Roasted Mushrooms with Balsamic, Garlic and Thyme

 As you’ve probably guessed after reading this blog, there’s not much I won’t eat.  Up until recently, however, mushrooms were on my No-Fly list.  My parents have told me time and time again, that when I still small enough to be in a high chair, I loved mushrooms so much that my mom would saute some to have with dinner, and my dad would have to fight me for them.  I don’t believe them. I don’t ever remember a time as a child when I came near a mushroom without cringing.

As I’ve grown into an adult (The jury is, actually, still out on that one.), my hatred of mushrooms has waned just a bit.  I don’t hate them, but they’re still not my favorite.  I prefer them raw, in a salad or on a veggie tray.  Cooked?  Blech.  Nine times out of ten, cooked mushrooms just look and taste like muddy slime to me.

I ran across this recipe on Pinterest, though, and I decided to put my slimy mushroom heebie jeebies aside and give it a go.  Why, you ask?  Well, after roasting a kazillion different veggies and loving every one, I thought it may just work with mushrooms too.  Plus, I thought that maybe, just maybe, roasting them wouldn’t leave them slimy.  Oh, and tossing anything in balsamic vinegar, garlic and thyme usually works for me.

I took out the ingredients and set to work.

My husband looked at me like I was crazy.

I still set to work.

I cleaned a pound of white mushrooms, took off the stems and cut the larger ones in half.  You could use fancier mushrooms, if you’re a mushroom person, but I thought it was safest for me to stick with the basics this go round.

Once they were prepped, I tossed them with some olive oil (which soaked in immediately), spread them out on a cookie sheet, and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

They went into the oven to roast for about fifteen minutes.

As they were roasting, I mixed together my “It’s Got to Make it Taste Spectacular” mixture of Balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, fresh thyme, and olive oil.

After fifteen minutes, I took the mushrooms out of the oven, poured off the liquid from the pan, and then tossed the mushrooms with the garlic mixture.

I crossed my fingers, popped them back into the oven, and hoped for the best.

They cooked for about fifteen minutes more, until I noticed that the mushrooms started to caramelize on the bottoms and started to look a little “drier”.  Remember, I’m afraid of mushroom slime!  If you like them a little more slippery, you may want to remove them from the oven around the ten minute mark.

I served them up that night alongside some steak and salad, and I have to admit, they were pretty awesome.  They weren’t slimy at all, but instead were packed with flavor, and meaty and rich.  If left to my own devices, I probably could have polished off the entire pan.  (DISCLAIMER: Mushrooms shrink while they cook, so it really wouldn’t have been that difficult.)  My parents will be so proud.

I have a renewed faith in the fungi.

ROASTED MUSHROOMS WITH BALSAMIC, GARLIC AND THYME

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen