Despite what you may think, I wasn’t born knowing how to host a big party. When my husband and I lived in Florida, Shelley, my sister-in-law, made me host Thanksgiving one year. With an 8 month old baby in the house and a full time job, I was terrified. Honestly, I don’t know how it came together, but it did. Even after we’d moved back up north, I didn’t host anything for years.
Through that time, I was slowly learning to cook. My mother taught me some of her recipes, although she did not have a very big repertoire. I especially loved the way she made mushrooms. She would take onions, garlic, and mushrooms and put them in a big pot, which she would cook low and slow on the stove. The mushrooms cooked in their own juices are so delicious.
Once my family had really settled and bought a home, I began to host Thanksgiving. The first couple of years, it was a small crowd, but that grew as quickly as my cooking skills. My cousin moved around the block from me, and my niece moved to New York City. Because of her work schedule, she couldn’t go to Florida for Thanksgiving, so my brother and his family decided to come up north for the holiday. See where I’m going here? You guessed it– the spots around my table filled quickly, and I had to learn how to cook for a crowd.
I always made my mother’s mushroom dish for holiday gatherings. That is, until I realized I could make some improvements. After learning how to caramelize vegetables, I pan roasted them until they were glistening with all those brown bits of goodness. As my crowd grew bigger, pan-roasting just took too long. That is how I came to make this recipe. It is really so simple, yet people think you were slaving over them all day. I made them for Thanksgiving AND Christmas, and when nobody complained about the repeat servings, I knew I had to share. I think my mother would have loved them, and I hope you do too!
This recipe is my own and will serve 4 people who will welcome the delicious preparation of simple ingredients.
Ingredients for Roasted Mushrooms:
4 (6-ounce packages) assorted mushrooms, such as crimini, chanterelle, portobello, or white button.
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Parmesan-Reggiano Cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Cover a baking pan with parchment paper.
If your mushrooms are not already cut, remove stems and cut into slices.
Place mushrooms in a large bowl.
Add onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
Mix until well combined.
Stir melted butter into mushroom mixture.
Place on baking sheet in single layer.
Roast for 20 minutes or until mushrooms are very browned.
Sprinkle with Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.
Serve warm.
It’s that simple!
Wish I was back there!
