Recipe from "Joy of Cooking": Mushroom Confit
The new, updated edition of one of the most popular cookbooks ever published, "Joy of Cooking" (Scribner) has been thoroughly revised and expanded by John Becker (great-grandson of the original author, Irma Rombauer) and his wife, Megan Scott.
They offered "CBS Sunday Morning" a few recipes from this 2019 edition.
[Be sure to watch Serena Altschul's report on "Joy of Cooking" on "Sunday Morning" November 10!]
Of their Mushroom Confit they write:
"We first encountered mushroom confit in a Thomas Keller cookbook, and we've been tweaking the recipe for years. In our opinion, this is the perfect way to preserve wild mushrooms from a successful foraging venture. Serve as part of an antipasto spread or cheese board, or toss with pasta, serve over polenta, or pile on thickly sliced toasted bread."
Mushroom Confit
Makes about 6 cups
Toss together in a colander placed in the sink or over a bowl:
2 pounds mushrooms, larger ones quartered, any tough stems removed
1 tablespoon salt
Let sit for 1 hour. Gently press any excess moisture out of them (do not rinse). Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°F.
Combine in a large ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven:
2 cups olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
4 sprigs thyme
1 small sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Set the heat to medium and wait for the garlic to start faintly bubbling. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for at least 15 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, cover, transfer to the oven, and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, uncover, and stir in:
1/4 cup sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Cool completely before packing into a jar with a tight-fitting lid, making sure the mushrooms are completely submerged in the oil. Store refrigerated for up to 1 month.
From "Joy of Cooking: 2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated." Copyright 2019. Reprinted by permission of Scribner Books, of Simon & Schuster (a division of CBS).
See also:
For more info:
- "Joy of Cooking: 2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated" by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker and Megan Scott (Scribner), in Hardcover, Spiral-Bound and eBook formats, available November 12 via Amazon