Champinones Al Ajillo - Spanish Garlic Mushrooms
Champinones al Ajillo, or garlic mushrooms, can be made in just under twenty minutes. They are an excellent example of tapas, the delicious appetizers served in bars all over Spain. Tapas are served hot or cold. More sophisticated restaurants pair tapas with alcoholic beverages that complement the food. These garlic mushrooms would be served with a dark beer or a red wine. You can eat this dish as-is once it's finished cooking, but the leftover juice from the mushrooms is excellent and begs to be sopped up with a hearty piece of crusty bread.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: 10 min.
Servings: 4
Cooking Method: Stovetop
Category: Appetizers and Snacks, Vegetarian, Vegetables
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients:
- 10 large button mushrooms
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 large stalk celery
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons dry sherry
- 1/4 teaspoon Smoked Sweet Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Morita Chile Flakes, or whatever red pepper flake you prefer
- A few strands of Saffron
- 1/2 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- Fine Sea Salt and Black Pepper Fine Grind to taste
Instructions:
- Cut mushrooms into quarters. Mince the garlic and the celery.
- Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and let them caramelize in the pan. Do not touch them as they caramelize. This should take between 5-10 minutes.
- When mushrooms take on a golden color, shake the pan to loosen the mushrooms. Add lemon juice, dry sherry, Smoked Sweet Paprika, and Morita Chile Flakes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove pan from heat. Stir in Saffron and chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve hot with crusty bread.
