Anniversary

Andrew and I are celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary today, and went out to dinner last night. Andrew took the selfie above to commemorate the occasion. He did a little better last night than on Mother's Day, when he was trying to figure out his new camera phone. Instead of taking a photo, he took a video - shot sideways - with him saying "I'm pretty sure that one worked out."

When you've been married for twenty-three years, it's important not to get into a rut. And it's important not to let yourself get into a cooking rut, either. Keeping a blog since 2010 has encouraged me to try new recipes, from new cookbooks, and has helped me stay out of that rut. Fast, Fresh and Green, by Susie Middleton, is one of my favourites. It has a great selection of wonderful ways to serve vegetables, that just might make your side dish the star of your meal. Andrew absolutely loves these mushrooms, and I do too. I'll be serving them tonight, for our anniversary dinner at home.

Mahogany Mushrooms

From Fast, Fresh & Green:

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp dark brown sugar

2 tsp ketchup

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp unsalted butter (first amount)

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound cremini mushrooms (quartered if large, halved if small)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbsp butter (second amount)

2 tsp minced fresh garlic

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and water.  Set the bowl near the stove.  Put a shallow serving dish near the stove as well.

In a 10 inch straight-sided sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat.  When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and salt, stir right away, and continue stirring until the mushrooms have absorbed all of the fat.

Let the mushrooms sit and cook for two minutes, then stir once.  Don’t worry, the pan may look crowded and dry, but keep the heat up at medium-high.  Let it sit and cook, stirring infrequently (they will squeak when you stir them), until the mushrooms are shrunken, glistening, and some parts have developed a deep orange-brown colour, about 10 minutes.  (The bottom of the pan will be brown.)

Turn the heat down to low, and add the garlic and remaining 1 Tbsp butter.  Stir and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Whisk the soy sauce mixture again and very carefully add it to the pan.  You’ll need to scrape out the brown sugar, but don’t stand directly over the pan as there will be sputtering.  Stir and cook just until the liquid thickens slightly and coats the mushrooms, 15 to 20 seconds more.  Quickly transfer the mushrooms and all of the sauce to a serving dish. 

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And this outtake shows maybe he doesn't have the camera entirely figured out yet:

Happy anniversary, Andrew!