Alessandra's mushrooms

Here is what I was up to yesterday. I actually made zucchini too but that will come in a later post. These mushrooms make the perfect topping for a roast (like we will be having Christmas Eve) or on its own, or with a piece of arabic bread. My mom taught me how to make them but I am not sure if the original recipe was hers. We always did it off the top of our heads anyways… Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best ones.

A picture story….

The boxes of mushrooms, looking over at me in an intimidating way.

Half of the mushroom peeled. I always peel them because my mom always did and my nonna always does and so I listen!

To peel them use a short knife and stick it under the membrane part and pull out, kind of like you’re peeling a quartered apple. then scrape the stem and you are done.

A completed peeled mushroom:

And its other side.. see how pretty and white!

This made a huge bowl… here are all the good pieces:

And here are all the peeled parts, to be thrown:

I wanted to show you just how big that bowl is.. it was seriously overflowing:

And all while I was doing the above it looked like this outside!!!

So now, to cook them…

For a dinner with about 40-50 guests…

Ingredients:
10-11 boxes of plain white mushrooms, peeled and chopped
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, pulsed in a food processor
3-4 cloves of minced garlic
salt + pepper
olive oil, to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil (I used about 2-3 tbs) and add the garlic. After about 2-3 minutes add the parsley and mushrooms. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and stir. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another hour or so. You’ll know when it’s done when all of the water has evaporated (the mushrooms contain a lot of water).

Here is the pot right after I combined all the ingredients:

And here is what it looks like finished:

**You’ll see more pictures of the yummy completed mushrooms on Christmas Eve when I eat some!!!!!***