Cilantro with Mushrooms--Another Happy Accident

Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Cilantro

Cilantro with Mushrooms--Another Happy Accident

by Victoria Challancin

At a birthday party dinner last week I enjoyed the yummiest mushrooms cooked with garlic and cilantro.  Cilantro!  It was a new taste sensation for me to have cilantro paired with mushrooms;  frankly, I never would have thought of it.  After about the third helping, I asked the hostess, who is Colombian, if this was a native dish from her home country, this unique combination of cilantro with mushrooms.  She laughed and said, "I was out of parsley, so I used cilantro.  I can't tell the difference!" She might have been teasing, as she is an excellent cook whose food is always flawless, but whatever the reason the cilantro was added, this dish was unusual and good.  Another happy accident? Maybe.  I'm not sure why I would never have thought to put these two ingredients together, but the result is delicious.  And easy.  We ate it as an accompaniment to grilled marinated arrachera, or skirt steak.

As we have mushroom farms near San Miguel de Allende, where I live, I am always looking for new ways to prepare this year-round bounty of a variety of mushrooms.  Immediately, when I next went to the market, I purchased a pound of crimini mushrooms, though any type would work.  Here is my interpretation of this easy, delicious side dish.

Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Cilantro

(My interpretation of a recipe by Adriana Miniño)

3 tablespoons extra-virgen olive oil or butter, or a combination of the two

6 garlic cloves, minced

500g whole crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed

1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves and some stems

3/4 cup water

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil and/or butter over medium heat in a large non-stick frying pan.  Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown.  Add mushrooms.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until very soft.  Add cilantro and stir to combine.  Continue cooking for 2 minutes.  Add water, salt, and pepper.  Cover pan and allow to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to blend flavors.

Enjoy!

Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Cilantro

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.