Garlicky Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms
Holy shiitake. The healthiest mushroom on the planet is also one of the tastiest.
I've written about my love for Asian supermarkets before, but they are where it's at when it comes to produce. Deals as far as the eye can see... and fresh shiitake mushrooms, guys. Yes, the heavens parted at Dragon Star in St. Paul this week and now here we are on this blog with shiitakes, simply roasted into little umami bombs.
This recipe is as easy as it gets, because these meaty, smoky mushrooms are so good they don't need me or you to eff around too much with them. Shiitakes are like the bacon of mushrooms, if that's a thing...
I just checked. It is a thing! People totally make vegan "bacon" out of these.
Health Benefits of Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitakes are possibly one of the healthiest foods, period.
These mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 6,000+ years (!). They symbolize longevity because they are packed with things that help your body do (or not do) important things. One of my favorite new skincare brands, Volition, makes a moisturizing serum made with snow mushrooms, apparently because the mushrooms can hold so much water—it acts almost like hyaluronic acid.
The laundry list of possible shiitake health benefits includes stuff like boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, helping manage high blood pressure, preventing plaque build-up in the blood vessels, lowering cholesterol levels, improving energy levels and mood... there are a lot of potential bennies, see?
Shiitakes also contain an anti-tumor compound called lentinan, which has shown fight cancer growth. The American Cancer Society has noted that more research needs to be done, but WHOA.
Mushrooms are amazing creatures.
How to Cook Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
If you aren't as lucky as I am to have found a fresh supplier in my backyard, you will likely come across shiitake mushrooms in dried form.
You can follow this same recipe to cook your dried mushrooms, except you'll have a couple extra steps.
First, soak the mushrooms in room temperature water for about 30 minutes to rehydrate them (hot water will extract flavor, and you don't want that unless you're planning to make a shortcut broth... which is a good idea too). Drain and rinse them. Then dry them thoroughly. And then you're ready to slice and roast!
Garlicky Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms
vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, whole30 recipe
Ingredients
2/3 lb fresh (or rehydrated) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 T olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss the mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper. Do this right before you put them in the oven or the oil will just soak into the mushroom.
Roast for 10 minutes.
Add the garlic to the pan and give the mushrooms a stir.
Roast for 5 more minutes.
Tips
You should try making the Dongbei-Style Braised Chicken Thighs that I made to go with these mushrooms. So good.
If you let them roast a little longer, they'll become like chips!
