Mushrooms en papillote

Christmas is behind us and New Year's Day is just ahead.  And here we are in the first true weeks of winter hoping for snow sometime.  Well, maybe not everyone is hoping for snow, but I am.  I was very happy to look at the forecast for the upcoming weekend and see that we have snow expected to start the new year.

This cold weather also makes it a great time to eat hot foods.  And I have a really good one for mushrooms lovers today.  It is simple, flavorful, and easy.  

Mushrooms en papilotte.  

The picture above shows the prepared mushrooms before foil is wrapped around them like a pouch.  Cooking "en papillote" means to cook in a pouch.  This pouch can be made of parchment paper, folded properly to seal it, but it can also be made of foil and since almost everyone has foil in their kitchen, that's how we'll do it today.

Get a pound of mushrooms.  I like to get a mix of mushrooms varieties.  You can cut them or leave them whole.  I prefer to cut them up a variety of sizes.  Place them all on a large square or rectangle of foil.  I like to use extra wide heavy duty foil, and I'll tear off apiece about 18 inches long.  If you are using standard foil that is not as wide, you probably want to divide this recipe into two portions since the decreased width will make it harder to put this large quantity of mushrooms all in the same pouch.

Place the mushrooms in the center of the foil.  (You can also use a bowl instead and mix all the ingredients in the bowl before you transfer them to the foil -- this is especially helpful if you are dividing this recipe into two halves.)    Sprinkle a 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the mushrooms along with a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.  Add sliced or pressed garlic cloves.  I like to add 5 or 6, but you can add just a couple if you want less garlic.  Then place a bit of butter right on top, about a tablespoon, but it doesn't have to be exact.  Then drizzle a bit of olive oil over the mixture, about a tablespoon.  (For vegans, just leave out the butter and add an extra tablespoon of olive oil.)  At this point I sometimes add a bit of dried parsley and thyme, but sometimes I will wait and add those after the cooking is done if I have fresh herbs on hand. And of course, you can always change up the variety of herbs you use to whatever you find most appealing.  Now, wrap the package, but not tight.  It needs a little space at the top for the steam to collect.  We want these mushrooms to steam in this pouch.  I seal the pouch lengthwise first with a nice double fold which is creased very firmly, and I make sure it "tents" nicely above the mushrooms.  Then I fold the ends.  I do this in such a way that the folds are all on the top, pointing up, so that if a fold is not quite precisely sealed, no liquid drains from the package.

Here is a pouch that is all set to go into the oven.  Your oven should be at 400 F.  Place the pouch on a baking sheet, and pop it in for about 45 minutes.

Here's what you have when it comes out.  The mushrooms are a bit smaller.  They are tender.  They are delicious.  And they reheat very well, so you don't have to eat everything all at once.

So there you go.  An easy hot nutritious dish (and vegan if you leave out the butter) to enjoy during the cold days of winter.  Perfect for humans or hobbits (any LOTR fans reading this?).

I hope you all enjoy the last few days of the year.  For those of you who are here in Kansas City, I hope you are excited about our first significant snowfall of the winter.