Sauteed Mushrooms with Porcinis

The title of this recipe made me laugh with its redundancy (what are porcinis, if not mushrooms?) but it's a nice mix of the fresh button mushrooms and the concentrated flavor of dried porcinis.  If you have leftover porcini mushrooms after this recipe, they are beautiful in everything from risotto to pasta sauce to stew.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 ounce)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
• 2 (8-ounce) packages presliced button mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Combine the porcini and water in a bowl; cover and let stand for 15 minutes.  Drain the mushrooms through a sieve over a bowl, reserving the liquid.

2. Combine the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat; saute just until the garlic starts to sizzle. 

Note: As with my Spaghetti Alla Norma, this step will only take 30 seconds to 1 minute - the trick here is not to overcook the garlic.

3. Add the porcinis, the reserved soaking liquid, and the parsley; cook until the liquid is evaporated - about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Add the button mushrooms, salt, and black pepper; cook for a final 15 to 25 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.

Gardein's beefless tips are a savory counterpart to serve with this side dish, and I highly recommend a glass of (vegan) Chianti or other vegan red wine.

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (1/2 cup), Calories 55

Tasting Notes:
This dish was almost the definition of "earthy" - just rich, concentrated flavor of both mushroom varieties, feeling like they were freshly dug up from the ground. If I hadn't cooked this myself, I would never believe the dish is really little more than the mushrooms and their own juices - certainly it tastes rich enough to have a little red wine in the sauce, or broth, or both. I would increase the parsley next time, to freshen the taste up a bit, but otherwise found this to be quite nice.

Rating:
3