Shallot Mushroom Sauté with Taleggio

These sautéed mushrooms get an extra punch of briny flavor from a few spoonfuls of pickle juice. Don’t knock it until you try it.

I was inspired to add pickle juice to sautéed mushrooms after eating at State Bird Provisions, where I happened to ask one of their knowledgeable servers to reveal the secret ingredient. Lucky for me, she obliged. My recipe gets pretty close to the original, while using less butter and olive oil.

Chef Tip: When recipes call for pricier varieties of wild mushrooms, take the more affordable route at home and cook with cremini mushrooms. Often called “baby portobellos”, creminis have a firm texture that holds up great to sautéing and other high-heat cooking methods. For this recipe I added a few torn shiitake and oyster mushrooms to the mix.

Yield 4 servings as an appetizer or side dish

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 3-4 shallots, thinly sliced

• 1 ½ pounds of mushrooms, such as cremini, oyster, or shiitake, cleaned with tough stems removed

• 1/3 cup brine, strained from a jar of dill pickles

• kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper

• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

• optional: crusty baguette bread and about 8oz taleggio cheese (provolone is a good substitution) 

Method

Cut larger mushrooms into thick slices, while cutting the smaller mushrooms into quarters and halves.

If using baguette, turn on your broiler, cut the bread lengthwise and top with slices of taleggio.

In a very large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderately high heat, swirling, until the butter is golden, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ½ of the pickle brine and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving bowl and keep warm.

Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan.  Add the shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the shallots until slightly caramelized, about 3 minutes. At this stage, place the cheese-topped baguette under the broiler and toast until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Add the remaining pickle juice to the pan to deglaze. Run your fingers across the thyme sprigs and let the leaves fall into the pan. Stir to incorporate. Add mushrooms back into the pan and toss lightly. Serve immediately on their own or with the cheese baguette.