I received this recipe years ago from a daily recipe e-zine I subscribed to, and I've used it many times since. It is wonderful!! If you love mushrooms, give it a try. I've included all the comments that came with it, originally . . .
It's Sharron from Fairbanks again, with another recipe I'm famous for and which is certainly one of my personal favorites. I cooked this (with the variant medieval spicing) last summer at an Italian Renaissance feast for the wedding of a friend of mine. We cooked three flats of mushrooms, and even though the feast was two full courses with dessert, hardly any were left over. I've tweaked this recipe for years to get where I like it. I hope you enjoy it.
Fried Mushrooms
fresh mushrooms, washed, peeled (if necessary) and cut into thick slices (about 1/4")
butter
garlic powder
onion salt
oregano (leaves or powdered)
wine
You will note there are no amounts. For the mushrooms, get as many as you think yourself (or all you are cooking for) will want to eat. I've cooked as few as 4-5 mushrooms to accompany a steak for myself. I usually use plain old white mushrooms, but you certainly could mix others in, especially portobellos.
Once the mushrooms are ready, heat skillet hot (I find cast iron works very well for this), put enough butter in to coat bottom (have lots of butter handy if you're cooking lots, you'll need it, and add more if needed as you go along).
When the butter is just this side of smoking, put a layer of mushrooms in. Do not crowd: you want the mushrooms to fry, not steam. Sprinkle to taste with garlic powder and onion salt (or the reverse -- only one should be salted however).
Turn individually as they brown; sprinkle second side with a light dusting of oregano. If you use the leaves, as I prefer, crush them as you add them.
When mushrooms are browned on both sides, add a splash of wine and swish the pan briefly. Again, use whatever wine you like: all work well. I usually grab whatever's nearly empty to use it up; if you run out, grab the next one.
When done, put mushrooms on a plate and keep them warm while you cook the rest.
I eat them with meats, and by themselves as a vegetable. I put them in my homemade spaghetti sauce and on my pizzas. They are a tasty addition to a grilled cheese sandwich (layered on the bread between layers of cheese and then grilled). If you have access to odd spices, instead of the garlic/onion/oregano flavoring, try a mixture of ground pepper, cloves and long pepper. Long pepper has a slightly 'musty' flavor and can be purchased at World of Spices in Pike's Market in Seattle. (You can get cubes and grains of paradise there also, which can be substituted for the long pepper -- whoever said medieval cooking was bland was wrong.) Have fun!
