Aaron's Deli Roasted Mushrooms

     My son, Aaron, recently purchased some roasted mushrooms from the deli at his local food coop. The deli gave him a taste and he fell in love with them. He was invited to a friends home for Christmas and went there to get a few things to bring for the meal. The mushrooms were $14. a pound! It was a mixture of cremini, shitake and portabella mushrooms. He told the guy he liked them but really couldn't afford them. The guy offered to give him two pounds for the price of one. Now there was some holiday giving! So Aaron indulged in the cost for a special treat to bring his friends. He later asked if I knew how to make them and gave me the ingredients listed on the container. I always love a cooking experiment! He also bought some Moroccan yams, which is another recipe I will experiment with later for him.

     Living here in Guam I can't say making this recipe will cost less than the deli price. Here the crimini's were $4.19 for an 8 oz. carton, shitake was $5.29 for a 4 oz. carton and the portabella $6.99 for 6 oz.. That is $16.47 for 1 lb. 2 oz. of mushrooms! I love the portabella but for cost saving I left them out of the recipe I made tonight. Perhaps if Aaron buys these at his grocery store the price will be more cost effective than the deli or my cost. I have never used the fresh shitake so thought I would try them and had some crimini already at home. After making the recipe, I would definitely splurge on this for a special occasion. Tonight my husband and I really enjoyed them as an appetizer with red wine.

Aaron's Deli Roasted Mushrooms
Serves 4-6
printable recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz. crimini mushrooms

4 oz. shitake mushrooms

6 oz. portabella mushrooms 
(or any 1 1/4 lb. mix of mushrooms)
3 green onions, sliced

1- 14.5 oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes w/juice

2 T. safflower oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper
2 T. tamari (or Coconut Aminos for a soy free option)

2 T. balsamic vinegar

½ T. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F

Method 1- (this is what I did tonight)

Wash mushrooms, remove stems (freeze and save for soup stock), slice mushrooms in half or quarter large ones. Add them to a large mixing bowl along with the green onions and Fire Roasted Tomatoes.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, except the olive oil. Pour this on top of the mushrooms and stir to combine.

Place the mushroom mix in a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve warm or cold as an appetizer with crusty bread.

Method 2-

In a mixing bowl, separately toss each variety of mushrooms with a little safflower oil to coat, sprinkle of salt & pepper. Place them on a baking sheet separately. You want to keep them separate because each mushroom type will vary in roasting time because of the type of mushroom and size they are cut. If one type is cooking faster then you can remove them from the tray and let the others continue to cook. Roast for 15-20 minutes on a baking sheet. Cool completely.

While the mushrooms are roasting whisk together in a small bowl the garlic, balsamic and red wine vinegars, oregano and thyme.

Toss the roasted mushrooms with the mixed dressing, Fire Roasted Tomatoes and green onions. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Chill before serving. 

Tip: For an alternative side dish, add other vegetables, like eggplant, bell peppers and carrots.

I found these were even better the next day!! The longer marinating and chilling time really blended the flavors nicely.