Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
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Mushrooms make a great side dish served with almost anything. They also make a wonderful appetizer. Here we roasted them in the oven instead of sauteing them. Mushrooms are a great source of fiber as well as many needed minerals. They are brined first in salted water. Brining them gave the mushrooms an even seasoning. It may seem like a lot of salt but remember that most of that gets drained away.
MAKES:4 Servings
PREP/COOK TIME: 50 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and left whole if small or halved or quartered if larger
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps larger than 3 inces halved
5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
DIRECTIONS
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
Dissolve 5 teaspoons salt in 2 quarts of room temperature water in a large container. Add all the mushrooms, cover with a plate or bowl to keep them submerged, and soak at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Drain the mushrooms and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Toss the mushrooms with 2 tablespoons olive oil, spread into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until liquid from the mushrooms has completely evaporated, 35 to 45 minutes. (Be careful when opening the oven door due to the steam from the evaporating liquid off the mushrooms.)
Remove sheet from the oven and, using a metal spatula, carefully stir the mushrooms. Return them to the oven and continue roasting until mushrooms are well browned, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add mushrooms, when ready and toss to coat. Stir in the parmesan, pine nuts and parsley. Season with more salt, if needed and cracked pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
