Congratulations to Mary Luz Mejia for winning our mushroom recipe contest with her Mushrooms with Garlic and Parsley Sauce Recipe. 

Mushrooms with Garlic and Parsley Sauce Recipe Ingredients

This recipe serves 6 but you can halve or double it easily to adjust to

guest numbers.

• 1/4 cup of minced Italian, flat leaf parsley
• 5 cloves of garlic- minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 6 tablespoons of golden, Spanish Olive Oil (not green, grassy Tuscan olive oil that tastes divine on salads and greens, but is not as ideal for cooking this dish) 
• 1 pound of your favourite whole, fresh mushrooms (cremini, button etc…) with the stems removed so that you’ve got a little hollow “bowl” where the stem used to be
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• A splash of Spanish red wine

Preparation:

Garlic Parsley Sauce: Once minced, squeeze the parsley dry in a tea towel or

cloth. Add to bowl with the garlic and add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil.

Set aside at room temperature for about an hour (preferably overnight if you

can- see note above). Heat a heavy skillet (or griddle) over high heat. Pour remaining 2

tablespoons of oil and spread over bottom by tilting the skillet. Put

mushrooms stem side down on the hot pan surface. Brown them and then turn

them over (gill sides up) until tender. Liquid will fill mushroom caps- do

not lose this when you are ready to transfer mushrooms to a serving dish.

Sprinkle sea salt and pepper over the mushrooms and add a splash of red wine

to pan – let it simmer. Transfer to serving plate and top each mushroom with a bit of the

parsley-garlic sauce and serve immediately. Make sure to have some fresh baguette rounds ready for sopping up the

delicious sauce! Buen Provecho!

This versatile dish is a great tapa if you feel like a small snack

before heading out or an ideal accompaniment to grilled meats and other

tapas if you want to make a dinner out of it. By allowing the mushroom

liquid to fill the caps, you get a concentrated “mushroom consommé” of

sorts, that when topped with the garlic-parsley sauce is a thing of

delectable beauty. Have some good, sturdy bread to sop up the juices- you’ll

be glad you didn’t waste a drop! In Spain, they colloquially call this to

“embarcar.” Whatever you want to call it- it makes good sense!

Start by making the Garlic Parsley sauce (even a day in advance so the

flavours have a chance to marry) and leave covered in the refrigerator until

you're ready to finish the dish. Take out about 1 hour before serving so

that the sauce has a chance to reach room temperature.

Tip:

 For If You Have Left-Overs: Combined with scrambled eggs and served atop

a good, crusty piece of bread, the humble mushroom gets elevated to the

national breakfast dish of choice in Spain.