Cascading Kitchen Notes
Sweating Mushrooms
Method for sweating mushrooms
- ½ lb crimini mushrooms (cleaned)
- Slice into thick pieces-leaving the stem intact
- Warm up 4 Tb olive oil in a heavy frying pan, being careful not to heat beyond 375 degrees or you’ll burn the oil.
- Throw in the sliced mushrooms, spread out so they lay flat.
- Leave them to cook for 5-7 min. on med. heat.
- Resist the temptation to stir them. Let them continue to cook until they begin to release their liquid.
- If there’s a lot of mushroom liquid, spoon it off and save it for added umami in your next sauce. Store in the fridge.
- Use a metal spatula and scrape the mushrooms loose and stir.
- Cook until all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Set aside for salad.
NOTE: If I have a busy week I’ll sweat a pound of mushrooms and store them in the fridge for use throughout the week.
Shaved Collard Greens Salad with Marinated Padrons
This recipe is adapted from Six Seasons Pg. 304.
Prepare one large bunch of Collards
- Wash collards.
- Remove stems.
- Chiffonade-ribbon collards (make this as fine as possible)
- Place in a large bowl.
Dressing:
- 6 Tb nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew…)*
- 2-3 Tb white wine vinegar or other light vinegar
- 2 Tb liquid from the marinated/pickled padron peppers
Use the liquid from pepperoncini if you don’t have marinated padrons.
- 1/4 C olive oil
- Add 1 Tb Tamari or Soy Sauce (Use less if your peanut butter is salted)
Whisk it all together.
Salad:
- 1 large bunch of collards-chiffonade
- ½ lb of mushrooms-sweat (see sidebar)
- 1 cup- red cabbage sliced very thin OR
- 1 cup –marinated red onion-sliced in slivers (marinate in a pinch of salt and 3 Tb vinegar of your choice)
How to assemble the salad:
- Place all the veggies in a large bowl
- Pour dressing over and work in with tongs, making sure everything is well coated.
- Plate out the salad and top with:
- A few slices of marinated/ pickled padrons or pepperoncini
- 1 cup toasted nuts
*If you have nut allergy concerns try using roasted, shelled pumpkin seeds both as the “nut butter” and for crunch in the salad.