Hump-Day Quickie: Broiled Mushrooms

Today we're going to make something so fast it barely counts as a recipe!

Broiled Mushrooms Mushrooms (as many as desired)* Butter (about 1 or 2 tablespoons for every four mushrooms if the mushrooms are small, or one tablespoon each for large ones), cut into small pieces Salt and pepper to taste Move the oven rack to a higher position than you use for baking, and heat the broiler to high for a few minutes. Meanwhile, line a pan with foil, and coat it with cooking spray. We recommend using a pan that has raised edges on all four sides, so the juices can be contained. Break off the mushroom stems and save them for another use. Wash the caps, and place them dome-side up on the pan. Broil them for 2½-3 minutes, until they just barely start to exude a little bit of juice. Remove from the oven and flip them over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a small piece of butter in each one. Return them to the oven and broil for another 2½-3 minutes, or until the butter is melted and the mushrooms are cooked. Serve quickly because they cool off fast. Carefully keep them open-side up so they hold on to all their juices. If desired, serve on pasta or buttered toast. *The original recipe calls for large mushrooms, but this is also delicious made with small ones. Source: Mrs. Mary Martensen's Century of Progress Cook Book (recipes from The Chicago American), 1933, via The Internet Archive

Even reading the recipe excited everyone else. When people asked what I was making with dinner, I wordlessly pointed to the book and got back to cutting up the butter. One of them stared at the page for just a little too long and then said "Woah."

We're using miniature mushrooms instead of the full-sized ones in the recipe. I know nothing about mushroom cultivation, but the prices suggest that it is difficult to raise them until they're big. Since this book came out in the middle of the Depression, I think Mrs. Mary Martensen would have understand if I fudged things for budgetary reasons. And if I wanted to be fancy, I could say these were "canapé-sized."

 

As I got these into the oven, I thought "Is this really this easy?" Like, this doesn't seem like a recipe worth writing down. But then again, I never thought of broiling mushrooms like this.

Because I wanted to do this recipe justice, I popped some bread into the toaster. (I kind of had to. If you omit the toast, you've skipped half the written steps.)

I think anyone that anyone in the 1930s would appreciate that French bread has been $1 per loaf lately (or at least, they would love the price after adjusting for inflation). In addition to rounding out dinner with economical carbs, the toast was better than toast should be after all the mushroom juices soaked into it.

These are far too good for how easy they are. One person cautiously lifted one off the pan, tasted it, then went wide-eyed and came back for half of them. 

I've seen a lot of people say "Fine dining is extra butter." Or sometimes you see people say "Don't ask how much cream is in it." And after making these, I finally get it. We had no leftovers. These are absolutely divine. You owe it to yourself.

As a final note, these are also really good on top of noodles. The mushroom juice spills all over the pasta and makes everything amazing.