Blog

Shitake Mushroom Appetizer

BY ELIZABETH BORELLI

Serves 6

This savory dish is such a favorite in our family we simply call it the Mushroom Appetizer.  It’s essentially a bruschetta, but the combination of flavors, especially when shitake or oyster mushrooms are used, is nothing short of sublime.

Shitake Mushroom Appetizer:

Ingredients

• ¼ pound(roughly 2 cups) shitake, oyster or mushrooms of any kind
• ¼ cup green onions, sliced into thin ¼” rings
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Masala wine
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced or crushed
• 8 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup tomato, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Ground pepper to taste
• 6 1-2” slices of your favorite baguette

Instructions:

Gently wipe mushrooms clean with a damp cloth or paper towel, and then thinly slice.   Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, Masala, mushrooms, green onions and garlic to a medium-sized sauté pan.  Turn the heat to medium high, sautéing until mushrooms are soft and cooked through, 5-7 minutes.

Add basil, tomato and salt and continue cooking for another minute or two until everything is heated through.  Finish with freshly ground pepper and let sit the mixture sit while you prepare the bread.

Wipe out the sauté pan and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, tilting the pan to evenly coat it.  Turn heat to medium and add the bread, toasting for 2 minutes each side until lightly browned.

Remove the baguette slices from the pan and top with mushroom mixture.  Serve