BANDERILLAS DE SETAS AL AJILLO (GARLIC MUSHROOM SKEWERS)
SOURCE: ALEXANDRA RAIJ, EDER MONTERO, AND REBECCA FLINT MARX. THE BASQUE BOOK: A LOVE LETTER IN RECIPES FROM THE KITCHEN OF TXIKITO.
Virtually every bar around Spain can never deny nor replace the constant craving for garlic mushrooms in their menus. Rather than present them in the orthodox form of vermouth-marinated tapas on clay cazuelas, some pintxo bars in Bilbao thread small button mushrooms on toothpicks to transform them into quick bites that add an earthy twist to a shot of martini.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon/3 grams finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup/120 mL extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds/680 grams small white button mushrooms
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon/2 grams hot red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons/12 grams coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best result
3 tablespoons/45 mL dry vermouth or fino sherry
1/4 cup/60 mL freshly squeezed lemon juice
Specific Equipment
Large saucepan
Nonreactive glass bowl
Plastic wrap
Toothpicks
Serves 6
Instructions
1. Sauté the garlic in olive oil for 30 seconds in a saucepan over medium heat or until the garlic has turned opaque.
2. Raise the heat to high and sauté in the mushrooms, frequently stirring or tossing for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms release their juices and shrink in size. Season with salt, red pepper flakes, and parsley, stir for another 2 minutes or until the mushroom juices have reduced.
3. Pour in the vermouth or fino sherry to deglaze the pan, stirring to dissolve any browned bits stuck on the surface of the pan. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 6 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to the consistency of a syrup.
4. Remove the saucepan from heat. Season lightly with salt and stir in the lemon juice. Transfer the mushrooms into a nonreactive glass bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Thread two or three mushrooms with a toothpick and transfer the skewers to a serving platter.
