooms
- A teaspoon of cream cheese for each mushroom
- A slice of cheese for each mushroom
- Sweet paprika to taste
To make this recipe you need an oven, preferably with a gratin function. This way, the cheese will brown and improve the flavor of your dish:
- If they are dirty, clean your mushrooms thoroughly. To do this, use a damp cloth or a small brush.
- Remove the stem from your mushroom and scoop out part of the inside of the cap with a spoon.
- Fill the mushroom with a tablespoon of cream cheese and sprinkle with a little smoked paprika.
- Cover the mushroom with a slice of cheese.
- After preparing several, distribute them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven at 180 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden.
Mushrooms to enhance your dishes
Mushrooms are perfect to eat on their own, but they are also ideal for enhancing and improving the flavor of your dishes. They pair well with your meats and vegetables, so don’t hesitate to try incorporating them into your favorite recipes. We teach you how to prepare shredded meat with mushrooms. A dish that requires a little patience, but that you and your loved ones will love. If you live alone, the proportion of these ingredients will allow you to have leftovers for several days. In company, you can feed five people.
First, prepare the shredded meat. It is a process that takes more time, since the arepa is made in just half an hour. For shredded meat, we recommend purchasing skirt beef, as it is a fatty cut. For this pulled beef recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 kilo of beef brisket
- 300 grams of mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 1 red pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Eight black peppercorns
- 4 tablespoons of crushed natural tomato. You can also use whole pears or crushed tomatoes, but you may end up with larger pieces of tomato after cooking.
- 1 glass of white wine. It should be dry, and while you might be tempted to buy a cheap one, we recommend investing in a wine that you feel at least capable of drinking a glass of.
- A teaspoon of chopped sweet pepper: this is a small pepper. Depending on its maturity, it can be green, orange or red. It’s a great aromatic that will add a slight spicy touch. We recommend buying it chopped for this recipe
- A teaspoon of dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- Olive oil
- Water
- Salt to taste
To prepare this dish, we recommend using a pressure cooker to save time:
- Clean the meat of fat. If you don’t know how to do this, ask your trusted butcher when you buy the meat.
- In the pressure cooker, fill the bottom with olive oil. When hot, add the meat and seal it on both sides. Make sure it is nicely browned and remove it.
- In the same pan, lightly brown the garlic and onion cut into small squares until they soften. Add the pepper cut into small cubes and brown.
- Degrease the base with the glass of white wine. You will see that once you add it, the bottom of the pot will start to rise, so all the flavors will rise to the surface.
- Cover the crushed tomatoes and let reduce for a few minutes.
- Add the spices: sweet pepper, thyme, bay leaf and cumin, in addition to the meat. Stir for a minute.
- Add salt to taste and pour in water until the meat is covered. Stir and close the pot.
- If you use a pressure cooker, you will need to cook the meat for half an hour. A normal pot will require more patience, so you will have to cook the meat for an hour and a half. In the traditional pot you will have to stir from time to time so that it does not stick.
- Once cooked, the meat should flake easily with a fork. Extract it and shred it using two forks.
- Meanwhile, add your sliced mushrooms to the sauce.
- Return the meat to the sauce and stir until the sauce reduces slightly and the mushrooms are cooked.
Mushrooms as a Substitute
As you can see, mushrooms are very versatile. So much so that you can use them as a substitute for different types of meat, and thus transform your dishes into delicious vegan and vegetarian options:
- Ground meat: most mushrooms can replace ground meat in your sauces and preparations. To do this, you must cut them into very small cubes.
- Sliced: Sliced mushrooms can remind us of different types of meat, the secret is to season them the same way you would with your meat products. If you’re not convinced, add a little light soy sauce to your usual spice mix. This will enhance the meaty flavor of the mushrooms.
- Diced: some mushrooms can even replace meat in a stew or stew. Keep in mind that in addition to making your recipes vegetarian or vegan, this will reduce cooking times. Although this is a benefit, you should take it into account in case the rest of the elements in your recipes require more cooking time than the mushrooms you are replacing the meat with.
- Breaded: if you don’t want to use your mushrooms as a side dish in the traditional way – by giving them a spin in the pan – we recommend preparing your mushrooms flat with a simple batter. We recommend coating your oyster mushrooms with egg, flour and breadcrumbs. Then fry them in the pan.
