Tag Archives: best way to cook mushrooms

Don’t Rush Slow-Roasted Oyster Mushroom Ragu

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So smoky, savory and meaty tasting, this pasta won't make you miss the fact there's no actual meat in it.
So smoky, savory and meaty tasting, this pasta won’t make you miss the fact there’s no actual meat in it.

The key to the most flavorful mushroom pasta?

Skip the quick saute of the mushrooms. Instead, exercise a little patience to roast them in the oven for 45 minutes with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.

The result are mushrooms that are deeply caramelized, wonderful smoky tasting, and because of the seasonings, boosted with meaty and savory flavors.

This recipe for “Slow-Roasted Oyster Mushroom Ragu” is from “Cooking Fast and Slow” (10 Speed Press, 2025).

The cookbook is by Natalia Rudin, a London-based personal chef, health and nutrition coach, and yoga teacher.

With her busy life, she well understands the need for both quick recipes for harried weekdays and more leisurely ones for days that are more relaxed. As such, her book chapters are handily arranged into recipes that take 15 minutes or less, 30 minutes or less, 1 hour or less, and 1 hour or more.

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Wonderfully Confounding Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan and Pine Nuts

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Intense tasting roasted mushrooms -- thanks to a technique that goes against all common wisdom.
Intense tasting roasted mushrooms — thanks to a technique that goes against all common wisdom.

When is a no-no a triumphant yes-yes?

When it is this recipe and technique for “Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan and Pine Nuts.”

You know that old adage that one should never wash or rinse mushrooms with water but simply brush them clean? (Not that I ever actually followed that, mind you.)

Well, leave it to America’s Test Kitchen to turn that line of thinking completely topsy-turvy on its head.

In this super simple side dish recipe, you not only introduce water to uncooked, fresh mushrooms big-time, but you actually soak and submerge them in salted water for a whole 10 minutes.

How crazy is that?

Crazy brilliant, actually. Much like brining your holiday turkey, this same technique imparts moisture and flavors the mushrooms from the outside in.

This recipe is from the new “The Side Dish Bible: 1001 Perfect Recipes for Every Vegetable, Rice, Grain, and Bean Dish You Will Ever Need” by America’s Test Kitchen, of which I received a review copy.

This huge tome is a collection of 1,001 side dish recipes that is sure to complete any weeknight meal or festive holiday repast. At this time of year, it’s a must-have for dishes such as “Caesar Brussels Sprouts,” “Freekeh Salad with Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Raisins,” “Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle and Lime,” and “Slow-Cooker Creamy Braised Leeks.”

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