Garlic and Parsley Mushrooms

Garlic and Parsley Mushrooms

If you have run out of excuses not to perform your marital duties, this Garlic and Parsley Mushrooms is a good dish to have for dinner. Even better if you believe in the touted qualities of raw garlic as button mushrooms can also be eaten raw. I made them today simply because I had a really good vegetarian lunch at KB's and still thinking of her decided not to hunt this afternoon and cook something vegetarian instead.

You probably suspect that I also have a stock of mushrooms to clear and you are not wrong. It's difficult (at least I find it difficult) to buy 3 mushrooms when you need only 3, and I often end up buying at least a dozen if not more. Otherwise I may feel obliged to start some small talk and explain why I needed only 3 (or I may look like a pathetic Asian migrant unloved and living on her own after a day doing whatever people do at ceramic factories). Since I've often been surprised at how Italians could out-talk me and since they all seem to have more relatives than I do (to talk about), I have no wish to enter into that territory.

Raw

Just slice the mushrooms and place them in a salad bowl. Grind or pound a few cloves of garlic and a few springs of fresh parsley together with some salt, black pepper and olive oil (if you do not have a problem with your cholesterol - go for butter). Marinate the mushrooms with the paste and some lemon juice for a few hours.

You can eat this raw (just watch out for the breath and the burps) or you can soften the impact by heating up some butter or olive oil in a wok and when it's nice and hot, stir-fry the mushrooms very quickly just to cook the garlic (but not burn it). Accompanies meats and salads quite nicely. I also use it as a base for many pasta, risotto or stir-fry dishes. Do not forget to squeeze more lemon juice over the mushrooms.