Seasonal Eating
Whitney Danhof, Extension Agent
Certain foods just say the holidays are here. In the sweet realm for me it’s those traditional family recipes of Chocolate Angel Pie, Peanut Brittle, Sugar Cookie Cut Outs and my Aunt Ethel’s Good Cookies. But in the savory realm, I know it’s the holidays when there’s prime rib with my Mom’s Horseradish Cream Sauce, Winter Fruit Salad in its blanket of whipped cream and at my house, Red Wine Mushrooms. For your home, think about this sentence, “It’s just not the holidays without…”. Maybe it’s a whole country ham or turkey with cornbread dressing or a jam or coconut cake or chess pie.
We all have our traditions and favorites. For those who have lived here a while, there used to be a restaurant called Our House in Haley. We often had holiday get togethers there and they always served mushrooms cooked down and soaked with a flavorful red wine and butter mixture and they were spectacular! I love mushrooms anyway and you can almost always find a carton in my refrigerator. So, when the holidays come (and I only make these at the holidays), its time to break out the slow cooker and make these mushrooms.
This is a great side dish for beef or poultry or pasta with an alfredo sauce. They can also be a flavorful addition to an antipasti tray or appetizer buffet. The recipe is super easy in the slow cooker. Just wash the mushrooms and place in the slow cooker. Top with the rest of the ingredients and let it go on high for 8 hours. The mushrooms release all of their liquid and cook down and then absorb the luscious red wine flavor until they are completely saturated. At first the mushrooms are over the top of the liquid but they will cook down.
The recipe makes a lot, especially since you only eat a few at a time as they are very rich. I often just make 2 pounds but use the same amount of the sauce ingredients. Store them in the refrigerator and just warm up before serving. They are good on a buffet because they’re just as tasty at room temperature as when hot.
If you don’t have a slow cooker or don’t want to drag it out, you can do these in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over low heat. Cover it the first 4 hours and then uncover and cook for 4 more hours. The mushrooms should be saturated all the way through when done.
When I purchase mushrooms for this recipe, I look for packages with smaller mushrooms. If you can only find very large mushrooms, you might want to cut them in half because you want them to absorb the liquid to the center. I just use white button mushrooms but you could use the cremini mushrooms if you like a little firmer texture. You can use any dry red wine like a cabernet sauvignon, merlot or burgundy. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just drinkable for good flavor.
As you plan your menus for the holidays with your favorite traditions, try adding a few new surprises. They may just become a tradition as well. For more information and recipes check out the Seasonal Eating page at bedford.tennessee.edu.
Slow Cooker Red Wine Mushrooms
3 pounds small whole button mushrooms
1/2 cup butter
2 cups red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon base
1 teaspoon beef bouillon base
Remove any dirt from the mushrooms with a brush or wet paper towel or rinsing under running water. Place the mushrooms in a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the mushrooms. The liquid will not cover the mushrooms at first. Cook on high for 8 hours, stirring a couple of times to make sure the mushrooms get coated with the liquid. The mushrooms will shrink by half and become saturated with cooking liquid. Remove with a slotted spoon to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.