Man, I love mushrooms.  I mean there's a real love affair going on between my taste buds and these little bits of fungus.  Mushrooms are unique because they have a meaty texture to them, with just a bit of chew that makes them really nice to eat.  You could easily grill a nice portobello mushroom and treat it like a steak.  Melt some compound shallot butter over it and pair it up with some roasted cauliflower for a perfect dinner.

The earthy flavor of mushrooms tends to pair well with butter, shallots, onions, fine herbs and so many other things.  Oh, and they love to be cooked in bacon fat or have chopped crispy bacon in them as well.  Just ask them next time you make some sauteed mushrooms.  They love bacon.

For this recipe we are keeping it really simple.  A little EVOO, some salt and parsley. This classic preparation can be heaped up on a chicken breast, paired up with boneless short ribs or pureed into a delicious soup just to name a few options.  When I made these today, they topped some of the roasted leg of lamb that we enjoyed.  Perfectly simple and delightful.

QUICK COOKING TIP: My favorite way to clean mushrooms is to run them individually under a gentle stream of warm water.  Try not to get the water on the underside of the mushroom.  Once they are clean, place them in a colander until you are ready to slice them.  The water they absorb will be cooked off and cleaning this way will eliminate the grit.

Ok- let's get to the recipe.