Steamed and Sautéed Mushrooms with Wine

Mushroom lovers everywhere can appreciate this side dish of delectable Steamed and Sautéed Mushrooms with Wine that highlights the best flavors that simple mushrooms have to offer. Steaming, then browning, then enriching the mushrooms with wine creates a tender backdrop for the added aromatics.

Choosing Mushrooms … and Saving $$$

I love the versatility of this mushroom dish. You can use any mushrooms you like in almost any quantity, just keep the principles the same. In this recipe, I’ve used simple button mushrooms. Don’t discount them because they’re the cheapest – they’re the most popular for good reason.

Button mushrooms are mild in taste and available everywhere and will get your mushroom dish where it’s going. I also like to use cremini mushrooms, which are baby portabellas.

Here’s a shopping tip for ya. Compare the price of loose mushrooms vs. packaged mushrooms — you can often save a bundle of money!

For example, in the produce section of my grocery store, the regular price of cremini (Baby Bella) mushrooms is $2.99 per pound (16oz) loose or $3.49 for 10oz pre-packaged. That means the packaged mushrooms are $5.60 per pound! Nearly twice as expensive as the loose mushrooms. Ouchie!

Washing Mushrooms…the Great Debate

Here’s the thing. Commercially produced mushrooms are grown in a highly composted manure/soil mixture that’s very rich in the nutrients that mushrooms love. That is NOT straight manure! But, mushrooms cling to particles very easily and you really should clean them off. You get me here, right?

I clean mushrooms one of three ways, depending on how much time I have and how dirty they are. Most of the time I’ll either wipe them off with a very soft dampened mushroom brush or wipe them with a damp paper towel.

If they’re quite dirty or I have lots to clean I’ll give them a very fast shower, shaking them back and forth in a colander. I then immediately turn them out on a dishtowel and give them a rub to dry. The amount of extra water the mushrooms absorb here is quite minimal. Act fast and they’ll be just fine. A little extra water is fine for our purpose here, anyway.

Steam Sautée Your Mushrooms with Wine

Slice your mushrooms about 1/4″ thick. Help yourself out by cutting off a slice then flipping the mushroom over on to that flat spot for safety while you continue cutting.

Prep some aromatics (onion, garlic, and herbs that add lots of flavor.) Here I’ve used some shallot, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Those are the fresh herbs I had on hand. I’ve made this dish dozens of times with no herbs and plain onion and it was always delicious.

Heat a skillet and add your sliced mushrooms along with 2-4 tablespoons of water. No fat yet. Let them simmer 5-10 minutes. The mushrooms will exude lots of brown liquid. Keep on cooking them until they’re almost dry.

When nearly dry, add butter and olive oil and toss to coat. Move mushrooms to the outer edges and place the onion or shallot in the center, adding some more butter or oil if necessary. Cook in the center of the skillet for a few minutes, then stir it all together. Toss in the garlic.

Add either red or white wine and cook to reduce the liquid and evaporate off some of the alcohol. Pour in some stock and reduce a little more. Stir in herbs and season with salt and pepper. Heat through and taste. Adjust your seasonings as needed.

Cooking and Serving Tips:

• If you don’t have fresh herbs, just skip them. Dried herbs won’t rehydrate enough. Add a little more onion and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes.
• You can use either white or red wine, but not a sweet wine like a reisling. Don’t want wine? Use all chicken or beef broth.
• Makes a great side dish for steak, chicken or vegetarian dinners.
• Fold into omelets or top bruschettta.

Have some extra raw mushrooms that are likely to go unused? Dry them yourself! See my post here: How to Dry Mushrooms at Home

Alter this recipe to your liking and enjoy those little beauties for dinner tonight.

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Steam Sautéed Mushrooms with Wine

Ingredients

• 24 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ¼" thick
• 1/4 cup minced shallot or onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley, rosemary or a combo
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup (or more) red or white wine
• 2 Tablespoons (or more) chicken or beef broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet on medium high. Add sliced mushrooms and water.
• Cook on medium high for 5-10 minutes. Mushrooms will exude lots of brown liquid. Cook until almost dry.
• Add butter and olive oil and toss to coat. Move mushrooms to outer edges of skillet. Add a little more butter or oil if needed and place the onion or shallot in the center. Cook there 3-4 minutes, lowering heat as needed to prevent burning.
• Stir together and allow to brown 10 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary.
• Stir in garlic, cook 30 seconds. Add wine and cook 2 minutes or so. Add broth and herbs and salt & pepper. Cook 2 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like.

Notes

• Wine is optional but adds a lovely flavor.  Feel free to substitute all broth. 
• Pair red wine with beef broth and white wine with chicken broth.
• This dish can be made a few days ahead and reheated at serving time.
• Use any variety of mushrooms that you like and add as much (or little) onion or garlic as you wish.
• You can easily use all butter or all oil.  Your choice.