Roasted Mushrooms

I found myself craving the umami flavors so pronounced mushrooms and Big Vegan delivered a great roasted mushroom recipe that I wanted to try. (If you’re not familiar with umami, it is recognized as the “fifth flavor” in addition to sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, and it event has its own website! – http://www.umamiinfo.com/… and you can become a member!)

Above: A pack of baby bellas. I am just getting familiar with mushrooms and this was my first time buying baby bellas. I am not quite sure how they differ from the generic button mushrooms you find in a typical salad.

Above: Some fresh thyme. So nice!

Above: A nice big shallot. I don’t use shallots much and I really enjoyed it’s oniony, garlicky flavor.

Above and Below: After the roasting process completed, the pan had a lovely dark glaze on the bottom. So I put the pan on the stove, let it heat up nicely, and poured in about a quarter cup of wine to dissolve the dark glaze and let the mushrooms soak up those concentrated flavors. This technique is called deglazing. I didn’t – but could have – added a small pat of butter or some other oil to produce a flavorful sauce. As it was, the deglazing really brought out the flavor of the shallots and cooked mushrooms. The dish was a great success!