Mushrooms with Onions and Tomato

What have I been doing in the many months since my last post?  Moving.  For the first time in 28 years.  Need I say more?  Well, if you insist.  It took a couple of months for me to find a place, and then a couple of months to whittle down 28 years' worth of accumulated unnecessary stuff, another couple of months to pack, and then of course there was the unpacking.

The upshot is that I love my new neighborhood and my new apartment.  Especially the kitchen.  I have moved from a shoe box to a spacious area with three times the counter space.  In addition, there is the dishwasher, disposal, and capacious refrigerator.  I have been having a grand old time getting used to everything.  I am almost past the "this is the first time I am cooking [whatever] in my new kitchen" phase.  That will be complete when I make pasta, which is in the works.

In addition to cooking familiar dishes for the first time in my new digs I am still revising and adapting them.  This mushrooms with onions and tomato dish is a prime example.  I have gotten in the habit of cooking mushrooms every week with this technique that has made it so easy to have them on hand to throw into other dishes without having to worry about prepping and cooking them every time.  On workday mornings I will take frozen broccoli and throw in some of the mushrooms with a sprinkling of thyme or oregano for an afternoon snack, by which time the broccoli will be fully thawed and would have soaked up the flavor from the mushrooms.  Or I will chop them up and add them to a frittata or omelet.  Mushrooms enhance just about any dish.

But even the best of foods can get a little humdrum with regular use.  I started thinking about how I could utilize the basic mushroom-cooking technique by adding more ingredients and varying the flavors.  Once the water cooks down you are left with the oil, which makes a great vehicle for adding and sauteing many other things.  So I started experimenting with them and have come up with some winners.

I am especially pleased with this version.  The garlic and onion add another level of flavor and the tomatoes cook just enough to create a little sauce to coat everything nicely.  The oregano complements the tomatoes and brings together all of the flavors.

This makes a lovely side dish on its own and can be added to other vegetables or tossed into pasta or eggs.  It's a great way to get more mushrooms into your life, and who wouldn't want that?

Home Cooking v9.73 Chapter: Beans and Vegetables

MUSHROOMS WITH ONIONS AND TOMATO
1 lb button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup sweet sherry
1 large or 2 small Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried oregano leaves

Place mushrooms in a large skillet and add enough water to cover. Add the olive oil and bring to a boil on high heat. Continue to boil until the water has evaporated. Add the sherry and season with the salt and pepper. Continue to cook over high heat until the sherry has evaporated and the mushrooms are just beginning to sizzle in the remaining oil.

Push the mushrooms to the sides of the pan and add the onions, stirring to coat in the oil. Cook for a minute or two and then stir in the garlic. Cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and oregano and cook until the tomatoes have just started to soften, another 3 to 5 minutes.

10/10/2018

Exported from Home Cookin v9.73 (www.mountain-software.com)