Moon-dried mushrooms

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 kg mushrooms, brown, small, preferably the same size
• Olive oil, virgin
• 3 garlic cloves, maybe a little more
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp Thyme, fresh, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp mint, fresh, finely chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 hours; Total time approx. 10 hours 15 minutes

Recipe by Tarassaco – inspired by Nigella Lawson. Largely adapted from Tarassaco’s words from a forum post

No, these mushrooms aren’t left out in the moonlight for nights. There’s no need to mutter any moonlight incantations either. I’m adapting a preparation method from British chef Nigella Lawson, who has made “moon-dried” tomatoes before. They’re also very good, by the way; I highly recommend them. Why “moon-dried”? Because after a brief prep, you place the mushrooms in a very hot oven, then immediately turn it off and let them finish cooking overnight (when the moon is shining—or not). Preheat the oven to the highest possible temperature (250 degrees Celsius, but more won’t hurt) and place a large, shallow baking dish inside. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms—don’t wash them, just clean them with a brush. Trim the stems a little. Chop the garlic cloves and crush them finely with a teaspoon of sea salt on a board. Putting them through a regular garlic press won’t achieve the same result. I advocate my method for flavor reasons. Preheat a frying pan to above medium heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. From now on, it goes very quickly; we’ll be done in no time. The rest will be done overnight. Add the mushrooms to the hot pan and stir-fry for 1.5 to 2 minutes (you’ll have to stay by the pan and stir everything constantly). Remove the pan from the heat and immediately (!) season with salt and pepper and add the garlic and herbs. Stir everything well again. Remove the dish from the oven – immediately close the oven door – pour the entire contents of the pan into the dish, place the dish back in the oven, and immediately close the oven door. Turn off the oven immediately and let the mushrooms “moon dry” overnight. They’ll be ready the next morning. Do not open the oven door until then – no matter how tempting the smell may be! The mushrooms are very tasty. Great on an antipasti plate, but also in salads and even on pizza or toasted bread.