Spices for mushrooms. Do you know how to choose the right seasonings?

Seasoning for mushrooms can highlight the delicate, rich flavor of a dish - or it can overshadow it completely. Therefore, you need to be careful when choosing spices.

Each cooking method has its own set of spices. Add them to mushrooms for a rich, vibrant flavor that will make your mouth water.

The most popular spices and seasonings

When choosing spices, focus on the taste of mushrooms. The milder the aroma, the less spices required.

Champignons, oyster mushrooms, chanterelles, and honey mushrooms have a very delicate, harmonious smell. A large number of bright seasonings will overwhelm it, and you will get a dish that smells not of boletus, but of pepper and garlic.

Bitter varieties, milk mushrooms, boletus, and boletus have a dense, rich aroma. It is combined with a lot of spices and herbs - but still try not to overdo it.

Usually added to mushrooms:

• fried garlic;
• white pepper;
• onion fried until golden brown;
• dill, parsley;
• rosemary;
• allspice;
• basil;
• cloves;
• nutmeg;
• coriander;
• rosemary;
• tarragon;
• marjoram;
• oregano.

Butter and olive oil, white wine, sour cream and cream perfectly highlight the taste of the dish.

Mushroom dishes - how to choose the right spices

Greens harmonize with pickled, salted, and fresh mushrooms.

Feel free to add green onions and dill to the salted milk mushrooms. Marinated champignons or honey mushrooms go well with parsley, and you can add any greens to your taste to a fresh salad. In the overall bouquet of aromas, the fresh smell of dill or basil will sound harmonious. But keep it in moderation - add a little greenery so that it doesn’t drown out the other flavors.

Use garlic carefully - no more than one clove, and be sure to fry it in oil. The pungent, intrusive aroma will soften, become softer and sweeter. The same applies to onions - they need to be caramelized. Garlic and onions go great with fried and stewed mushrooms, in vegetable stews and dishes with meat and fish.

Italian and Provençal herbs are added to soups and light summer sautés. They have a soft, refreshing aroma with a slight hint of mint. A little oregano, a couple of basil leaves - and a light soup will turn into a bright, original dish.

Thyme and rosemary are good in mushroom sauces - they make the flavor thicker and richer, giving it depth.

Nutmeg harmoniously emphasizes the soft aroma of creamy dishes. This spice reveals the mushroom flavor and highlights the delicate milky sweetness. Boletus stewed in sour cream, chanterelles in creamy sauce - add a little grated nutmeg to the pan, and the smell will become divine.

How to prepare ready-made mushroom mixtures yourself

Professional chefs use these combinations of seasonings.

• Marinated mushrooms.

Allspice and white pepper, cloves, coriander, mustard seeds, bay leaf, fresh garlic, cloves, rosemary, wine vinegar.

• Salted mushrooms.

Dill seeds and greens, garlic, black and allspice, bay leaf, currant, raspberry and oak leaves.

• Mushroom sauces.

Mediterranean herbs, parsley, dill, fried onions, nutmeg, dry white wine.

• Fried foods.

Onions, garlic, nutmeg, herbs, Mediterranean herbs, white pepper.

• Soups and stews.

Greens, black, white and allspice, nutmeg, bay leaf, fried onions and garlic.

You can put together such “bouquets” yourself.

1. Buy packages of the spices you need at the store and open the bags. Don't cut them completely - just cut off the corners.
2. Prepare a small deep container. A bowl works great, but you can use a regular plate.
3. Pour a teaspoon of spices with a less pronounced aroma into the container and stir. This is the basic composition.
4. Add more aggressive spices a pinch at a time. Put it in, smell it, and evaluate the result. If you feel it’s not enough, add more.
5. When the aroma of the mixture becomes harmonious, pour it into a small hermetically sealed container. A vitamin bottle, a decorative test tube with a cork cap, or a special container will do.

Store spices in the dark and tightly sealed. This way they will retain their rich aroma for several months.

Advice. After opening all the packets, smell the seasonings. If you absolutely do not like a certain smell, exclude it from the mixture. The opinion of the chefs is, of course, important, but you will still be the one eating the mushrooms. Be guided by your own taste.

Prepare these mixtures in advance, and cooking will become much easier.

Best Recipes

Mushrooms on the grill

Food cooked over an open fire quickly loses water. In order not to dry out the mushrooms, you need to additionally saturate them with moisture - marinate them.And the best marinades in this case are oil marinades with a high fat content.

Option with olive marinade

For the marinade you will need:

• Refined olive oil – 4 tbsp. l.;
• Black pepper – 5 peas;
• Dill and parsley - a bunch;
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l.;
• Salt to taste.

Crush the pepper in a mortar and finely chop the greens. Mix oil, spices, lemon juice and salt the mixture.

This amount of marinade is enough for 0.5 kg of champignons.

1. Wash the vegetables and place on a clean towel to drain.
2. Place the champignons in a bowl, pour the marinade into it, and mix everything carefully.
3. Leave the dish to marinate for 1 hour.
4. When the mushrooms are saturated with the spicy mixture, place them on the grill and bake for 30 minutes.

Don't forget to shake off the greens from the mushrooms. On the grill it will quickly char, and the finished dish will have an unpleasant burnt taste.

Option with creamy marinade

This marinade will turn bland, inconspicuous store-bought champignons into a restaurant dish.

You will need:

• sour cream 30% - 3 tbsp. l.;
• cream 20-33% - 3 tbsp. l.;
• cumin – 1/3 tsp;
• Provençal herbs - a pinch;
• nutmeg - on the tip of a knife;
• white and allspice;
• rosemary;
• salt to taste.

Mix the cream with sour cream, add all the spices and salt. Mix the marinade thoroughly. Pour the cream mixture over the champignons and leave for 1 hour. To better soak the vegetables in the marinade, stir the dishes every 10 minutes.

Then place on the grill and bake until done.

These mushrooms can be prepared at home in the oven. In this case, sprinkle them with grated cheese - it will turn out very tasty!

Creamy cream soup with croutons

This soup is best prepared from forest mushrooms - boletus or chanterelles. But if they are not there, use any available option.It won't be as flavorful, but still delicious.

To prepare the soup you will need:

• mushrooms – 200 g;
• cream 20% - 100 ml;
• potatoes - 2 medium tubers;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• butter – 50 g;
• cheese – 50 g;
• odorless vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l.;
• salt to taste;
• white pepper, nutmeg, thyme.

Choose cheese that is dense, with a rich taste, but without the “dirty socks” smell. Parmesan is fine, Gorgonzola is not.

Making soup is very simple.

1. Cut the onions and potatoes into cubes, and the mushrooms into thin slices.
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion until golden brown.
3. Place the roast in a saucepan and fry the mushrooms in vegetable oil in the same pan. Turn up the heat so that the vegetables are not stewed, but fried.
4. Pour 0.4 liters of boiling water into the pan, add potatoes and cook until tender. At the very end, add spices and salt.
5. Pour cream into the soup and blend the dish.
6. Add the grated cheese and stir until the cereal is completely dissolved.

For croutons, take a couple of slices of day-old white bread. Remove the crust and cut them into small cubes. Place a little butter in a frying pan and fry the croutons until golden brown.

To improve the taste of the croutons, add 1 whole clove of garlic to the pan. It will impart a spicy aroma to the oil. As soon as the garlic begins to fry, remove it and throw it away. He has already fulfilled his function.

This soup is served in deep bowls. Pour in the creamy puree, place croutons on top and sprinkle with a little grated cheese.

Advice. Nicely slice 1-2 mushrooms and fry them separately. Fry until golden brown, add a little salt at the end. Do not put mushrooms in the pan - this is decoration.Place the aromatic, browned slices on the surface of the cream soup next to the croutons - it will turn out very beautiful and tasty.