Sauteed Mushrooms... the Perfect Complement to a Great Steak

I love steak... It's probably my favorite meal, but you have to eat red meat in moderation because it's high in fat (which is what makes it so good) and it seems to have a number of other negative health effects if consumed too often. Sorry to start out my post this way, but it's an important caveat. I like to limit my red meat intake to once a week and that works well for me since I get to have my weekly "steak night."

My favorite complement to a great steak is sauteed mushrooms. While baby Portobello and even white mushrooms work well, in my eyes (and mouth), there is nothing better than sauteed Shitakes. Their consistency is almost meaty, they have a great oaky flavor and they saute better than any other mushrooms in my opinion.

Most people make a critical mistake when they saute mushrooms and add salt at the beginning. In order to get a great saute of any vegetable that holds water, it's important that you DON'T season until after you've finished sauteing. The reason is that the salt draws the water of the mushrooms and you end up steaming instead of sauteing, which results in mushy shrooms without a lot of flavor.

I start by cutting the stems off of the Shitakes. While you don't need to do this with many other varieties, Shitakes have tough stems that you probably don't want to eat. The general idea though is to cut the shrooms into relatively equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly. I usually quarter white and Portabello mushrooms as it makes them easier to cook.

I smash a few cloves of garlic to get the skin off (with the goal of leaving them almost fully intact), cut up a jalapeno and slice a couple shallots (see photo). The general idea here is use big slices because the mushrooms take a little while to cook and if you use thin slices or too finely chop your other veggies, they will end up burned before your mushrooms are done cooking.

Once you've chopped everything, you're ready to cook. I usually throw my mushrooms on about the same time as the steak. I heat one of my cast irons to medium high heat and add a tablespoon of unsalted butter (again, our goal is to stay away from the salt until the end). Once the butter has melted, I add my shrooms and the rest of the veggies and I usually add a drizzle of EVOO just for a little extra flavor. You'll notice that without salt, you won't end up with any liquid in the bottom of the pan... this is a good thing.

Saute away, adjusting your heat as necessary. If your mushrooms finish up before your steak just turn the pan to low heat (or off) and your shrooms will stay warm until your steak is finished and won't overcook. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy steak and sauteed Shitake mushrooms with a great glass of bold red wine. Yummy!