PAN-BASTED OYSTER MUSHROOMS
People tend to think of mushrooms as a vegetable, but botanically that’s not correct. Plant foods get their structure from carbohydrate-based cellulose; mushrooms get their structure from protein-based chitin. It’s the same material that makes up shrimp and crab shells, and that has some implications for how you cook mushrooms. As a rule of thumb, you’re better off handling them as if they were meat. If you give them a good sear in a hot, uncrowded pan – exactly as you would for steak, or chops, or stew meats – they’ll reward you with the same kind of deep, savory flavors.
Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 lb oyster mushrooms, in clusters
1-2 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic
3-4 stems fresh thyme
1 piece fresh ginger, about the size of the last digit of your thumb
¼ to 1/3 cup vegan or regular butter
Method
Wipe any soil and debris from the mushrooms, and trim away any dry or insect-damaged areas from the caps and stem. If there is a significant difference in size between the clusters of mushrooms, you may opt to cut the largest cluster in half so they’ll all cook more evenly. This step is optional, but helpful.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over a medium-high burner. Once it’s hot, add the oil and then press the mushrooms into the pan, cap side down. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook on the first side until the mushrooms are very brown, then turn them and season them again. Add the flavoring ingredients to the pan, on the side facing away from you, so from your perspective the herbs are at the rear. Cook for another minute or two, until you see the garlic beginning to brown in the pan’s heat.
Add about ¼ cup of butter to the back of the pan, where the herbs are (roughly 4 tablespoons, in other words). Give it a moment to melt, then tilt the pan gently toward yourself so the butter flows through the flavorings, across the mushrooms, and pools in the lip of the pan on your side.
With a heatproof spoon, scoop up the melted butter from the front of the pan and drizzle it over the mushrooms to baste them. As the butter runs over the mushrooms, it will pool again at the front of the pan. Keep spooning the butter over the herbs and mushrooms until the mushrooms are cooked all the way through, and evenly browned on all sides. Remove from the heat and allow any excess butter to drain, then serve hot as a side dish or vegetarian entree.
