Thursday, March 01, 2007

Oven-Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms with Garlic and Course Salt and the virtues of fresh ground black pepper.

YUM! These are quite possibly the best hors d'oeuvres ever - and I don't really like mushrooms that much (morels excluded). I'm eager to try these several different ways; cooked longer to be crispy and cooked less to be more juicy and chewier. They are just so good. I made some and forced my friend - who hates mushrooms - to try them with great success!!! They are just SO good. You must go try them for yourself. (Do yourself a favor and use the sea salt.)

On another note: My husband wants a pepper grinder. We registered for one for our wedding but..well, let's just say the idea of a gift registry - or gifts for that matter - escaped a large portion of our guests. Anyhow, we've never used fresh ground black pepper. Ever. I had never used it. I grew up on ground pepper and I was content to stay that way. BUT - for once I was a good wife and, upon seeing peppercorns in a disposable grinder on super sale, I bought them. I used the grinder once. ONE TIME - and then threw out all our ground pepper. They aren't even the same thing, are they? Fresh ground pepper is .... perfect. It's actually fruity in a way. It's just so good. It makes everything better doesn't it? I beg that you just try it once and if you don't like it (as if!) you can send it to me - I'll use it!

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