Roasted Mushrooms With Green Garlic
May 03, 2012Posted by guestchefPrintHere’s another recipe to celebrate a couple of spring’s here-now-gone-tomorrow offerings. If there’s one thing to complain about spring’s bounty, it’s that nothing sticks around for very long. Oh well – enjoy it while it lasts. This recipe will make it even easier, because it will take you about 2 seconds to make – three ingredients, and that’s it. If you can find them, use morel mushrooms, spring’s fungal grand prize. I used shitakes here because I couldn’t find them (shakes fist at capricious Lady Spring), and it was still pretty darn good.
In my experience, green garlic is a farmers market-only item, but if you have a really good local green grocer, you may be able to find it there. Green garlic looks similar to green onions, except that its green part is flat instead of tubular.
Roasted Mushrooms With Green Garlic
Ingredients
- 5 garlic stalks green
- 12 oz morels or shitakes
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the root end from the green garlic. Peel off the outer layer of each stalk and discard. Cut on a bias into thin ovals. Place in a bowl of cool water and swish vigorously to dislodge any dirt stuck in the layers. Allow the to settle for one minute, then use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the green garlic. Allow to drain on a kitchen towel.
- Meanwhile, clean your mushrooms. If you got your hands on morels, split them in half lengthwise. Depending on how dirty they are, you may need to wash them in several changes of fresh water to remove all the grit. If you notice any worms or bugs, add a single drop of dish soap to the first change of water. This should dislodge any unwanted stowaways. (Morels are a wild-foraged product – there’s no way around creepy-crawlies every once in a while!) For shitakes, all you need to do is remove the woody stems. If any of the caps has a dirty spot, just wipe it off with a damp cloth. Toss the mushrooms with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Next, preheat a large roasting pan in a very hot wood oven. When it’s ready to go, add the mushrooms in a single layer and allow to roast undisturbed for at least 2 minutes. You want to develop delicious crispy caramelization, and stirring the mushrooms too soon is going to make them start to leach out their juices and steam instead. Stir once and allow to roast for another 2-4 minutes, until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Stir in the green garlic and allow to cook for one minute more, until the garlic has softened and started to frizzle around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and adjust seasoning as necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy immediately. This would serve as a great accompaniment to an oven-roasted steak, or try throwing some inside a savory crepe with some cream sauce over the top.
